12 Kitchen Hacks Passed Down from Grandma
These timeless kitchen tricks from Grandma still make cooking easier and better today.
- Daisy Montero
- 3 min read
Grandma always had clever tricks in the kitchen, and many of them still hold up. These old-school hacks make food last longer, cleanup faster, and meaks taste better. Each one is easy to try and adds a touch of tradition to your cooking.
1. Effortless Sieve Cleaning
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Cleaning a sieve can be tedious, but Grandma had a trick: place a spoon between the tap and the sieve to create a cascading water effect, effectively removing debris. This method saves time and water, making cleanup a breeze.
2. Keeping Brown Sugar Soft
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To prevent brown sugar from hardening, Grandma placed a slice of fresh bread in the container. The moisture from the bread keeps the sugar soft and ready for use.
3. Fresh Salad Preservation
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To keep pre-made salads crisp, line the bowl with a damp paper towel and cover it with another before sealing. This technique maintains freshness and prevents wilting.
4. Prolonging Corn Freshness
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Grandma’s method for keeping corn fresh involved adding sugar and vinegar to the boiling water. This simple addition helps maintain the corn’s sweetness and texture.
5. Neutralizing Cooking Odors
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To eliminate strong vegetable odors, Grandma placed a crust of bread on top of the pot while cooking. This absorbs unpleasant smells without affecting the taste.
6. Use a Potato to Fix Over-Salted Soup
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Too much salt in the pot? Grandma would toss in a peeled potato to soak some of it up. It is not a perfect fix, but it can help balance the flavors.
7. Dry Herbs by Hanging Them in the Kitchen
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Grandma did not waste fresh herbs. She tied them in small bunches and let them dry upside down near a window. It gave the kitchen charm and kept herbs ready for later use.
8. Use Eggshells to Clarify Broth
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Cloudy broth? Grandma saved eggshells and added them while simmering the stock. They helped catch bits and made the broth clearer.
9. Store Lettuce in a Dish Towel
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To keep lettuce crisp, Grandma wrapped it in a clean dish towel and tucked it into the fridge. The towel soaked up moisture and stopped the leaves from going soggy.
10. Grate Cold Butter for Easier Mixing
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Cold butter is tricky to blend into flour. Grandma would grate it straight from the fridge. It mixed in faster and gave baked goods a perfect flaky texture.
11. Shake Cream in a Jar to Make Butter
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Before blenders, there were jars and strong arms. Grandma poured cream into a jar and shook it until it turned into butter. It was slow but satisfying and delicious.
12. Stretching Meat Dishes
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To make meat dishes go further, Grandma added beans, lentils, or vegetables. This created hearty meals that fed the whole family.