We normally write about the design, renovation and
building of living spaces. However, with Christmas around the corner we thought we’d post something on the lighter side this week.
Ice Cream Anti-Cozy
It seems like we are always trying to keep things hot. Coffee, tea, appetizers, meals and more. We are not nearly as obsessed on keeping things cold. What would you want to keep frigidly cold, anyway? How about iced cream? We take a tub of delicious mint chip out of the freezer and then the countdown seems to start. We must get that sweet treat back in the freezer PRONTO! But, wait, what if we could buy ourselves an extra 5 or 10 minutes? The luxurious scooping of creamed goodness could be drawn out and cones could be filled with next-level precision. Repeat these two words and never forget them: bubble wrap. Simply wrap the ice cream tub in bubble wrap and it will stay firm for about an extra 30 minutes or more. It could still be out when you decide, as we all do, that one bowl of iced cream will simply not do. You’re welcome.
Kitchen by
Thekitchn.com
Soft Cookies for Days
One slice of store purchased white bread will keep your cookies fresh and soft for several days. Slip this slice of bread in an airtight plastic container and add your cookies. Your guests will think you baked cookies just for them when you baked them three days earlier! Don’t worry – we won’t tell anyone.
Your Oven’s Secret Super Power
Some homes are set to temperatures that are just too brisk for homemade bread to rise in. Not to worry, you don’t even need to turn your oven on for this hack. Boil some water and pour it into a pan or casserole dish and place it on the bottom rack of your oven. Slide your dough onto the rack directly above the hot water and close the oven door. The humidity and heat from the hot water will proof your bread in no time!
Super Speed Wine Chiller
Your spouse runs up to you and screams: “The Johnson’s are coming for supper!” You told the Johnson’s about this FABULOUS bottle of white wine you picked up on Sonoma at a vineyard and they are bringing over the perfect cheese appetizer to bring out the hickory and cherry notes of that bottle. Sadly, that white wine is still sitting in the pantry where you left it when it should have been put in the refrigerator the night before to chill. The horror! Well, don’t you worry. We’ve got you covered! Place your bottle of wine in a large pitcher and fill that pitcher with ice water. Fast-forward 20 minutes and your wine will be ready to serve.
The Label You Never Saw Coming but Cannot Ever Forget
You know the thick rubber bands you try to delicately remove from your broccoli heads but end up snipping with scissors because you’re a tiny bit impatient? (We understand – we like broccoli, too.) Here’s a double tip – cut the broccoli stem while the elastics are still on the broccoli. This frees your broccoli quickly, and allows you to save the thick, elastic bands. Now, take an elastic band and wrap it around your jar of homemade jam. Use a permanent marker to write the flavor and best before date of the jam onto the elastic. Now it will be easy to get a good grip on that jar. When the jam is done and you need to wash the mason jar, just pull the elastic band off. No stubborn sticky labels to remove in order to reuse the jar this time! And you can use that elastic band t to keep your Christmas wrapping paper from unrolling. Hey – that’s three tips in one!
Kitchen by
Organizedchaosonline.com
Mason Jar Spice Shaker
Don’t recycle the lid from your parmesean cheese container. That lid fits on a narrow mason jar quite perfectly. Now you have the perfect spice or sprinkle shaker for when you would like a larger sprinkle of flavour. Perhaps you’ll store your coffee in here. Glass jars, such as mason jars, don’t add any unwanted flavours to your food. And you can see exactly what’s inside them.
Kitchen by
Nakpunar.com
The Christmas Cooling Rack You Never Knew You Had
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The music, the decorations and the food. The problem is that when you have a house full of family for the holidays and you are baking cookies like there’s. no tomorrow, wherever can you put those baking sheets to cool? Take your ironing board out and set it up in an out of the way spot in your kitchen. Without a cover your metal ironing board makes one pretty big cooling rack. When you’ve cooled all your treats, you may. Use that ironing board as a buffet server. Put a festive table cloth over top and presto! It is at your service.
Kitchen by
Reddit.com
End Food Fraternization
Tupperware only comes in so many shapes and sizes, but children’s school lunch preferences come in an endless array of variations. What to do, what to do. Cupcake liners to the rescue! Separate your cheese from your crackers by putting the cheese in a liner next to the crackers. Prevent your kids’ cookies from mixing with their brownie by using a fun muffin liner to keep them in their corners. Make school lunches great again!
Kitchen by
Onegoodthingbyjillee.com
Extend the Life of Your Herbs
Herbs can be expensive when purchased at a grocery store in the winter. They often come in a bunch that is too large to use in a single recipe. However, they wither before you can use them again for a different meal. Parsley and cilantro can be kept fresh, longer by trimming their stems and placing them in a vase of water. Gently cover the stems with a transparent plastic bag – such as the one your herbs came in – and tie it in place. Store this on the counter or in your refrigerator for about one to two weeks to keep your herbs fresh longer.
Your Ice Cube Tray’s Hidden Purpose
You bought a new refrigerator that makes ice and no longer need your ice cube trays, you say? We disagree! Ice cube trays are used by many home gardeners and chefs to freeze things in tiny portions. When making a big batch of pesto, don’t discard the leftover sauce. Add olive oil to the pesto and pour this mix into an ice cube tray. Once frozen, move the ice cubed pesto into a freezer bag and save to use in another month or so.
Your kids would be more interested in another use for your ice cube trays. Do they want to take apple juice or orange juice to school in a thermos but they don’t want to add ice cubes and water it down? Just pour some apple juice or orange juice into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Then pop a few of the juice cubes into your child’s thermos along with the matching juice and voila! Ice cold juice at lunch time. “Thanks, Mom!”
Kitchen by
Theyummylife.com
