Wish you could be more of a whiz in the kitchen? These 24 clever kitchen hacks will help up your cooking game to the next level.

Soften Butter Fast

Need butter ready for baking? If your butter is rock solid, you could just microwave it for a few seconds. But if you don’t want to risk overheating it, this simple tip will do the trick perfectly. Cut the butter into small cubes and leave somewhere warm, by the oven for example. The increased surface area will help it soften more quickly. You can also try grating it!

Ripen Bananas Quickly

If you want extra ripe bananas for smoothies, banana bread or ice cream, you can ripen them quicker by tossing them in a paper bag and sealing the top. That way, they’ll ripen much faster than in the bowl.

Stop Brown Sugar Compacting

Don’t you hate it when your bag of brown sugar goes hard and block like, making it difficult to spoon it out for baking? To keep brown sugar soft, put it in an airtight container with a slice of apple or an orange peel. Then, microwave the container for 30 seconds next to a glass of water.

Work Out If Your Eggs Are Bad

Egg sell by dates are rarely reliable. The best way to determine whether an egg has gone bad is to place it in a glass or bowl of cold water. If the egg sinks, it’s good. If it floats, it’s gone bad.

Get Eggshell Pieces Out Easily

Trying to fish bits of cracked eggshell out of the bowl is almost impossible, especially if you’re in a hurry. A genius tip for removing broken egg is by using a larger piece of cracked egg to fish it out. The egg acts as a magnet, collecting all the broken bits and preventing your dinner guests biting down on a bit of crunchy shell.

Separate Egg Yolks

Recipe calls for separating the egg yolk from the white? Simple. Take a plastic water bottle with the lid off and gently squeeze over the yolk. When you let go and the bottle re-inflates, it will suck in the yolk. No mess, no fuss. Sometimes this trick can take a little bit to master, but once you have it mastered, you’ll never look back.

Easy Peel Potato Hack

Bored of peeling potatoes? A simple way to de-skin them is to boil them, then place them in a bowl of ice water. The skin will then slide straight off. Quick, easy and no mess.

Cut Soft Cheese Precisely

Get precise slices when it comes to cutting soft cheese, cake or dough by using dental floss. Floss will cut cleanly through for nice, even slices.

Stop Crying Over Onions

We use onions in so many dishes, but that doesn’t stop us tearing up while we’re peeling and chopping them. To stop crying over your onions, try freezing them for 30 minutes before using them in your cooking. Or, if you’re in a hurry, hold a slice of bread in your mouth to trap the fumes. It may look ridiculous, but trust us, it works!

No Need to Flip

If you’re cooking something that needs flipping halfway through, such as chips or vegetables, save yourself the hassle, by preheating your baking sheet. That way, when the food touches the hot surface, it will get cooked on the underside as well.

Perfect Poached Eggs

Enjoy the perfect poached egg. Many people swear by soaking their egg in vinegar before cracking it into a pan of salted boiling water. While others use plastic wrap to keep their eggs together. The plastic wrap method involved lining a cup with wrap, cracking the egg into it and then tying it closed. You then drop the little parcel into the pan on water and it will stay together while it cooks.

Easily Remove Seeds

Stop scraping out squash or pumpkin seeds with your hands or a spoon. An ice cream scoop is the most effective tool for getting rid of seeds, making it easy to cut through the flesh and stringy bits. Once you’ve removed the seeds, clean and dry them with a paper towel before seasoning and roasting them for a tasty snack.

Stop Water Boiling Over

Prevent water in the pan from boiling over with this clever hack. Lay a wooden spoon across the top of the pan. The spoon will stop water from spilling up and over the pan’s sides.

Store Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are perfect for seasoning, but you can often end up with an excess. To preserve your herbs, stick them in an ice cube tray with water or olive oil. Pop the tray in the freezer. Next time you need to use the herbs, pop a cube or two into your cooking and away you go.

Use up Leftover Wine

The same goes for leftover wine. Rather than pouring it down the sink. Pour the dregs of the wine bottle into your ice cube tray and stick in the freezer. When your dish needs a little extra something, grab a couple of wine cubes for adding a dash of flavour to your cooking.

Easy Garlic Peeling Hack

Try this quick and easy hack for peeling garlic. Microwave the garlic for 20 seconds and the shells will slide off easily. And if you want to make your squash easier to cut through, microwave it for 2-3 minutes to help soften it up and make cutting it much smoother.

Stop Fish Sticking to the Pan

Grilled fish is easy, delicious and good for you. But it can easily get stuck to the grill pan, where you end up losing bits. Not to mention, cleaning it can be a real chore. Slice up a lemon and lay the fish on top of the slices. Not only will your fish not stick to the pan, but it will also be infused with a lovely fresh citrus flavour.

Handy DIY Cookbook Holder

If you’re trying out a new recipe and need to keep referring to the cookbook, make a handy DIY cookbook holder in no time. Take a skirt coat hanger and attach the book, open at the recipe page, using the pegs. Hang it from a high kitchen cupboard so the book sits at eye level and you can easily see the next steps without covering the pages in food or messy fingerprints.

A Smarter Way to Chop Herbs

Chopping herbs with a knife? Welcome to the future. Instead of chopping with a knife, use a pizza wheel. The added benefit of this is that it keeps your fingers away from the chopping board in case of slips.

Tasty Flavoured Rice

Give your rice and grains a little extra flavour by sticking a teabag in the water. Spice up plain rice with flavours such as ginger, lemon or even green tea. Simple yet effective.

Save Extra Spring Onions

If you’ve got a bunch of spring onions you’re not sure you’ll use in time, chop them up and store them in an empty water bottle. You can then leave them in the freezer for up to three months. More than enough time to get through them all without wasting any.

Stop Sliding Around

Prevent your chopping board from sliding around while you’re chopping. Place a tea towel under the chopping board and it’ll stay still. Bonus points for a cooking and safety hack!

Tasty Chicken Dinners

Store chicken breasts in a plastic bag with marinade, then stick it in the freezer. When you need a quick and delicious meal, take them out, defrost and you’re good to go.

Stop Onions Burning

If you’re frying onions and they start to burn, toss an ice cube into the pan. It’ll bring their temperature down and stop them from burning to a crisp.

There you have it. With these tips, you’ll soon be a cooking pro. Why not give some a try?