15 Food Hacks to Make Cooking Easier and Save Time and Money

Collectively, humanity produces an unbelievable amount of waste, all because 99% of the stuff we purchase is thrown away within just 6 months. That’s why if we all try to make sure that the things we buy serve us for a long time, we’ll help both the environment and our budgets.

We at Now I’ve Seen Everything prepared a few hacks we can use in the kitchen to make sure we’re doing our part in reducing waste.

1. Use water to keep asparagus fresh for longer

Preservation time: 1 week, approximately

To keep your asparagus fresh in the fridge, put the stems in a container with water, place a plastic bag over them, and seal the cover with a rubber band.

2. Defrost meat fast and safely

If you need to defrost small pieces of meat or fish very quickly, use hot water.

• Put frozen food in a zip-lock bag.
• Remove excess air and seal it.
• Immerse the bag of meat in hot water and put something heavy on top so that it’s completely submerged.

Defrosting should take approximately 15 minutes. This allows you to protect the meat from the growth of harmful bacteria.

3. Clean a wooden board using lemon and salt

To clean and freshen the wooden board you use for chopping, you need lemon and coarse sea or kosher salt. When you gather the ingredients, do the following:

1. Cut a lemon into two pieces
2. Sprinkle salt over the wooden board
3. Use half a lemon to thoroughly scrub the board with the soft side down until the salt dissolves
4. Leave the board for about 5 minutes, then clean off the wooden board with a sponge, rinse it, and let it dry

4. Keep strawberries fresh with the help of a vinegar solution

To keep bacteria from growing on your strawberries, wash them in a vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to 5 parts water) and let them dry completely on a paper towel. Then place a single layer of strawberries on a paper towel in an open container and store them in the fridge.

5. Grow celery from scraps

To grow this vegetable, you’ll need some celery, a knife, and a small container.

1. Cut the bottom of your cluster of celery approximately 2 inches (5 cm) up from the root using a clean knife.
2. Put the celery in a small container filled with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water.
3. Place the container in a sunny area but not in direct sunlight, and change the water every couple of days.

6. Keep celery with bread to prevent molding

Preservation time: 1 week

Insert a stalk of celery into the bag of sliced bread and close it tightly. The celery will help absorb moisture and delay the production of mold.

7. Clean your food processor using natural ingredients

To clean your food processor, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Add white vinegar or baking soda to the bowl. For every cup of hot water you’ll pour in the following step you need 1/4 cup of white vinegar or a few tablespoons of baking soda. So, doing some measuring in advance would be a good idea.
2. Pour hot water and wait for it to stop bubbling. Avoid filling the entire food processor with hot water because you’ll need some room for splashing once you turn it on. Chop half a lemon and add the pieces to the mixture.
3. Put the lid on and cover the top of the food processor with a towel to prevent hot water from escaping.
4. Turn the food processor on and let it work for 30 to 60 seconds.

5. Pour out the contents of the bowl

6. Wipe the bowl and the lid with a soapy sponge

7. Rinse everything and let the food processor dry.

8. Use a metal pot to defrost meat and fish

Pieces of meat or fish that aren’t too thick can be thawed with metal objects.

• Take a cast iron or steel pan and put the frozen food on it.
• Press the piece of meat with another pan on top.

You can use pots instead of pans.

• Take a pot and turn it upside down.
• Put the frozen piece on top.
• Fill the second pot with water and place it on top of the meat.

The metal has a high thermal conductivity, which helps food thaw. Aluminum cookware is especially good for this purpose.

9. Put avocados in a paper bag to let them ripe

Ripening time: 3-4 days

Do not store unripe green avocados in the fridge, humidity will cause their peels to darken and develop mold. Place the avocados inside a closed paper bag. Place them in the pantry in a cool area until they are ripe.

10. Store bananas after separating them

You can make the life of your bananas longer by separating them from the bunch and wrapping the stems in plastic food wrap. Don’t forget that they should be stored at room temperature, not in the fridge.

11. You can regrow carrots from scraps

To grow these, you’ll need vegetable carrot tops, containers, water, and a place where you can plant the carrot.

1. Put a carrot top in a container with the cut side down.
2. Pour 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water into the container — just enough to cover the top.
3. Then put the container on a sunny windowsill. You’ll have to change the water daily.
4. Plant them in the soil after they sprout, but make sure you don’t cover the shoots.

12. Store open avocados with onion

Refrigeration time: 1-2 days, approximately

When refrigerating split or sliced ripe avocados, leave them together with half an onion inside a plastic container and cover. The enzymes in the onion extend the life of the fruit.

13. Neutralize smells from your hands using lemon juice

Lemon juice can help you to remove fishy odors and fish smells from your hands after cooking. All you need to do is:

1. Cut a lemon in half
2. Rub your fingers and palms with the soft side of the cut lemon with a little salt added

14. Keep garlic and onions in paper bags for them to stay fresh for longer

Garlic and onions love darkness and they also need some airflow. So the best way to store them is to put them in separate paper bags with several small holes punched through them.

15. Use the bottom part of a lettuce to regrow the vegetable

Lettuce is an easy vegetable to regrow. You will need a couple of things, like a container, a sunny area, and a place where you can plant it.

1. After you’ve used up the heart of the lettuce, keep the bottom part.
2. Put it in a container that has ½ inch (1.2 cm) of water.
3. Then place it in an area that gets a good amount of sunlight. You’ll have to change the water daily.
4. Sprouts will appear after several days. Then plant the sprouting hearts in the garden.

What kitchen life hacks do you know?