Easy Cooking Tips for Non-Chefs

By: Kate Row | Last updated: Nov 22, 2023

Discovering and trying new recipes can be fun, but not all of us are born chefs. You’re not alone if you’re guilty of popping in a DiGorno pizza more often than cooking from scratch. The good news is you don’t have to love spending time in the kitchen to create delicious meals. Put the takeout menus away and close the food delivery app. If you’re a lazy cook or just don’t have the time to spare in the kitchen, check out these hacks to make yummy meals in no time.

Freeze fruit for a sweet snack

This hack is for our lazy people who still want to eat healthy. When you’re hungry, you’re going to reach for whatever is closest and fastest. Keeping some frozen fruit in the freezer is a great way to have an accessible healthy snack or dessert.

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Source: insider

Bananas, blueberries, and grapes are all excellent options for frozen snacks. You can also throw these into a smoothie. We recommend adding lime juice on top of frozen green grapes for a healthy sour patch kid.

Egg separating strategy

Separating egg yolks from the whites can be a frustrating process and you always seem to lose most of the whites. We have a hack that only requires two items: a bowl and a water bottle.

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Source: youtube

Crack your eggs into a shallow bowl. Take an empty plastic water bottle and hold it over the yolk of the egg. Squeeze the bottle and then slowly release the pressure. This will suck the egg yolk into the bottle, leaving you with the egg whites. Enjoy!

One pan meals

The worst part about cooking is the cleanup. Making “one pan” meals will cut your cleaning time in half. No one likes doing dishes.

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Source: good housekeeping

Cover a pan in tin foil and add whatever sounds good to you. We recommend putting chicken, peppers and veggies, and seasoning on the pan and popping it into the oven. When you’re done, you only have one dish to clean.

Microwave garlic for an easy peel

Some parts of cooking can be tedious and time consuming. Chopping and peeling veggies is a necessary evil when you’re cooking any meal. Who has the time? This garlic peeling hack can save you time and frustration.

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Source: cookpad.com

Peeling garlic can be a hassle but this ingredient is the key to so many delicious meals. Put a head of garlic in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Take it out and you’ll have easy to peel cloves to add to your dish.

Meal prep on Sundays

Meal prep might sound like a lot of work but it can be a huge help when you have a busy week ahead of you. If you take the time to meal prep on Sundays you won’t have to think about what to cook during your busy week.

Source: green healthy cooking

This will likely keep you away from the food ordering apps because after a long day of work, you know you have a meal already prepared. There are tons of yummy meals you can prepare and save in the fridge for later. Your future self will thank you!

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Use a wine bottle as a rolling pin

If you don’t happen to be a chef or someone who enjoys spending their time in the kitchen, you might not have a very well stocked kitchen. Do you have a late night craving for some cookies but don’t have a rolling pin? Fear not!

Source: tip hero

If you have a wine bottle handy, you can use this as a rolling pin. It’s a similar shape and will work just as well. Make sure to dust the bottle in flour to avoid dough sticking to the bottle. As an added bonus, you can enjoy some wine while you cook.

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Coffee ice cubes

This is one of our absolute favorite hacks. No more rushing to finish an iced coffee for fear of the ice melting and watering down your delicious drink. Instead of filling your ice tray with water, fill it with coffee to make coffee cubes.

Source: thrillest

Let the coffee freeze in the freezer overnight and the next morning you’ll have coffee ice cubes! When the coffee cubes melt in your coffee, you won’t have a watered down drink. Take your time enjoying your drink and thank us later!

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3 minute dessert in a mug

This cooking hack is for when you need something sweet and you need it fast. There are tons of different recipes for creating easy desserts in a mug. They take as little as 3 minutes to prepare and will hit the spot for that sweet tooth.

Source: i am a food blog

The chocolate mug cake is perhaps the easiest dessert you could make (outside of scooping ice cream into a bowl). The simplest recipe only involves an egg, nutella, and flour for a chocolatey sweet snack.

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Use a hand mixer to shred chicken

This time-saving hack will speed up the dinner process when you’re getting hangry. Shredding chicken by hand can take forever, especially if you’re cooking for more than just yourself.

Source: reddit

Add the chicken to a bowl and use a hand mixer to shred it. Within a few seconds you’ll have perfectly shredded chicken prepared to be devoured! We’re not sure who thought of this but we’re glad they did.

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Add egg to your ramen

We’re all guilty of heating up some top ramen and calling it a meal, especially in college. One way to spice up a ramen meal is to add an egg or veggies. Broccoli, mushrooms, and green onions all taste great in ramen.

Source: microwave meal prep

For the fastest addition, add an egg on top. When your ramen is halfway cooked, crack an egg on it and finish cooking the ramen. The hot eater will cook the egg to give you a perfect meal that is slightly more elevated than plain ramen. You can also scrabble eggs separately and add them to the noodles after they’re cooked.

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Use a Keurig to make cup of noodles on the go

If you’re traveling and trying to stay away from eating out for every meal, this cup of noodles trick is meant for you. Many hotels have a keurig coffee maker in each room. Use a Keurig to add hot water to your noodles or tea.

Source: sophia secondary school

Use the Keurig as you normally would to make coffee, but don’t add a coffee pod. Put your cup of noodles where your mug would usually go and capture the steaming hot water. Mix and enjoy your fast and easy meal!

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