Time Saving Kitchen Tips

Making dinner for a family can be a challenge even on the best of days, but throw in a little “life” and some days it may feel impossible.  We thought it would be fun to collect a few time saving tips for the kitchen. We have been having some fun organizing the house, organizing the pantry, organizing toys and finding age appropriate chores for kids.  Today let’s look at some kitchen hacks!

Time Saving Kitchen Tips {Energy Too!}

Pizza cutter for finger food – I used to carry a pizza cutter in my diaper bag because nearly ANYTHING you need to cut into small pieces for a toddler, is easier and safer with a pizza cutter. Use a Muffin Tin as a carrier – Don’t struggle balancing food and drinks – a muffin baking sheet can double as a cup carrier in a pinch. Microwave potatoes instead of boiling – With this simple method from Relish, you can have potatoes ready for mashing in about 8 minutes!  And they don’t come from a box. Oven ripen bananas – Depending on how green your bananas are, this idea from Foxes Love Lemons could save you DAYS! Peel & cut an orange – This is one of my favorite tricks and it can be done in about 30 seconds which makes it much easier if you are doing it for more than one! Un-crystalize honey – Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and you will have softened and runny honey. Make yogurt pops – In the container!  Use a popsicle stick or a plastic spoon in this smart idea from Annily Green. Freeze butter & grate – Instead of cutting cold butter into pie crust or biscuits, you can simple grate frozen butter into the flour mixture.  That has to save at least 3-5 minutes of “hard” labor! Cut corn off the cob – This makes it so much easier!  Pure time saving genius from Simple Bites. No oven flipping needed – This smart idea from The Kitchn has me not only pre-heating the oven, but pre-heating the tray. Make a LOT of grilled cheese – This is a really cool way that you can make 8 grilled cheese sandwiches at once in the oven. Make a LOT of hardboiled eggs – In the oven?  Yes, this tip from The Burlap Bag changed my life…and will decrease time spent on boiling eggs. Make a LOT of popsicles – In a loaf pan…and then slice them up!  Summer fun from The Kitchn. Make a Travel Mug from a regular cup – perfect for when you just can’t find your regular mug. Make a LOT of corn on the cob – Use a cooler to cook?  This is pretty awesome from Bon Appetit! Keep food moist in microwave – If you have ever dried something out when re-heating in the microwave, you will really appreciate this idea! Partially homemade taco shells – This genius idea from Eating Well bakes a bunch of taco shells at a time into the right taco shape.  If you were going to have to run to the store, this could be at least a 45 minute savings! Keep 1/2 an avocado fresh – This is something I am trying tonight because I am notorious for cutting an avocado and then trying to figure out how to use all of it since it won’t keep. Prevent ice build up in freezer – This idea from WonderHowTo uses cooking spray to keep ice in the freezer at bay. Slice a bunch of small items – I first learned about this in the knife skills class, but here is how to cut a group of cherry tomatoes while keeping all your fingers intact. Grow green onions on your counter – This smart idea is from The Burlap Bag and shows you how to grow your own green onions and suddenly upcycling your green onion ends! Peel garlic cloves effortlessly – This is very similar to what I do and it works like a charm.  Great photo tutorial from The Pin Junkie. Soften brown sugar – I have been doing this for years and it works like a charm.  No need to replace the sugar or pull out an axe. If you have some tips and tricks for saving time in the kitchen, please stop by our FB page and share!