Best of the best kitchen hacks - Part 3

Two articles (Best of the best kitchen hacks - Part 1 and Best of the best kitchen hacks - Part 2) were simply not enough to present you all the useful tricks you can have up in your sleeve when it comes to cooking, managing small kitchen spaces and so on.

You can never have enough of these little hacks – after reading the article you will see that small changes can impact on your life the most. Check them out!

• Where do you usually write your grocery list and how do you track what you have in the fridge? Many people skip the part of making a grocery list and end up buying tons of the same goods that just spoil at some point. Don`t waste food – save yourself the hassle and hang a whiteboard near the fridge. You can track what you put in the freezer and write down the expiration dates – when you see it in front of you, it will alert when something has to be cooked or thrown away. Separate the board in two parts – 'what`s in the freezer' and a 'grocery list' – when you have to go shopping simply snap a photo and you will save yourself a second trip to the store later. You can also make your kitchen more vivid place by writing down inspirational quotes or cute love notes – use your imagination!

• Rice is a food that many people love and make on a daily basis. However, its deliciousness come with its price – it`s not the most nutritious one. If you are on a diet or simply want to live more healthy life, there`s an easy way to make low-calorie rice. If you add one tablespoon of coconut oil to the water when you are boiling white rice, let it simmer and refrigerate it for about 12 hours. You will reduce the calorie content by about 50% - your waistline will appreciate that!

• Cherry tomatoes are tasty and can be used as a beautiful garnish but when you have to slice them, it could be a major problem. Save time and efforts and next time you have to do that simply place the tomatoes between two plates and cut them horizontally with a big knife. You will avoid the mess of squirting tomato juice all over the countertop and you will get nicely halved results!

• Do you know how you can check whether your eggs are still fresh? All you need is to fill a pot with water. Put the egg in the pot – if it sinks it is good, if it is floating – toss it. Why does this method work? As eggshells are porous over time air will pass through its shell. If the egg sinks it means that there's not much air inside therefore it is still fresh!

• It is a common scenario – you buy a bundle of bananas but they turn brown way faster than you can actually eat them. The solution is simple – use plastic wrap. Wrap the crown (the top part of the bunch) with a plastic wrap. Yet if you want these bananas to last up to a week you are advised to separate them and wrap each other individually. You should know that keeping them in a plastic bag is not recommended as the moisture will ripen the fruit faster. If you ate just a half banana and you don't want to waste the leftover, you should put a little bit of a lemon juice on the cut side – it will prevent it from browning.

• Cleaning underneath the fridge can be a real pain – plenty of food particles along with dust and grimes are under there sitting undisturbed as this place is really hard to clean. A trick that you local end of tenancy cleaners shared is to stretch an old pair of pantyhose over a mop handle or a broom and reach underneath the fridge. Drag all the dirt, dust and crumbs onto the floor and vacuum the filth pile - it`s simple like that!

• Alright, you have prepared your favourite Italian dish but now you have extra fresh herbs that you don't want to waste – what`s the solution? Save the basil, chives, thyme and rosemary by chopping them and placing them in ice cube trays. Cover them with olive oil or another one of your preference, wrap the tray in plastic wrap and put it the freezer. Next time you need fresh herb you can simply pop out one cube – it will easily dissolve into your sauce and add great fresh flavours to your dish. 

• Another 'egg-related' trick is to separate yolks from whites by using a plastic bottle. Yes, there are people that are skillful enough to handle the situation without additional measures but most of us need some help. Crack open your egg and use the suction of the bottle to grab the egg yolk and squeeze it out in a separate bowl.

• Microwave is definitely a great invention that makes our life so much easier. However, cleaning it is not among the most pleasant chores not to mention that usually chemicals and elbow grease are required. Before calling the professionals in domestic cleaning try this method – pour white vinegar into a tea cup and microwave it for about 2 or 3 minutes. Take out the liquid and dump it down the drain and wipe the whole interior of your microwave with a damp cloth. You will see that food leftovers and other stains have dissolved and are easily cleaned with a soft microfibre rag.

• Cleaning your grater after you have used it for grating cheese for your favourite pizza is not an easy task. Now imagine that the cheese is dried-on – disaster! In order to get rid of the bits simply grate an apple or potato and the cheese will be gone.

Now that you know these tricks you are fully prepared for any situation that can happen in the kitchen just don`t forget to share them – pay the hacks forward!