Liz Weber is a registered dietitian at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and for this “On the Menu” segment, she provides her top 5 favorite time-saving kitchen hacks. With Christmas and New Year's right around the corner, we know there always tend to be that one ingredient that you forgot or you don't have enough time to run to the store to get a last minute recipe item. These easy hacks will help save you time and make cooking or baking a lot less stressful this holiday season.
- Making your own stock but running short on time? Place stock ingredients in a slow cooker on LOW overnight. In the morning, skim the fat, strain, bring to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- Measure sticky ingredients without the mess. The struggle is real when going from measuring a tablespoon of honey to a tablespoon of brown sugar. Avoid all the stickiness by spraying the measuring utensil with cooking oil or spray. The ingredients will glide right off the measuring spoon without you having the wash and clean it between ingredients.
- Avoid long baking times when it comes to breakfast. Instead of baking an entire quiche for 60 minutes, pour the egg mixture into greased muffin tins and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes to save time.
- Cooking grains without chicken broth. Are you a fellow ancient grain lover (quinoa, farro, bulgar, etc.), but forgot the chicken broth for cooking? Try using interesting flavored teas, such chai or smoky black tea, that you may have on hand to flavor the water while simmering. Remove the tea backs when the grains are done cooking.
- Avoid browning with your guacamole. To keep guacamole fresh and that beautiful green color, place in a container or jar and add water on top. Place in the refrigerator. When ready to use, drain the water and serve.
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