5. Add oatmeal for thicker soup
If you want to add a little extra thickness to your homemade soup, try including oatmeal in your recipe. Rolled oats work especially well in pureed soups, as the texture goes completely unnoticed. Along with adding thickness, the oatmeal also boosts the fiber content in your soup.
6. Use hot tea instead of water
Hot tea can be used as a substitute for water in several recipes, especially meat dishes. The inclusion of tea adds a new element of flavor to the dishes as well as highlights the other flavors already present in the food.
7. Clean up grease stains
Cleaning grease off of your stovetop, counters, and backsplash can be a pain, especially if you’ve let it build up for a while. If you just need to quickly wipe down your surfaces, a mixture of dishwashing soap and warm water will do the trick. If you’re in need of a deep-cleaning session, combine warm water and baking soda, or warm water and vinegar, to get the really tough spots. If you notice a grease spot has just appeared while you’re cooking, though, immediately wipe the area with a bit of newspaper. This will help prevent the grease from lingering and staining your range.
8. Freezing food
Do you like to prepare meals early in the week and then freeze them until you’re ready to eat them? This can be a great time-saver, but make sure you know how to package each item before you put it in the freezer. For instance, lasagna, enchiladas, and anything else made with tomato sauce should be first wrapped in plastic wrap before it’s wrapped in aluminum foil.
9. Store plastic wrap in the freezer
Is it possible to rip off a section of plastic wrap without it folding in on itself and refusing to cover the dish in front of you? Surprisingly, yes, it is. If you keep your plastic wrap in the freezer, the cold will help eliminate the static electricity that causes the wrap to attach to itself.
10. Save plastic bags
You know that drawer in your mom’s house that looks like an episode of Hoarders because it’s overflowing with plastic bags? Don’t make fun of her for that. If you’re going to use plastic bags, it’s way more environmentally friendly to save them and reuse them instead of tossing them in the trash. You can use them to store small items, take them back to the store to refill on your next shopping trip, let your kids use them as parachutes when they jump off their beds, etc. And while you’re benefiting from multiple uses, you’re keeping the bags from hanging out in a landfill.
Whether you’re cooking dinner, cleaning up, or just looking for some space- and time-saving advice, it’s obvious that the past has a plethora of tips to offer. So next time you and your grandma are in the kitchen together, ask her to teach you a new trick. And in the meantime, share this with your friends on Facebook to help them step up their game in the kitchen.
Source: Cooktopcove.com
