3 GENIUS kitchen tricks.

To me, these tricks are right up there with the discovery of electricity, Honey Boo-Boo, and the Puppy Bowl.
For others, I’m sure these are old news – and about as exciting as laundry day.
(I believe that genius is a relative thing.)
My general prowesslessness (I invented that word) in the kitchen is unparalleled. Just while typing that sentence, I burned my fingers on a cast iron skillet, bruised an apple without even touching it, and forgot about an entire pot of chili I left out to cool for the Super Bowl. Yesterday.
You can see that I need help.
That’s why these tricks rock my world. Because when I remember to use them, they don’t just gift me a moment of kitchen genius. They also boost my self-esteem.

Genius kitchen trick #1: re-grow green onions.

Green onions are one o’ those ingredients that can easily go to waste. With this trick, you’ll always have green onions available, and you’ll never have to worry about the little stinkers getting yucky and slimy. Because ermagersh…you can keep them alive AND growing with nothing but a little water.
After slicing off the greens you need, just put the bulbs in a little water in a spot where they’ll get sun. And grow they will!

This is an amazing way to keep the goodies from your garden going long after your garden never grows in the first place is out of season.

Genius kitchen trick #2: skin peppers like a boss.

I love roasted red peppers. Especially the kind that I don’t forget to remove from under the broiler before they turn into roasted charcoal.
Cut your pepper, remove stem and seeds, and place large slices under the pre-heated broiler until the skin blackens. Then, place the slices on a plate and cover them with a bowl. The steam will loosen the skin and make it easy-peasy to remove.

From there, just add the delicious red peppers to a frittata. Yum!

Genius kitchen trick #3: make hard-boiled success out of farm-fresh eggs.

All credit to my friend Diana of Radiance Nutritional Therapy for sharing this trick with me.
The inner membrane of fresh eggs is firmly attached to the shell. The longer an egg sits (as most supermarket eggs have done before they are even packaged for sale) the more that membrane separates from the shell, making the hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.
Unfortunately, farm-fresh eggs make impossible-to-peel hard-boiled eggs. And because I’m not keen on waiting for my fresh eggs to age (ugh…cue “when are you guys having kids” soundtrack) I am super in love with this trick.
(Yes, simply waiting for the eggs to age is an option. But sometimes I don’t plan well, and I want hard boiled eggs NOW.)
All you need to do is add a bit of baking soda to the water before you set it to boil. I’d say a few Tbs for a small batch of fresh eggs is ideal.

 
I’m not totally clear on how this works, but it works. Not perfectly – but perfectly enough. Peeling the suckers under cold running water seems to help with the peeling process too. (Hat tip to my dad for that idea. Hi, dad!)

That’s all the genius I can muster for today. Now I want to hear YOUR favorite kitchen tips and tricks!

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20 Responses

  1. BAKE your eggs to get “boiled” eggs. They come out perfectly every time and you can make a huge batch at once.
    Heat your cloves of garlic in the microwave for about 8 secs and they will peel MUCH easier.
    Heat your cast iron skillet first, then add your fat and then your food…this will help it not stick.
    Freeze your freshly cut green onions (I keep mine in an empty plastic water bottle) and just shake out what you need into your recipe.

  2. I bake a dozen eggs at a time (put directly on the rack of a cold oven [with a pan beneath to catch any oopsies], set oven to 325F, remove after ~27 minutes and plunge into ice water). Usually I don’t eat them right away, I just keep them on hand for quick protein. Even from the same carton, some eggs peel like a dream, some more like a nightmare.
    I wonder what would happen if I soaked the eggs in baking soda water overnight…

    1. I can attest to this. Baking eggs is THE best way to hard “boil” them. I follow the exact same instructions as these.

  3. The one thing that has made my life easier and haven’t used for years until recently is my slow cooker! I made an awesome pork loin without even thinking about it.

  4. [Marked as spam by Antispam Bee | Spam reason: Server IP]
    Microwave a lime for 10 minutes and it gets so much juicier! (Nom nom paleo taught me that). Chop and freeze a bunch of parsley at once (because it is a pain to do that every time) and then use as needed in recipes. I’ve got to try the green onion and the egg trick! Peeling hard boiled eggs is the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE!

  5. Also, you can take a small pin, like a safely pin, and poke the bottom of your eggs before you boil them. When they are done cooking, give them a nice ice bath and they will peel easy-peasy,.

  6. To easily peel your farm fresh eggs all you need to do is add them to the water after it is boiling. Most people put the eggs in the water, add salt then boil. But if you add them to boiling water it shocks the skins into seperating from the shell.

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