20 Kitchen Hacks You'll Wish You'd Known Years Ago

These quick and clever kitchen hacks will transform the way you cook.

1. Use bread to keep cookies soft.

Add a slice of store-bought white bread to an airtight container to keep cookies and other baked goods soft after baking. Your cakes, cookies, and muffins will retain their softness from the day they were baked. Friends and family will believe they are brand new!

2. Easily slice steak fries with an apple slicer.

Do you miss your favorite restaurant's homemade potato wedges? The solution is in your kitchen drawer. For added stability, cut one end of the potato and insert an apple slicer.

3. Make use of your oven as a proofing drawer.

Sometimes it's just too cold in the kitchen to get a good proof on homemade bread. If this is the case, place the dough in the oven but do not turn it on. Place a pan of simmering water beneath your dough and close the door. The warmth and humidity from the hot water will assist you in getting the lift you require.

4. Soften butter, even if you forgot to take it out of the fridge.

Don't you hate it when you forget to take out the butter for your favorite recipe? It's fine if you forget to bring the butter to room temperature ahead of time. Butter can be softened quickly. The simplest method is to cut butter into cubes and set it aside for about 20 minutes. Smaller pieces will soften faster than the entire stick.

5. Stop Bowls from Slipping.

Using a damp dish towel under your mixing bowl will keep it from slipping and sliding on your counter as you mix. This method also works well with a cutting board.

6. Quickly chill wine using salt.

If you find yourself with lukewarm bubbly, find a tall pitcher about the height of your wine bottle and immerse it in ice water with a small handful of salt, turning it every few minutes or so. Your alcohol will be chilled in 20 minutes (or less!).

7. Use cooking spray to get golden brown air fryer food.

Air fryers are wonderful because they provide the crispy fried texture we crave without the extra grease. However, air fryers do not always produce the desired golden color. You can, however, correct this! The key to achieving that perfect golden color is to spritz your foods with cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer basket. That thin layer of oil is all you need.

8. Use this inexpensive way to label jars.

Are you unsure whether your container contains salt or sugar? A life hack we love is grabbing some rubber bands to wrap around your mason jars for labeling. They also aid in making jars easier to open.

9. Serve cake like a professional.

Heat up the blade of your sharp knife by immersing it in hot water. Then, using a dry towel, wipe your cake or meringue into neat, tidy slices. Repeat until you have pretty slices with a clean edge.

10. Do this to get more juice.

Try this professional tip the next time you need fresh lemon juice (perhaps for one of our lemon-flavored recipes). Microwave a lemon for 8 -10 seconds. Then, on the counter, roll the lemon back and forth under your palm. When you squeeze the lemon, you will extract more juice with far less effort. Try it with limes as well!

11. Quickly shred chicken using a stand mixer.

Even the most skillful cooks may find shredding chicken difficult. It may even deter you from preparing meals that call for it. But did you know you can shred chicken quickly with your stand mixer's paddle attachment? Simply toss in your leftover chicken and turn it on.

12. A tip to make herbs last longer.

Nothing is more disappointing than purchasing fresh herbs only to have them wilt the next day. With this simple storage tip, you can keep herbs like parsley and cilantro looking fresh! Place the stems in a small glass of water and cover them with water. Then, place a plastic bag (such as one from the grocery store) over top and secure it by tying a knot in the plastic or wrapping it with butchers string. Refrigerate or keep it on the counter for up to two weeks!

13. Try repurposing your pizza cutter to cut herbs.

A pizza cutter's wheel is ideal for cutting herbs in all directions. Roll them back and forth until you've reached the desired consistency.

14. Make an instant cocktail out of wine.

Have a gathering planned but only one bottle of rosé in the fridge? Make wine into a fun, fizzy spritzer cocktail for some variety. Simply pour wine over ice and top off with sparkling water. Both red and white wines are suitable. If you're feeling fancy, garnish with fresh fruit.

15. Save a salty soup from being overseasoned.

Toss in a few wedges of raw apple or potato the next time you accidentially oversalt a soup. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the wedges to restore the flavor.

16. Melt butter with no splatter.

Have you ever made complete shambles in your microwave while melting butter? We have. Those days will vanish once you try this simple hack. Use your butter wrapper to cover your microwaveable dish, and presto, no more splatter.

17. Hull a strawberry with a straw.

Insert a drinking straw (or reusable stainless steel straw) into the tip of the berry and push it through to the other end to quickly remove the stem.

18. Create additional storage space.

It's a pleasure to use a well-organized kitchen. To increase storage space, add low-cost hooks to the interior of your kitchen cabinets. Potholders, measuring spoons, and other extras will soon have a place to call home!

19. For fussy kids, keep their lunch food separate.

Use cupcake liners to divide a lunchbox into compartments and keep blueberries from touching the pickles. To keep it fun for kids, try spicing it up with vibrant colors and patterns.

20. Knead dough with a stand mixer.

It can be a lot of work to manually knead homemade bread. However, you won't need to be concerned if you have a stand mixer and a dough hook. You get the same result from a few minutes on high as you would from hand kneading.