7 Cooking Hints & Simple Solutions

When it comes to cooking, daily hacks and simple solutions are amazing because they make our lives easier, save time, and minimize effort. Today, I'm sharing with you 7 awesome ideas and tips to make your cooking time a little bit more pleasant!

1. Better broiled grapefruit

Broiled grapefruit is quick and easy: halve the grapefruit, top the cut halves with honey or brown sugar, and place them under the broiler element. The problem? The citrus’s curved base makes the fruit likely to tip, spilling the topping and the juice. Set each half in a canning jar lid band to keep them stable and upright.

2. Stabilizing artichokes for steaming

Without a steaming apparatus, it can be tricky to keep artichokes upright in the pan as they steam. If you simply sit an artichoke on its stem end, the air will not circulate for even cooking, and the bottom of the artichoke can easily overbrown by the time the leaves are tender. For the perfect solution, set each artichoke in the band of a canning jar lid, which will keep the artichoke stable and protect the stem end from the bottom of the pan.

3. Homemade cooling rack

When you need extra cooling racks to place your pans on, try placing canning jar lid bands on your counter. The elevation of the bands allows for just enough air circulation.

4. Ring around the baking mat

Rather than securing your rolled-up nonstick silicone baking mat with a rubber band for storage, use a canning jar lid band to keep it from unrolling. Using the mat is as easy as sliding off the band, and the metal is sturdier than a rubber band, which can tear and break.

5. Getting a grip on ramekins

Using tongs to remove slippery ramekins of custard from a water bath can be tricky. In the test kitchen, we wrap rubber bands around each tong pincer to provide a sure grip. However, if you have them, you can also use canning tongs to remove individual ramekins. With their rounded grip designed to curve around jars, canning tongs won’t slip.

6. Bar back(up)

When entertaining, it’s nice to be able to make cocktails to order without the hassle of stopping to wash the cocktail shaker between drinks. Instead of buying multiple shakers, you can fashion an extra with a widemouthed 1-quart mason jar and two corresponding lids.

1. Drill several holes in one lid. File down any raised metal.

2. Screw on the band over the unpunctured lid and shake. To pour, replace the lid with the one with holes in it.

7. Mason jar milk steamer

1. To steam milk for cappuccino in the microwave, fill a mason jar no more than halfway, put on the lid, and shake the jar vigorously for 30 seconds.

2. Remove the lid and microwave the milk for 30 seconds at high power to both warm and stabilize the foam.