Photo credit: iStock
Maybe you thought TikTok was just for entertainment but we’ve actually been learning a lot on the viral social media platform lately—like the best organizing tricks and the "miracle" cleaning product we didn’t know we needed. And now, after seeing these genius cooking tricks, we're 100% on the TikTok bandwagon. The tips below are so easy and will save you time, money and energy.
Our Favorite Cooking Tricks on TikTok
You've Been Straining Pasta All Wrong
Instead of pouring your pasta into the strainer to just pour it back in the pot to add sauce or whatever else, you can skip an unnecessary step with this trick. HOW did it take us this long to learn this?
Bowl Trick to Prevent Food Spills
Okay, we don't understand how we're just learning about this tip now—but we're glad we are. We'll be flipping the bowl over like this to prevent extra messes and spills from here on out. SO simple!
How to Juice a Lemon Without a Juicer
This TikToker's cooking tips have been going absolutely viral, and we understand why. He learned his tips from working in a restaurant, and now he's sharing them on TikTok. Juicing a lemon with tongs is just one of many!
Cooking Oil Stops Honey From Sticking To Measuring Spoons
Thanks to this little trick, you'll never mis-measure your honey again! We'll definitely be coating our measuring spoons in cooking oil from here on out to measure anything sticky. And if you don't have cooking oil, Rach has another tip to measure sticky ingredients with no mess!
A Tasty Way to Use Broccoli Stems
Any time we can avoid food waste, we try to—and this tip not only stops you from wasting the perfectly good broccoli stems, but it makes a little snack that looks incredible and, as this TikToker says, tastes like sauteed onions. It's easy to make, too!
And for another broccoli stem recipe, check out these Crunchy Broccoli Stem Fries.
Using Jarred Minced Garlic Instead of Fresh? Double the Recipe Amount!
Picking up minced garlic in a jar from the grocery is certainly easier than chopping it up yourself and it lasts longer—but you could be losing a ton of the flavor. This TikToker says to double the amount a recipe calls for if you're using the jarred stuff.
Olive Oil Helps Keep Pasta From Sticking Together
Now this is a problem we come across all the time—but according to this TikToker, it's nothing a little olive oil won't fix!
Soup Too Salty? Add Potatoes
You definitely know the saying when it comes to seasoning—you can always add and never take away.But in this case, you can. By adding potatoes to your soup (if you've discovered it's too salty), the potatoes will soak up the salt. Just remove them before serving and you should be good to go.
Make Vegetable Stock From Food Scraps
If you're throwing away your vegetable scraps, like carrot peels or onion skin, you're doing it wrong—according to this TikToker. Instead, you could be using that food waste to make delicious vegetable stock. Such a smart way to help prevent food waste—and make something delicious while you're at it.
Swap Water For Chicken Broth in Mashed Potatoes
We'll definitely be using chicken broth the next time we're making mashed potatoes. We can only imagine how much more added flavor comes from swapping out the water. And, for vegetarians, our guess is that veggie stock would do the same. Genius!
Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg With a Spoon?!
Of course with all these great tips, it's impossible to pick a favorite, but if you know the struggle of trying to peel a hard-boiled egg that just isn't cooperating, you know that we're freaking out over this one. A SPOON?! How simple and creative.
Genius Trick for Storing Cheese + Keeping it Fresh Longer
Rather than trying to find a plastic bag that will fit leftover cheese from a block, we'll be doing this from now on.