Life often feels too busy to spend even a few minutes slaving over dinner, but constantly eating out costs entirely too much. So what’s a hard-working Millennial to do? Pull out their creative kitchen hacks, of course!
These 6 kitchen hacks will help you save time in the kitchen and keep your wallet from running on empty.
Hack #1: Cook Extra & Save For Later
On extra-busy days, a great way to save yourself time is to have food already ready to go. Whether you break out your crockpot or spend Sunday slaving away over a nice meal, don’t let your effort go to waste! You can portion and store leftover items in plastic containers so they’re all set for lunch or dinner later that week. If you definitely won’t eat the food right away, consider trying the “portion it, bag it, freeze it” approach! This way, you’ve got some backup meals in your freezer always ready to go
Hack #2: Use Vinegar For Faster Defrosting
There aren’t always enough hours in the day to wait for your chicken breast to thaw, and you also don’t want to keep it in your fridge for days on end. The solution? Try pouring white vinegar over the surface of the meat before you freeze it! The vinegar lowers the freezing temperature of the meat, so your poultry will thaw faster when you pull them out later. And free bonus: The vinegar also tenderizes the meat, which makes your chicken taste even better when you bake it up!
Hack #3: Consider Using A Meal Delivery Service
If you don’t have time to hit the grocery store, try a using meal delivery service. You’ll receive clear recipes and pre-portioned ingredients, which will save you time. There are several surprisingly cheap options, too, so give it a shot today!
Hack #4: Use Wet Paper Towels To Cool Things Faster
We all forget to chill beverages from time to time, but who wants a lukewarm beer or soda? Luckily, there’s no need to suffer! Just moisten a few paper towels, then wrap them around the bottles before you throw them in the freezer. You’ll have ice-cold beverages in no time!
Hack #5: Use Ice Cube Trays To Create Flavorful Additions
When you’re trying to whip up dinner in a flash, you don’t always have time to work in fresh herbs and other elaborate flavors. However, you can have your favorite aromas and tastes ready to go! Buy some herbs, and place them in an ice cube tray along with some olive oil. Then freeze your flavorful concoction. When you cook up anything you’d like to spice up, simply pull out a cube and toss it into the pan.
Hack #6: Utilize That Freezer
Chopping onions and grating cheese becomes so much easier when you quick-freeze! Simply place your onions or cheese in the freezer for around 30 minutes before you cut into them. Freezing onions helps minimize their irritants, and throwing your cheese in the freezer helps it stay extra firm. It’s also less likely to stick!
Cooking every night may seem like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re crunched for time or wish your favorite meals didn’t take so long to prepare, put these kitchen hacks to the test. We can guarantee that they’ll work like magic!
Which of these hacks will you try? What are your favorite kitchen hacks? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
