11 Weird Cooking and Cleaning Hacks That Work

Avoid sticking. It can be infuriating to try to get sticky stuff out of your measuring cup or spoon when following a recipe. Spraying a spoon or cup with nonstick cooking oil before measuring will help ingredients like honey and maple syrup slide right off. If you are making a recipe that calls for oil, measure that first and then fill the same cup with the sticky stuff and you’ll be able to add it with ease.

Shred meat in the mixer. A stand mixer is good for more than just baking. This kitchen tool can easily shred meat for tacos, pulled pork and more. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment, add meat to the bowl and shred on low speed to prevent splatters. Take care not to over-shred and or you’ll turn your meat to mush.

Make leftover rice fluffy. Reheating rice in the microwave can result in unappetizing, dry grains. Try warming rice in the microwave with an ice cube on top to create steam. Cook for a minute and remove what’s left of the ice cube (it won’t melt all the way). The result is fluffy rice.

Samantha Lande is a contributing writer who covers food, health and human interest stories for several national publications. Her work has appeared in Real Simple and Allrecipes, on the Food Network and more.

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11 Weird Cooking and Cleaning Hacks That Work​

11 Weird Cooking and Cleaning Hacks That Work