- 3 hours ago
Ever feel like there has to be an easier way to do things in the kitchen? In this video, Nicole shares 15 kitchen hacks she actually uses—simple tips and clever tricks that save time, reduce mess, and genuinely make everyday cooking easier. These aren’t gimmicks or internet myths; they’re practical, real-life hacks that have earned a permanent place in her routine.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Are you ready to up your kitchen game?
00:01I've got 15 of my favorite kitchen hacks, tips, and tricks
00:05that will blow your mind and might even change your life.
00:08You know how you see kitchen hacks online
00:09and you wonder if they really work
00:11or if it's just a bunch of BS?
00:12I promise you that not only do all 15 of these work,
00:15but I actually now incorporate them
00:17into my regular routine.
00:18No BS from me.
00:19These are gonna be short, sweet, and straight to the point.
00:22Starting off, number one,
00:23did you know that the cap to your vanilla is a teaspoon?
00:27If your recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla,
00:29one cap is all you need.
00:31Don't believe me?
00:33Told you, no BS from me.
00:37Genius.
00:38This is how to properly use your box grater.
00:41You been doing it like this?
00:43No, sir.
00:44Turn it on its side, grate your cheese.
00:47Now all the cheese stays inside.
00:49You don't have a huge mess all over your cutting board
00:51and you can move it to where you need it.
00:53It's just easy.
00:54Ever get to the part of the recipe
00:56where it calls for softened cream cheese
00:57and you're like, oh .
00:59I hope he bleeps that out when I say that.
01:01You forgot to soften your cream cheese.
01:03I do this every single time.
01:04I don't even bother softening my cream cheese ahead of time
01:06because I know I'm gonna forget anyway.
01:08Hot water, hard, unsoftened cream cheese, straight in.
01:13Three to five minutes, it'll be softened.
01:16Also thought like there might get water in the cream cheese.
01:19It's not.
01:20See, I don't lie.
01:22I don't know who ever thought of this one, but thank you.
01:24Here's another one I live by.
01:26Keep your snacks in the freezer.
01:30Let me show you how they still stay crispy.
01:31I know what you're thinking because I thought it too.
01:33How do these not get soggy?
01:35You know, you feel like it's a little bit damp in the freezer.
01:37There's gonna be some moisture in there.
01:39They're cold.
01:44They're even crunchier, I swear, than when you first buy them.
01:46I don't know the magic behind it.
01:48Same with popcorn, especially these big bags.
01:50They make me so mad because they go stale
01:52after the first day you open them.
01:54Perfect, it's cold.
01:56And it's perfectly tender, not soggy, not stale.
02:05Can she do it?
02:07Damn.
02:09If you've got that pack of ground meat in your freezer
02:12or your fridge and you don't know what to do with it,
02:14this next one is the solution.
02:16I do this literally every single week for my family.
02:19It is the fastest dinner ever.
02:21And we're doing smashed tacos.
02:23We've done chicken parm, chicken Caesar,
02:25just a classic burger.
02:27I'm showing you my favorite one,
02:28which is the smashed dumpling taco.
02:32You've probably seen me do this before,
02:33but I need an excuse to do it again.
02:35So this is a trick, a tip, and a hack all in one,
02:37plus you're getting a bonus recipe.
02:39Down with the pork.
02:40In goes garlic, fresh ginger.
02:43You could also use dried.
02:44Some green onions, a little cilantro, salt and pepper.
02:48Soy sauce and sesame oil.
02:50All of these recipes really lend themselves
02:51to inexpensive ingredients.
02:53So not only is this a fast and easy dinner,
02:56but it's usually a cheap one.
02:57I mean, all of this pork costs less than $5.
03:00Now for the fun part.
03:01Take your tortilla, spread on filling all the way to the edges
03:05in a really thin layer.
03:06It could even be a faster dinner
03:08if you meal prep these ahead of time.
03:10You can spread it on your tortillas,
03:12layer them between pieces of wax or parchment paper.
03:15And then when dinner time comes,
03:17these will be on the table in less than 10 minutes.
03:19Cook them down in your skillet, meat side down.
03:22The meat layer is so thin, it cooks all the way through,
03:25and it cooks fast.
03:27Flip it, let it cook about one more minute on the other side,
03:30and dinner's done.
03:31What I love about this is that it just lends itself
03:33to a dinner with very few ingredients.
03:36A little more of your onions and cilantro.
03:39A little sauce.
03:40For me, a little hot sauce.
03:42Fold it up, and now it's a taco.
03:44The dinner hack everybody needs.
03:50Mmm.
03:52Absolutely never gets old.
03:54I don't know who the first one was
03:56that invented the smashed taco,
03:57but I hope both sides of your pillow are cold.
04:01I don't always make Rice Krispie Treats,
04:02but when I do, this is the only way.
04:05It is the one pan method.
04:07You know how messy it gets after you stir it,
04:10and you've got that sticky situation in the pot,
04:13and you try to get it into your pan?
04:15Not anymore.
04:16Butter down on the dish.
04:17Marshmallows down.
04:19Oh, no, wait.
04:20I forgot to grease the pan.
04:24Grease your pan.
04:25You've seen me do this before,
04:26but I've put them all in this episode
04:28so that all our favorite tips and tricks are in one episode.
04:31A little bit of vanilla.
04:32How about a teaspoon?
04:36And then Rice Krispies.
04:38Into the oven, 350 degrees.
04:40Not only does it all melt and come together this way,
04:43but it kind of has a little toasty flavor,
04:46so the flavor's just better.
04:47It works.
04:48Now all you do is mix and press down.
04:53First couple mixes get a little, you know, messy maybe.
04:57See how the marshmallow gets a little toasted,
04:59and so do the Rice Krispies?
05:01That is elevated flavor right there.
05:04Once you get going, it all comes together.
05:07Last time you said this was messy compared to a sticky pot,
05:11and you're racing against the clock to get it out of there
05:14and into a pan.
05:16Get all that butter from the bottom.
05:18The pan is obviously hot,
05:19so these do take a little bit longer to set up this way
05:22because they have to cool,
05:24and then they start sticking together.
05:26The mess that happens in the pot
05:28is the reason I don't make Rice Krispie Treats a lot,
05:32unless I have to,
05:33but this just makes it enjoyable.
05:37Now we just let it sit.
05:38See, the perfect Rice Krispie Treat
05:41that we baked, mixed, and served from one pan,
05:44and these are like extra gooey.
05:49This next hack had a lot of people triggered,
05:51but I stand by it as one of the most genius ways
05:54to serve up dessert.
05:55You take store-bought pie and you turn it into cobbler.
05:58So I did it before with one of the Costco pies
06:01because it's so big that it would fill up a casserole dish,
06:04so I've got two apple pies.
06:06You wanna make sure they are baked first.
06:08Take it, dump it out, chop it up,
06:11and put it straight into your casserole dish,
06:13or simply dump it in your dish and hack away at it.
06:17Now here's why this makes sense,
06:19because you are gonna get way more servings
06:21than you would out of one pie
06:23because people just kinda do a little scoop.
06:25Also, I think you get a better ratio of crust to filling
06:30because everyone's here for the crust.
06:32I don't know what it is,
06:32but maybe it's just all in my head,
06:35but it just tastes different.
06:36It's like a whole different dessert.
06:38When I first saw the video,
06:39I thought it was just rage bait,
06:41and then five seconds later,
06:42I was like, actually,
06:43I think I would really like that.
06:44You're also kinda breaking up the apples,
06:46so when you go,
06:47you're not just getting one big bite of apple
06:48and like a tiny bit of crust.
06:50It's also a perfect use if you have any leftover pies
06:52from the holidays,
06:53turn it into something new.
06:55Then it just goes straight into the oven,
06:57375 degrees until it's all hot and bubbly.
07:00You can hear the bubbles.
07:01You don't really see them,
07:02but another great advantage is you don't have to worry
07:04about finding and getting out the perfect slice.
07:07This is a whole lot easier to serve.
07:10Twice baked apple pie.
07:11Gonna serve it up the only way I know how,
07:13with ice cream.
07:19100%.
07:20If you didn't know, you wouldn't know.
07:23The way the crust just mixes in with that apple,
07:25I just don't know how you can be mad at this.
07:27It's one of the smartest hacks I've ever seen.
07:30I also don't make quiches all the time,
07:32but when I do,
07:33I will forever use this formula.
07:36This is from Julia Child,
07:37and it is quite genius.
07:38All you have to memorize is this.
07:40Crack three eggs into a measuring cup.
07:43You want it to be at least a two cup measure.
07:45Season your eggs,
07:46a little salt and pepper.
07:47Misk them up,
07:49and now you add liquid,
07:51enough liquid to where the measuring cup
07:53reaches one and a half cups.
07:55You can use whatever liquid you want.
07:56You can do half and half,
07:57a combination of milk and heavy cream.
07:59I'm just going in with whole milk.
08:00Your three eggs will come up to a different level every time.
08:03Whatever that level is,
08:05you just pour until it reaches one and a half cups.
08:08And that's it.
08:09It will make a perfect quiche every time.
08:10You just pour it straight into your crust.
08:12I'm doing some ham,
08:13some broccoli,
08:14some cheese and green onions.
08:16No measurements here.
08:17It's just whatever you want it to be.
08:18It'll be the perfect amount of filling
08:20for a standard nine inch pie crust.
08:23Turns out perfectly every time.
08:25Just watch.
08:27That's not a perfect quiche.
08:28I don't know what is.
08:30I think that's one of the most genius hacks around.
08:32I should wait longer,
08:33but I can't.
08:34It is a magic quiche formula.
08:41When I did this before,
08:42and when I did it just now,
08:43it's like the best quiche I've ever made.
08:45That ratio is absolutely perfect
08:47because it doesn't taste too eggy.
08:49It is like a creamy custard in the middle.
08:52It sets up nicely.
08:53Julia Child was a master,
08:55and now you will master quiche every time.
08:58One of my biggest pet peeves
08:59is when I open the dishwasher
09:01and there's water spots all over it
09:02or the dishes aren't actually dry,
09:04even though it ran on the dry cycle.
09:06And this stuff only works some of the time.
09:10This is my favorite hack.
09:11I do it every time I run the dishwasher.
09:12Run your load like normal and then watch.
09:15The trick comes at the end of the load.
09:18Dishwasher's done, so let's look.
09:22See how some of these things are still wet?
09:26So right when it goes off, throw a towel over,
09:31close it back up, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
09:33The towel's gonna absorb any residual moisture
09:35and steam that happens in there,
09:37and then it ends up on the towel and not on our dishes.
09:41After about 15, 20 minutes,
09:43the towel feels like slightly damp.
09:47It's warm, but look in here.
09:49Perfectly dried glass.
09:51Still a tiny bit of water,
09:53but it absorbed, especially with plastic.
09:56That's a tough job.
09:57If you find that your dishes are not getting dry,
10:00try the towel hack and thank me later.
10:02Now, you know I swear by this snack stack,
10:04freezer door cocktails.
10:05You've seen me do it with a martini,
10:06a lemon drop, and a margarita.
10:08Today, it's an old fashioned.
10:10Freezer door cocktails are just smart.
10:12It's great for entertaining
10:13because you don't have to be the bartender at your party.
10:15You can just pour and go.
10:16They're ready when you are.
10:18For me, it's just the perfect way
10:19to wind down after a long day at work.
10:21You will now always find
10:22a freezer door cocktail in my freezer.
10:24Of course, the recipes are all different,
10:25and you've gotta be careful.
10:26You can't just throw anything in your bottle
10:29because you don't want it to freeze,
10:31so it works best with drinks
10:33that have a high alcohol content,
10:35and an old fashioned is perfect
10:37because it's mostly bourbon.
10:38You always have to pour a little bit out,
10:41so I'm gonna start by pouring
10:43half a cup out of a 750 milliliter bottle.
10:48You just save this for something else,
10:50like your cocktail while you wait.
10:52To that, we're gonna add back in four ounces of liquid.
10:54I'm going in with simple syrup.
10:56I make my simple syrup with turbinado sugar
10:58and one cinnamon stick,
10:59and then one ounce of bitters.
11:02Top it, give it a little twist,
11:04and stick it in the freezer.
11:07Oh, that's gonna be good.
11:09Are you ready?
11:11I am.
11:16Some frosty goodness right there.
11:18We have enough to treat yourself after work
11:20or make 10 for your friends.
11:23The perfect old-fashioned,
11:24and we don't have to stir it or anything.
11:29I'm just an old-fashioned kind of girl.
11:33I love to sip this slowly,
11:35and I really love that it's always on hand.
11:37Freezer door cocktails are the hack you must try.
11:40Trust me.
11:41Picture this.
11:43You're making a salad.
11:45You want croutons, but you don't have croutons,
11:47but you do have waffles.
11:49Well, then I've got your next hut.
11:51Waffles as croutons is one of those things like a happy little accident that happened,
11:58and now it's become a standard practice.
12:01Because of all the little nooks and crannies that you get in a waffle,
12:04it can absorb all that garlicky flavor whenever you toss them in.
12:10So take your waffle, cut it up.
12:12You can cut each one into, like, 16 to 20 pieces.
12:15They can be frozen like these or partially thawed.
12:18It's a great thing to do if you also just have leftover waffles.
12:22I've got to say that line again.
12:28They're good because they're not sweet,
12:30so you can do this and they're going to stay savory and delicious.
12:32Add them to a bowl.
12:34Toss with some melted butter, a little garlic powder, parsley,
12:38some Parmesan cheese, and a little salt and pepper.
12:41You want to toss and make sure they're all well-coated in the buttery goodness.
12:46Then place them on a baking sheet,
12:49and then you just bake them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes
12:52or until they're good and toasty, and you want to flip them halfway through.
12:57They smell so good.
12:59If this isn't a perfect crouton, I don't know what is.
13:02See how that seasoning has gotten into the nooks and crannies of the waffles?
13:06That is what it's all about.
13:08Here's the other reason I like them, because they're toasty on the outside,
13:11but you know how some of those croutons that you get in the bags,
13:14like, can almost break your teeth?
13:16They're toasty on the outside, but, like, buttery, chewy on the inside.
13:19It's, like, the center of the garlic bread, you know?
13:26Mmm.
13:27Can't explain it.
13:28Waffles as croutons.
13:30You're going to want to write this one down.
13:32This next hack is a two-for-one special.
13:34Break out your muffin tin for taco night and thank me later.
13:38It serves a couple purposes.
13:40First, flip it upside down.
13:42Fits your hard shells perfectly.
13:44You can toast them and fill them like this.
13:47If you want to make, like, your kids' tacos, everybody's tacos.
13:50If you're controlling like me and you're like,
13:51I just do it faster, let me make everybody's taco.
13:53Get them all set up here.
13:55Do a little station.
13:56That's just smart.
13:57You've got to admit.
13:58You need a second muffin tin.
13:59You can't do both at the same time,
14:01but you can flip your muffin tin right side up and use it for toppings.
14:05You've seen me do this for a hot dog station.
14:08I love it for a taco bar.
14:09Usually, I have things set up all over my counter.
14:13This just keeps it all concise and cute.
14:17Muffin tins make for the perfect taco bar.
14:20You want to see it in action?
14:21I find myself using my muffin tin for things like this more than muffins.
14:25It just makes sense.
14:26The muffin tin catches any spillovers.
14:29It's fast.
14:30It's efficient.
14:31I just made six tacos in no time.
14:33Muffin tin magic.
14:35It's like Taco Bell, if you ask me.
14:41You're going to break this hack out on your next Taco Tuesday.
14:44S'mores in a bag is the greatest dessert hack of all time.
14:47There's so much to love about a s'more.
14:49S'more?
14:50S'mores.
14:51There's so much to love about s'mores,
14:53but what I hate is the mess.
14:55Making your s'mores in a bag is just one of the most genius things ever.
14:59Don't be coming at me for chemicals or anything like that, okay?
15:03It's like once a year we're going to do this.
15:05What I love is getting a variety of cookies.
15:07You've got your classic like graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow.
15:12But after doing some research, one of the greatest things I've ever eaten, s'mores in another
15:21butter bag.
15:22The idea is you have your cookie of choice, and to that you add in the chocolate of choice.
15:27I'm going Reese's cup, and you want to kind of break it into the bag.
15:31And then, after you toast your marshmallow, the heat from the marshmallow goes in here,
15:37kind of zhuzh it a little bit, and it melts the chocolate, and it all comes together.
15:41You go in with a fork, you come out with a perfect bite.
15:44Toast your marshmallows, sing your kumbaya.
15:47Usually when you're outside and you're doing this, I mean, tell me you've never had a piece
15:52of pine straw stick to your marshmallow hands.
15:55You know you have, but not anymore.
15:58In we go.
16:00You can squeeze the bag to release the skewer.
16:05Let it do its thing in here.
16:07You can feel the heat working its magic.
16:10Mmm.
16:19Pure genius.
16:21You get all the gooeyness that you love.
16:23The cookies are still crunchy, and best part, your hands are still clean.
16:27It's the greatest invention ever.
16:30You're getting two hacks for one with this next one.
16:32You just got to remember one thing.
16:34Don't throw away your butter wrapper.
16:36First up, you use this.
16:38See when it's got some little remnants on it.
16:40And you can save these.
16:42You can just fold them like this and keep them in a bag in your freezer
16:47and use it for when you're baking.
16:49Its greatest use at this point is to grease your pans.
16:52A lot of recipes call for greasing your dish, your baking dish.
16:57It has just enough butter on it to give you a light, good coating.
17:01Also, I didn't even realize this was a hack until I was here at work one day,
17:06and I went to go melt my butter, and I did this, and it blew some people's minds.
17:11Use your butter wrapper to prevent splatter.
17:14I thought everybody did this.
17:15Then you put it in the microwave.
17:16It won't splatter everywhere and dirty up your microwave.
17:19Genius.
17:20It was popping everywhere, but it never went above this.
17:23And at this point, you can still save your butter wrapper to grease your pans.
17:28You're definitely going to be smarter after today.
17:30You get down to the end of your jelly jar.
17:32Do not throw it out.
17:33This is not only a great hack, but it's a genius solution.
17:36There is so much you can do with this.
17:38You can make salad dressings.
17:39You can make marinades.
17:40You can make dessert sauces.
17:42I'm going to do one of the best things I've learned to do with a leftover jelly jar.
17:47A jargarita.
17:48I cannot take credit for the name, nor do I want to.
17:52So you need about a tablespoon of jelly.
17:54Of course, you can make this in a clean jar or a shaker or a cup and just use jelly.
17:59But when you come down to about a tablespoon in there, it's perfect for the cocktail.
18:03I'm doing a strawberry margarita.
18:04Of course, it's going to work with any flavor here.
18:06Add in your tequila, your triple sec.
18:09In goes the juice of a lime.
18:11So having the jelly in there is like adding a simple syrup.
18:15And that will balance out the tartness from the lime.
18:18I'm going to give it a little shake first to kind of mix it up before I add in the ice.
18:22Give it a little head start in our ice.
18:27You've got a built-in cocktail shaker also.
18:33Isn't that beautiful?
18:34That perfect light pink from the strawberry jam.
18:41It's so refreshing. It's boozy.
18:43It's just the right amount of sweet.
18:45Margarita from a jelly jar.
18:47Yes, please.
18:50All cheers to that and 15 of the greatest hacks.
18:53Am I right?
18:54If you have any genius hacks that will blow my mind,
18:56please send them my way.
18:57I'm always looking.
18:59Work smarter, not harder.
Comments