50 Great Baking & Cooking Hacks: Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks

Introduction

Welcome to my collection of 50 Great Baking & Cooking Hacks: Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks, which will revolutionize your time in the kitchen. I am always seeking new and improved ways to make my kitchen experience easier and more enjoyable. You will find that these tips will not only make things easier in the kitchen, but they will also help you save some money along the way. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy my 50 Great Baking & Cooking Hacks: Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks

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50 Great Baking & Cooking Hacks

Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks

1. Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring eggs, butter, and other dairy products to room temperature before baking for better incorporation and texture. Forgot to set eggs out?
2. Are you ready to bake, but forgot to let the eggs come to room temperature? Immerse them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
3. Egg Freshness Test: Place eggs in a bowl of water; if they sink, they’re fresh; if they float, they’re old.
4. Revive Stale Bread: To freshen stale bread, spritz it with water and bake it at 325°F for 5–10 minutes. Another option is to place your buns or bread on a baking sheet and drape a dampened, clean kitchen towel over it. Then, place it in a 325°F oven for 5 or 10 minutes. This is a great food hack that saves money and eliminates waste.
5. Buttermilk Substitute: To make a buttermilk substitute, mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk.
6. Make Your Own Cake Flour: Are you baking a cake and the recipe specifies cake flour, but all you have on hand is all-purpose? Make your own, then. For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of flour and add two tablespoons of cornstarch. Make sure you sift and re-sift at least five times. These two ingredients must be thoroughly mixed.
7. Cake Leveling Trick: This is a great tip. Use unflavored dental floss to level cakes evenly. If you don’t have floss available, you can use a clean spool of white thread.
8. Softened Brown Sugar: To soften hardened brown sugar overnight, place a damp paper towel or a slice of bread in a sealed container with the brown sugar.
9. Keep Brown Sugar Soft: Store brown sugar with a terracotta brown sugar saver disk or with marshmallows to maintain its moisture.
10. Perfectly Whipped Cream: To ensure faster results when whipping cream, place your beaters and a stainless steel/glass mixing bowl in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before whipping.
11. Mason Jar Whipping: Add ingredients to a mason jar and vigorously shake to make easy homemade whipped cream.
12. Peel Garlic Easily: Microwave whole garlic cloves for 10 seconds to loosen the skins for easier peeling.
13. Do you hate boil-overs? Place a wooden spoon across the top of a pot to prevent boiling liquids from spilling over. This trick works every time.
14. Store Fresh Herbs: Preserve fresh herbs by chopping them, drizzling a small amount of olive oil over them, and freezing them in ice cube trays for later use. When ready to use, simply pop out however many you need and place the remainder back in the freezer.
15. Extend the Freshness of Greens: To absorb moisture and extend the freshness of leafy greens, wrap them in a paper towel. Once wrapped, place the greens in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate.
16. Homemade Croutons: Turn stale bread into croutons by cutting it into cubes, tossing it with olive oil and preferred seasonings, and baking it until crispy. This is not only a great cooking tip, but it also helps reduce waste.
17. Keep Avocado Fresh: Store cut avocados with a slice of onion to prevent browning.
18. Instant Potatoes: Use instant mashed potatoes as a thickener for soups and stews to achieve quick, flavor-neutral thickening.
19. Revive Crystallized Honey: Place the container of crystallized honey in warm water to soften it back to its original state.
20. Frozen Grapes for Chilling: I love this hack. It’s a brilliant wine flavor saver. Freeze grapes to use as natural ice cubes in drinks without diluting them.
21. Baking a Pound Cake: Instead of greasing and flouring your pan, butter and sugar it.  This hack guarantees a sugary, crunchy outside crust.  Try it, you will never grease and flour a pound cake pan again. Try my Classic Southern Pound Cake recipe.
22. Perfect Pancakes Every Time: Use a squeeze bottle to pour pancakes evenly.  An empty, ready-to-discard ketchup bottle is perfect for this.
23. Double Duty Citrus Zest: Zest citrus fruits before juicing them to save time and ingredients.
24. Prevent Over-Browning: When baking a casserole, pie, or cake, if the top is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil. This will reflect some of the heat and slow down the browning process
25. Muffin Liner Hack: Here’s a tip: If you run out of muffin liners, use parchment paper squares as a substitute.
26. Uniform Cookie Size: Use an ice cream scoop to place the cookie dough on the baking sheet for a more even cookie size. Bonus cookie tip: Chill the cookie dough before baking to prevent the cookie from spreading out as it bakes.
27. Infuse Olive Oil: Add herbs, garlic, or chili flakes to olive oil and let it sit for a few days to infuse the oil with flavor.
28. Easy Homemade Stock: Save vegetable scraps (such as onion peels and carrot ends) in the freezer to make homemade vegetable stock.
29. Prevent Stickiness: Spray your spoons and measuring cups with cooking spray when measuring sticky ingredients, such as molasses, syrup, or honey, to prevent sticking. It scoops out more easily, and the cleanup is quicker. This works great when measuring peanut butter.
30. Test Oil Temperature: Drop a small piece of bread into hot oil to test if it’s ready for frying. It should sizzle and turn golden brown within seconds.
31. Crispier Bacon: This is the best way to cook bacon. For easier cleanup and crispier bacon, line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place each slice flat on the aluminum foil and bake at 375–400°F. Check at 15 minutes and continue baking until the desired crispiness is achieved. You can also place a wire rack on a baking sheet and lay bacon on it. Save the bacon drippings. Pour the bacon drippings into a glass jar with a lid and save for flavorful seasoning in other dishes.  Store the bacon grease in the refrigerator after it has cooled. Leftover bacon should be placed in a resealable bag and refrigerated.  Reheat in the oven or microwave until crisp.
32. Perfectly Ripe Pineapple Test: Pull out the crown leaves of a pineapple; if they come out effortlessly, it’s ripe.
33. Picking Out a Sweet & Ripe Watermelon: You need to look for four things when picking a sweet, ripe watermelon. #1: Look for the stem where the watermelon was cut from the vine. If it is brown, then this is a good start; it was cut from the vine when the watermelon was ripe. If it is green, it was picked before it had a chance to ripen. #2: Look for a yellow or sometimes tan area on the watermelon. This is probably the best indicator of ripeness and sweetness because it shows that I have been sitting on the ground for a long time, getting sweeter. #3: Try thumping for a sweet, juicy watermelon. Using your hand or fingers, thump the melon. It should produce a deep, hollow sound. This means it is ripe and full of juice. This will take some practice to discern the difference in sound, but with practice, it becomes easier. #4: A sweet and juicy watermelon will feel heavier than its size suggests. So pick a few up and compare.
34. Homemade Whipped Butter: Whip softened butter with a stand mixer for a few minutes to make it airy and spreadable.
35. Prevent Cheese From Drying Out: Store cheese in a resealable plastic bag and add a sugar cube to absorb excess moisture. This will also help maintain a good humidity level inside. When the sugar cube feels soft, remove it and replace it with another one
36. Quick Tomato Paste: Freeze leftover tomato paste in tablespoon portions for easy use in other recipes. Drop tablespoon-sized blobs onto wax paper, the size of the freezer-proof container you will be using. Place them in the freezer, and pull them out when needed.
37. Freshen Brown Rice: Add a slice of bread to the top of the brown rice while it’s cooking to prevent it from drying out and to absorb excess moisture.
38. Extend Veggie Life: Line the crisper drawer in the fridge with paper towels to absorb moisture and keep vegetables fresher for longer. This is another money-saving tip.
39. Perfectly Cooked Pasta: Always start by seasoning your water—it’s essential! I always salt and taste the water before adding the pasta. It should taste like well-seasoned broth, something you would easily sip. This makes a huge difference in the flavor of your noodles, even before you add any sauce. Want an extra boost of flavor? Use chicken broth instead of salted water. Remember, it’s crucial to season your water before cooking grits, rice, and pasta, as it’s nearly impossible to season them properly after they’re cooked. My favorite seasoning packs are by GOYA. They come in chicken, beef, and ham flavor packs. I keep these stocked in my kitchen. Grits are a favorite in the South, but it is crucial to season them from the beginning. Try Goya ham seasoning in your next pot of grits. Taste the difference and elevate your dishes right from the start!
40. Creamy Mashed Potatoes: Warm the milk or cream before adding it to boiled potatoes for creamier mashed potatoes.
41. Easy Tomato Skin Removal: Score the bottom of the tomatoes with a shallow “X,” then place them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them immediately and place them in an ice bath. The skin will peel off easily.
42. Homemade Breadcrumbs: First, dry the bread by placing it in a single layer on a baking sheet and baking it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cool the dried bread, then pulse it in a food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs. Store in a resealable freezer bag. Push the air out and date them before placing them in the freezer. Breadcrumbs should last up to one year in the freezer.
43. Prevent Apple Browning: Toss apple slices in a mixture of water and lemon juice to prevent browning.
44. Easy Chocolate Shavings: Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings for garnishing desserts.
45. Onion Tear Prevention: Chilling your onions before chopping will reduce tears.
46. Ice Cream Hacks: Dip an ice cream scoop in hot water for smooth, easy-to-scoop ice cream. Did you forget to set the cream out before serving, and it’s hard? Place the ice cream in the microwave and heat it in 10-second intervals, repeating until it is soft enough to serve effortlessly.
47. Silky Smooth Gravy: Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove lumps and achieve a smooth texture.
48. Revive Wilted Lettuce: Place wilted leaves in a bowl of ice water with a slice of lemon for 15 minutes to restore crispness.
49. Instant Pastry Bag: If you lack pastry bags, use a resealable bag. Fill it and snip off one corner of the bag.
50. Quick Caramelization: For quicker browning, sprinkle a pinch of baking soda over the onions.

50 Great Baking and Cooking Hacks-Conclusion

May these 50 great baking and cooking hacks spark fresh ideas and bring more joy to your kitchen adventures! Whether you’re looking for time-saving tricks or clever shortcuts, these tips make cooking and baking easier, more fun, and even a little magical. Give them a try, and enjoy the delicious results!

May these 50 great baking and cooking hacks, shortcuts, tips, and tricks make your kitchen experience more enjoyable.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.