On TV and social media, you will find a ton of cooking shows and tutorial videos. While they are pretty educational and helpful, they wouldn’t come close to those cooking tricks we learned from family.
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These hacks were passed on from grandparents to parents and then to us. Then, we’re likely to pass them on to our children too. Let’s see how many of them make our list.
Newspapers for Vegetables
Cleaning up after peeling or slicing vegetables could consume a significant portion of your precious time. But for many moms, there was a smart way around it.
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Your mum probably had the sink lined with old newspapers before getting down to business. This allowed her to simply fold up the newspapers with all the pieces and toss them into the bin, leaving the sink unstained.
A Secret Ingredient for Boxed Brownies
If visitors got wowed after tasting your mum’s boxed brownies, you probably know why. Coffee is always a major suspect in the best of these baked desserts.
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Coffee amplifies the chocolate flavor and almost guarantees a yummy reception in the mouth. We won’t be surprised if Mama also taught you that the quality of the final taste depended on the grade of the coffee beans.
Saving Bacon Fat for the Rainy Day
Many moms and grandmas knew better than to disregard the use of bacon fat. They found creative ways to store them for future use. One of which is in an old coffee tin.
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Some others used glass jars or even ice cube trays. Whatever the case, the idea was to keep them sealed till it was time to fry again. By the way, bacon fat can fry almost anything “fryable.”
Keeping Bread Fresh
You might have also learned how to keep bread fresh even after a number of days. Bread never got stale, and neither did anyone have to toss moldy bread in the trash. No, not under Mama’s watch.
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She would heat the oven to the right temperature and place the bread in it. Alternatively, she would wrap it in a paper bag until it’s ready to be consumed.
Saving Butter Wrappers in the Fridge
Our moms and grandmas never allowed things to waste, including butter. That’s why we found several butter wrappers stored in the fridge. Although the butter in these wrappers could hardly cook anything, they had an equally important role.
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Moms and grandmas would use the leftover butter to grease dishes while baking. You’d be shocked to know how much butter and money they saved in the process.
The Bread Bowl Trick
Bread bowls are some of the most fascinating kitchen inventions ever. They are a sight to behold when filled with soup and in addition, they are a blessing to your taste buds after they’ve soaked in some of the liquid.
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Contrary to the popular method of plucking out bread to create the hollow, Grandma will press down the inner bread layer to make a thicker bottom, less sogginess, and lower the chances of your soup leaking out.
Stop Onions from Burning With Ice Cubes
Sautéing onions has a way of getting burnt just when you decide to look away for a few seconds. Most times, you have to discard them and begin again. But not with our moms and grandmas.
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Just when onions are about to burn, grandmas know exactly what to do. Simply throwing an ice cube into the pan will halt the potential tragedy.
Boil Potatoes Will Make Them Peel Faster
Everybody loves potatoes, but hardly anyone enjoys peeling them. Not just that it’s boring, it’s also pretty time-consuming. Moms and grandmas felt the same way too. But they found a way around it.
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By boiling the potatoes, the skins became shockingly easier to peel off. Since we learned this hack, we’ve never been scared of cooking this vegetable.
Keep Cutting Boards Stable With Dish Towels
Slicing and dicing are a crucial part of the success story of many of our meals and consequently, cutting boards. These processes could be quite fun except if your boards keep slipping off the kitchen countertop.
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But Mama knows that dish towels will solve the problem. Just place a damp one underneath the board to keep it stable till you are done.
Soften Your Butter Real Quick
There are many reasons why your butter could be too hard to use. But you also don’t want to dump it in high heat and melt it. Plus, you also want to maintain that precious consistency.
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Moms know what to do in this case. They place hot water in a glass cup, let it sit for a minute, and then pour the water out. Next, they turn the cup over the butter and watch as it softens within a minute or two.
Garlic: the Magic Ingredient
Grandma must have told you why she used garlic for almost every meal. It’s a powerful ingredient that brings out the flavor in others. It’s better to slice them than mince because the latter burns easily when sautéed.
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Also, ensure that your cloves are firm and not bruised. Lastly, remember to throw those green stems away as they will distort the flavor and spoil the plan.
