Now one day you think of becoming a master chef in your kitchen - You go and start preparing a dish with spatula in one hand , recipe note in other , adding ingredients one by one and finally tossing 2 tbsp of salt ...forgetting the fact that you already had added it. The horror ! What do you do now ?? Nothing !!

Thankfully , there is a solution / fix for this. Here I have come up with some amazing and unknown ( at least for some ) hacks for saving you from for all such kitchen disasters that you might or have already faced !

Get ready to hack your kitchen and control your excitement if you are doing it for the very first time!

Tip #1 : Control sugar ants -

Are ants invading your sugar container? Add a bay leaf or few whole cloves to keep ants out of your sugar bowl.

Also , washing your sugar jar with vinegar instead of dish soap or bleach is another natural way to repel sugar ants.

Tip #2 : Give spices more shelf life

Over a period of time your powdered spices ( chilly ,coriander,turmeric etc) may solidify into rock-hard lumps when exposed to moisture.To prevent this add 1-2 tsp of salt into it and mix them well.This also prevents fungus from soiling the spices.

Tip #3 : Prevent solidified salt shakers

Salt shakers are easily exposed to moisture and hence get solidified quickly. Prevent this issue by adding 1 tsp old rice into the salt and mix well. Rice helps in absorbing moisture and hence averts it to solidify.

Tip #4 : Paneer savior

Whether homemade or market bought paneer , it spoils too fast. Preserve it longer by placing it in an airtight container with water. Make sure it is fully submerged. Also,change the water every 2 days until the paneer is fully used.

Tip #5 : No More milk overflow

Use a wooden spatula and place it over the milk boiling pot horizontally.Make sure that the spatula’s head is not fully outside the cooking pot.

Tip #6 : Preserve rice from weevils

Weevils are the small brown / black insects that love eating rice. To prevent it, put some ( 3-4 ) dried red chillies in between each layer of rice in the container. Finally add 2-3 chillies at the top of the rice and store it in an airtight container.

Video : Watch the step my step process of preserving rice for a longer period

Tip #7 : Let bananas have a longer life

Use a plastic wrapper and wrap it around the head of the bananas to slow down the ripening process.

Tip #8 : Speed up ripening of banana

Place the bananas you want to ripen in a paper bag and seal it.You will notice that the bananas ripens in a day.

Tip #9 : Separate onions and potatoes

Keeping them together will spoil the potatoes much faster.Hence store them separately.

Bonus tip - To preserve the potatoes for a longer period , separate the potatoes and keep a small apple along with them in the storage container.

Tip #10 : Dried lemons?

Make it juicier by soaking them in a glass blow containing water. Now microwave it for 20 seconds.Let it cool and squeeze it to get a good amount of lemon juice.

You can also soak the lemons in hot water for 2-3 mins and then use it.

Tip #11 : Use the float test

You might not be aware if your eggs are edible or not. Can’t take a chance right?? Just take a glass of water and drop the egg in it. If it sinks it’s fresh else if it floats then it has seen better days!

Tip #12 : Prevent rotting of tomatoes

Put them up side down while storing in the refrigerator.This prevents moisture from penetrating into them.You can also place a paper towel at the bottom of the storage container before placing the tomatoes.

Tip #13 : No more sloppy sandwiches

I am sure no one would like a soggy sandwich.Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers can be the reason. To prevent this, place them between two tissue paper / kitchen paper for five minutes. Let it soak up the extra water content.

It’s also a good idea to spread butter or cheese onto the bread first , as this acts like a barrier against soggier ingredients.

Tip #14 : Master in slicing the bell peppers !

Take the top and bottom off. Make it stand on the chopping board and chop off all the four sides.Discard the seeds and center portion.

Tip #15 :Prevent browning of sliced potatoes

You must have noticed that sliced potatoes turn brown in a fraction of seconds. To avoid this put them immediately into a bowl of water after slicing. This will help them stay white until we use them for cooking.

Bonus Tip - For preventing cut apples from browning use a mixture of 1 part honey and 2 part waters and apply it to the apples using a silicone brush.

Tip #16 : Scrape ginger skin like a pro

Ditch your peeler and start using a spoon to peel off the ginger skin easily.

Video : Watch the video to learn the scraping technique

Tip #17 : No more fussy garlic peeling

So here we have a number of hacks to make it work out . But I’ll be sharing the best two methods. Remove cloves from the bulb and smack/whack each clove using the flat side of a big knife.The skin will come out smoothly.

Now if you need a large quantity of peeled garlic , put the cloves in a bowl of normal water after removing them from the bulb.Let it stay for minimum 4 hrs. You will notice that the garlic skin comes out easily just by a squeeze.

Video : Watch the video for more tricks on easy garlic peeling

Tip #18 :Store Strawberries fresh for more time

Before storing them in the refrigerator, place a paper towel at the bottom of the container , remove or hull their top portion ( called calyx) of the berry and place them upside down to make them stay fresh for a long time.

Bonus tip - To hull the top part of a strawberry take a medium size straw and press it from the bottom until it breaks through the top!

Video : Watch other ways to store your strawberries fresh for longer

Tip #19 : Difficult to cut frozen butter?

Take a knife , heat it over the stove and cut the butter smoothly without any pain. You can also grate the butter using a cheese grater for spreadable butter in a pinch.

Tip #20 : No more eggshell tragedy !

Use a cracked piece of egg shell to remove / scoop out the bits of broken shell from the batter or bowl. It acts like a magnet to draw up the shells.

Another method is to wet your fingers before using them to remove the shell from the batter.

Isn’t it an egg-cellent food hack !

Tip #21 : Avoid cling wrap disasters

Store the plastic wrap in a refrigerator. Chilling the wrap prevents wrangling and makes it easier to transport it from roll to the bowl.

Bonus Tip - Apply some water on the outer surface of the bowl before spreading the plastic wrap over it. This helps the wrap to stick well and much easier.

Tip #22 : No More citrus sprays

It’s common for citrus fruits like lemon to spritz on your face or eyes. Prevent this from making a cut in the center of a lemon wedge.

Tip #23 : Want that finger licking good crispy chicken??

After coating it with egg and bread crumbs dip it again in the egg batter and coat it with oats or partially powdered corn flakes.This double coating technique will give you a crispy and yummy chicken!

Tip #24 : Prevent onions from making you weep !

Remove the roots from the onions and cut them. Another way is to cut the onions into half and then soak it in water for 4-5 mins. This helps in removing the sulphurous gas from them.

Bonus tip - You can also simply cut them into half and place them aside for 15 mins to release out all the sulphur present in them.

Tip #25 : More salt in your curry??

Add some chopped potatoes to the curry. It soaks up extra salt. You can also add 1 tsp of sugar to flavour it out.

Another hack is to add a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the curry.

Tip #26 : Is your dish too spicy?

Add some chopped tomatoes and let it cook for sometime. This will reduce the spiciness of the dish.

Another method is to add some fresh cream or cashew nut paste to reduce the spiciness.

Tip #27 : Store fresh Ginger Garlic paste for 4 months !

Ginger-Garlic paste is one of the most important and common ingredients while cooking .Preparing and storing them can simplify your whole process. Here are the steps to prepare homemade ginger garlic paste with a shelf life of 3-4 months.

1. Take an equal amount of clean and peeled ginger and garlic.Here iI would be taking 1 big cup each.

2. Chop the ginger. Garlic can be used as it is.

3. Take a blender and add both ingredients. Now blend it well until it forms a smooth paste. Do not add water for blending.

4. Now add 2 tbsp of salt , 2 tbsp of oil ( cooking oil or coconut oil) then add 4 tsp of turmeric powder. Blend it again to mix all the ingredients together.

5. Your homemade ginger garlic paste is ready ! Store it in an airtight container.

Video : Watch Step by Step process to prepare ginger-garlic paste at home

Tip #28 : Easy way to Froth the milk

Heat the milk in a microwave for 30 -40 secs till it’s super hot.Now transfer it to a flask which can withstand both high temperature and pressure.Close the lid and now shake it for good 30-35 secs. And it’s done ! You’ll get a creamy ,frothy delicious milk foam.

Tip #29 : Ice cream Freezer burn?

Place a wax paper under the ice cream pack before putting it in the freezer. This acts as a barrier and hence prevents freezer burn!

Tip #30 : Keep your cutting board clean

Cleaning your cutting board is necessary to prevent germs and bacteria from building up. Here is the best cleaning tip you can use to achieve it.

1. Sprinkle 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp baking powder on the surface to be cleaned.Take a half lemon piece and squeeze out the juice. Now start scrubbing on the board using the same lemon piece.

2. Scrub on all the areas for 3-4 mins.

3. Let it sit for 10 mins. Now take the other half of the lemon and start scrubbing once again. You can sprinkle baking soda in between if required.

4. Now pour 3 tbsp of vinegar to the surface and scrub it using a metal dish scrubber.

5. Scrub it well until all the dirt comes out.

6. Take some dish soap and clean the board thoroughly. Now let it dry.

7. Finally,apply some olive oil (preferably) all over the surface of the board to keep it clean for a longer time.

Practice this once a week to maintain a clean cutting board.

Hope these hacks and tips help you to have a hassle free kitchen routine.Comment down below your feedback or to share your unique tips and hacks. 😊