Every day I seem to find myself reading different Kitchen hacks. Easier ways to cut this, faster ways to prepare that! So I thought it was time that I put some of these “so called” Kitchen hacks to the test. hopefully I can help save you some time and effort in the kitchen by showing you which ones actually worked for me.
I have seen over and over again that putting a wooden spoon on top of your pot will prevent it from boiling over on the stove. I have to give this one a FAIL! I tried it several times, with different scenarios and found that in all, it would slow down the liquid from pouring over the pot, but it always happened! My advice is to cook on lower temperatures and watch, as cleaning up your stove top after isn’t fun!
A great way to cool your room temperature beverage or wine is by placing frozen grapes in the glass. I give this one a PASS! It took roughly 5 minutes but the beverage did get cooler. The grapes were a nice treat at the bottom of the glass as well, and they don’t water down your beverage.
Here is another one I just had to try. Place grapes or cherry tomatoes between 2 plastic lids or flat plates and slice between to cut several at once. I found you had to watch where you were cutting, but it was successful. This is a great time saver if you need to cut a lot of grapes or cherry tomatoes at one time. I also give this one a PASS!
I read that by boiling water before freezing your ice cubes, will achieve clear ice cubes. I put this one to the test and have to give it a FAIL! I tried it several times, with the same results. You could barely tell the difference between the ice cubes that came straight from the tap and the ones I had boiled first. Save yourself the time and don’t boil your water before making your ice cubes.
Have you ever used your cutting board on your counter and had it slip on you when cutting or working on it? Try wetting a paper towel and ringing it out. Spread it out flat on your counter and place your cutting board on top. This will prevent it from moving while working on it. I give this one a PASS!
Do you need to use shredded chicken in some of your recipes? I found an easy way to shred chicken in no time at all! Once your chicken is cooked and still warm, put it in your Kitchen aid mixer with the beater attachment and beat at medium speed. Within 30 seconds your chicken will be shredded perfectly! I give this easy and fast hack a PASS!
Bacon is a breakfast favourite in our house. I found 2 different kitchen hacks with different claims and had to try them both out. The first one says to put your bacon in a frying pan and cover with water. 
Cook on medium; while the boiling water cooks off most of the fat, you are suppose to be left with nice, crisp bacon. I cooked the bacon on medium until the water finally cooked away; at that point, I reducedthe temperature to medium-low as instructed. I flipped the bacon a few times and was left with very nicely cooked bacon. at the same time, I tried the second kitchen hack and cooked bacon in the oven. Some strips I placed on a baking sheet and other strips I rinsed under cold water first; which was suppose to reduce shrinkage by up to 50%. It also said to cook bacon in the oven for 10 minutes at 365 F for maximum flavour. I found it took a bit longer than 10 minutes to cook the bacon, but found no difference in the size of the bacon in the end, even when compared to the bacon cooked on the stove. We tested all 3 different ways to prepare the bacon and all preferred the bacon cooked in the oven that hadn’t been under water the best. Though all were very good and eaten up! The bacon on the stove, I give a Pass, as it was very good and crispy. I would have to give the second one a Fail, as the claim to less shrinkage didn’t happen and I had to cook it longer then suggested. But the end result was very great tasting bacon as well.
I hope some of these kitchen hacks will help you out in the kitchen. Feel free to share your kitchen hacks with us on our Face Book Page at design Your home magazine.
*These kitchen hacks were performed by me in my kitchen. If one did not pass for me, I tried it several times before I gave it a fail, though it could possibly work for you in your kitchen. Enjoy!
