10 Kitchen Hacks That Actually Work

Good food does not have to be difficult. You can save time, money, and hassle with a few simple tricks. Let's get to the hacks!

1. Taking out an eggshell fragment.

This is one of those hacks that I was skeptical about because it seemed too good to be true. Simply scoop up those pesky little fragments with a larger piece of eggshell. It has the appearance of magic.

2. Skin a kiwi with a spoon.

If your kiwi is ripe, this trick works best (not rock hard).

To begin, cut the ends of a kiwi in half. Slide a spoon under the skin and run it all the way around the kiwi, staying as close to the skin as possible without breaking it.

You’ll be able to slide the skin right off! Then just slice and serve.

3. Handless pouring.

Wrap a zippered plastic storage bag's top around itself. This keeps the bag open and stable while you fill it with food.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

It can be difficult to fit parchment paper into a pan. To avoid this, turn your pan upside down and wrap parchment paper around the outside. Consider it like wrapping a present. Make certain that all of the edges are well creased.

Flip the pan and parchment paper over. You'll have to do some adjusting and maneuvering, but the parchment paper will fit perfectly.

5. Soften butter quickly.

Don't worry if you forget to take the butter out of the fridge to soften. Chopping it into smaller pieces will help it soften faster. Extra points if you place it in a warm area of your kitchen.

6. Quickly bring eggs to room temperature.

Similarly, you can quickly bring eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl and covering them with very warm (not hot) water. Allow them to sit for 5–10 minutes while you prepare the rest of your recipe.

7. Remove pomegranate seeds easily.

It's simple to extract the arils of a pomegranate with a wooden spoon. To begin, cut your pomegranate in half around the middle. Then, holding it upside down over a bowl, whack it on the back with a wooden spoon. The seeds will emerge.

8. Divide the muffin batter evenly.

To evenly portion out the muffin batter, use an ice cream scoop. The kind with the trigger release makes it simple to transfer the batter to the muffin tin: no frantically scraping the batter off a spoon.

9. Prevent browning of potatoes.

If you want to peel your potatoes ahead of time, just cover them in cold water to keep them from browning. If you leave your potatoes in the fridge overnight, they may retain a little more water. However, if you make mashed potatoes with them, you won't be able to tell the difference.

10. Use the float test for eggs.

Fill a bowl with cold water and perform the float test to see if the eggs are fresh. If the egg sinks to the bottom on its side, it is likely to be very fresh. If your egg sinks to the bottom while standing upright, it's not as fresh but still perfectly edible. If your egg floats, it means it has begun to produce rotting gases that lift the egg to the surface of the water, indicating that it has most likely gone bad.