10 Kitchen Hacks for Sassy Mamas

Even if you love cooking, we could all use some time-saving kitchen hacks, mama!

Admit it, mama. No one really likes to spend hours slaving in the kitchen, especially after a long day at work. Our busy lifestyles revolve around good hacks and shortcuts that actually work! Check out our favourite (and fun) time-saving kitchen hacks that will save you precious time and your sanity when it comes to navigating your way around the kitchen every day. Happy cooking!

• Cut soft cheese such as brie and goat cheese with unflavoured dental floss to avoid completely squashing it and having cheese all over your fingers! This trick also works for getting perfect cuts from cakes and cookie dough logs, or any other soft foods!

• Soften butter anytime you need it! Forget putting it out on the counter top and waiting for an hour. Just grate the butter with a cheese grater for easy-to-use, spreadable butter in a flash.

• Peeling hard-boiled eggs is fine when you have only 3 or 4 eggs to peel. But imagine having to peel a dozen or more! Add vinegar or baking soda to the water when you boil eggs and those shells will slide right off when you’re ready to peel!

• Your kitchen sponge needs to be cleaned immediately. Instead of using soap and water, simply wet your sponge and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds. The heat will kill the germs, and the moisture from the sponge will help soften all the crusty grime in your microwave, making it easier to clean too. And your sponge is good to go again.

• Freeze fresh herbs in olive oil in the ice cube tray when you have too many fresh herbs on your hands. It’s the perfect way to preserve them for the next time you make something that needs herbs, and prevents freezer burn! Simply toss in a couple of ‘herb’ cubes into your cooking and voila!

• Remove garlic, onion or fish odours from chopping boards by spreading a paste of baking soda and water over the board and leaving it for a couple of hours (or even overnight), before washing it normally. You can rub the same paste mix over your hands to get rid of any food smells there, too!

• New frying pan? To stop food sticking to a new frying pan, boil some vinegar in it before you use it for the first time.

• To sharpen a blunt grater, rub coarse sandpaper over it and wash thoroughly before use.

• Use the oven more efficiently and save on your utility bill by cooking a complete meal in the oven at the same time. Place dishes that need a higher temperature at the top of the oven, and the ones needing the lowest temperature at the bottom.

• Need to decorate a cake but don’t have time for frosting? No problem! Cover the top of the cake with a paper doily and sprinkle the cake with icing sugar. Lift the doily off to reveal a beautiful lacy pattern adorning your cake. Use the same method with paper cut-outs (use a stencil) and make any pattern you wish.

Now tell us, mama: whatever will you do with all that newly-saved spare time?