Kitchen Hacks You HAVE to read!

Ever wonder if there are kitchen tricks that would make your life a little easier? Well behold!

1. Want to speed up the ripening of avocados? Put them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana. They all give off ethylene gas, which causes ripening to happen. The brown paper back traps the gas from escaping. 

2. Garbage disposal "gunked" up? Pour a 1/3 cup of baking soda down the disposal and follow with some vinegar. Wait about 10 minutes, and run the water with the disposal on. A lot of the particles will have broken free and are able to be flushed away.

3. Run out of stainless steel cleaner for your appliances? Use oil and vinegar! Liberally spray some vinegar on your appliances and wipe off. Then, put a small amount of oil on a rag and rub in a circular motion. Voila!

4. Burn marks on your pan that won't come off? No problem! Put a small amount water in the pan and add 1 cup of vinegar. Boil. Turn off the heat and add baking soda. Once it fizzes, scrub away! If it's still stubborn, add more baking soda and rub it into the pan really well. Let it sit for an hour and then scrub off.

5. Bread getting moldy quickly? Don't put in the fridge! It actually dries it out this way. Take half, or whatever you won't in the next few days, and put in the freezer. Freezing it preserves the freshness.

6. Need to separate eggs? Reuse a plastic bottle! (if you use plastic, otherwise, snag a friend's before they throw it out and give it another purpose). Crack the egg open, squeeze an empty plastic bottle, place over the yolk, and slowly unsqueeze. It will suck the egg right up! Thank the Chinese for that great tip! Make sure to thoroughly was before using again. 

7. Eggs expired or missing the date? Don't throw out yet! You can tell if they're fresh by placing in a pot of water. If they sink, they're still fresh. If the tip sticks out of the water, it needs to be used that day. If it fully floats, toss it. 

8. Are two glasses stuck together? Stop! Don't break them! Fill the inner glass with ice cubes. Places the glass in a pot of hot water. Heat expands, the cold will shrink. You should be able to get the glasses unstuck. 

9. Brown sugar becoming hard? Put some marshmallows in the bag. The moisture from the marshmallows keeps the sugar soft. 

10. Tired of bugs ruining your drinks in the summertime? Take an extra large cupcake wrapper or coffee filter, turn upside down, and place a straw through the middle. It will perfectly cover the top of your drink.


More of Health Chick's favorite hacks to come!