The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s no coincidence that all the best parties end up in the kitchen – it’s the most active room of the house, which everybody in the family uses at some point or another
It should be a place where you enjoy spending your time, so we’ve got some sneaky kitchen hacks to help you make the most of the best rooms in the home.
Let’s start with the cooking,
Cooking Hacks
Cooking pasta in a hurry? Try cooking the pasta in a large frying pan with cold water instead of waiting for a large pot to boil. Simply add your pasta to the water and stir continually whilst heating. Your pasta should cook in the fraction of time that it takes a pot to boil and you’ll be left with thick starchy pasta water – which is perfect for making a delicious pasta sauce. Check out this recipe for inspiration.
Always find your wasting fresh herbs? Or don’t have any handy when you need it? Ensure you always have them for seasoning with this neat little hack. Finely chop your favourite herbs and freeze them in a little olive oil using an ice cube tray. Next time you’d like to add something extra to your meal, simply pop one in the pan whilst cooking!
A watched pot never boils right? Well neither does on with wooden spoon on it. Whether it’s an old wives tale or culinary magic, sitting a wooden spoon across the edge of pot will stop it from boiling over. Aside from the spoon popping the bubbles, there’s no real reason why this kitchen hack works, but it does. Just be sure to use a wooden spoon as a metal one will get far too hot.
Storage Hacks
It’s all about labels. Being organised is key to a clutter fee kitchen. Empty all those stray packets of rice, coffee and spices into jars and get labelling. Not only will know exactly what and where everything is – it will also keep much longer in a secure jar than a packet.
Utilising the space. There’s more to cabinets than the shelves inside – the back of the door can be used for so many things. Attach a chalkboard or even a clipboard to it to keep all your notes in a handy place, or opt for a magnetic board to stick essential recipes to. You can even go a step further and attach blocks of wood with little metal hooks on them to hang utensils from.
Cleaning Hacks
Baking soda is your new best friend. Few things are as versatile as baking soda when it comes to cleaning a kitchen. To keep bad odours at bay, simply put a small dish of soda in the fridge or cupboard and banish nasty bin smells by emptying some at the bottom of your bin. The clean surfaces with baking soda, using a coated, damp cloth, wipe and then rinse with clean water.
Stubborn oven stains? Baking soda can be used here too. Just combine with a few ingredients to make a soda paste and leave it to deep clean overnight.
Smelly microwave? If you’re struggling to clean the remnants of your last exploded meal in the microwave – try this cleaning hack. Simply soak a sponge in water and cook it in the microwave for one minute. It will loosen any stubborn grime, making it much easier to clean.
When life gives you lemons…clean the kitchen with them!
If your cutlery has started to go a little rusty – soaking them in a glass of lemon juice for just a few minutes and the rust will fall away. You can also use half a lemon and sea salt to scrub any grime from wooden chopping boards. Just be sure to thoroughly dry everything to avoid the taste of stale lemon in future.
Do you have some kitchen hacks you’d like to share with Lovell and our customers? Tweet us or post your tips on Facebook. Or if you’re looking for more inspiration – head over to our Pinterest for some great mood boards on all things home related.
