No better way to ruin the fun pasta-making vibes than an overflowing pot. There is however, a way to stop this from happening. Simply place a wooden spoon across the top of your pot.

Measuring out molasses or honey can make a mess, especially if you’re as clumsy as I am. Spray the inside with some cooking oil before you measure, and the oil will make it slide off so that your measuring spoon is easy to clean.

Save time by making your citrus fruit easier to peel. Throw your fruit in the microwave for 20 seconds and watch the peel slide right off.

Do you need to make cupcakes but don’t have a muffin tin or cupcakes cups? Fear not, you can still make your muffins. Use parchment paper instead, for a thrifty, economical solution.

Plastic wrap is super annoying when it sticks to itself or rips. Keep your plastic wrap in the refrigerator. This will make the wrap stretch evenly and properly.

Wrapping a rubber band around the lid of your jar will give you a better grip on it. If you need more help, use a dishtowel over the rubberband top.

Do you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk but don’t have any? You can make your own by putting a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into regular milk. It doesn’t have the same thickness and creaminess as buttermilk put it does the trick as a makeshift substitute.

Just place one end of your corn cob in the centre hole of a cake tin. This will hold the cob in place and allow you to get a good cutting angle. Then use a knife to slice downward. The pan will collect the kernels, ready for cooking.

Cast iron pans can rust up if you don’t properly care for them. The best way to do that is with salt. Scrub your cast iron pans with salt instead of dish soap, to keep them seasoned and ready for use.

Get rid of excess fat from stocks, stews, and sauces by skimming an ice cube along the top of the surface of your liquid with a spoon. This will cause the fat to rise and solidify. Then scoop it out with a spoon or a piece of toast.

Stainless steel can get dull with a lot of use. You can permanently dull those surfaces if you’re not using the right cleaning products. Mix vinegar and water together and spray the solution on your surfaces and wipe it down.

Don’t burn what you’re sautéing. If you find that your food is getting too brown too quickly, toss in an ice cube to cool the pan down. The water quickly evaporates and your food won’t burn.

Some meals can take a little too long to make. Meatloaf especially can take more than an hour to cook. Now who has time for that? You can simply speed it up by placing the meat into individual portions of a muffin tin. Bake your meatloaf at 450 degrees at 15 minutes for delicious mini meatloaves.

Hard boiled eggs are pretty easy to make, but they are a pain in the butt to peel. Try putting up to a dozen eggs in a steamer basket suspended over boiling water for 15 to 16 minutes. The eggshell will slip right off this way.

Need a pastry brush or don’t have one? No problem! Fold a piece of parchment paper at least four times. Use a scissor to cut some fringe into the paper. Use the fringe side as a brush.

Not all boxes come with easy pour spouts. Prevent yourself from making a mess when pouring out pancake mix by creating your own spout. Just cut off the corner of the box with a serrated knife.

Brown sugar can clump up and harden if you don’t store it properly, and once it hardens it’s actually pretty useless. Throw an orange peel or apple slice inside the bag and put the bag in an airtight container to prevent this from happening.

Here’s how to make the perfect basted egg. Are you ready? It’s surprisingly simple. Break your egg in a pan and pour in some water. Put it on the heat and watch your eggs come out perfectly.

Make your grains tastier with tea. Cook your quinoa, millet, brown rice, or bulgur with tea infused water. Lapsang souchong, Earl Grey, and chai work well for this. Having said this, the sky’s the limit for flavor combinations. Graduate from jasmine rice with any flavor you want!

If you have the rest of a bottle of wine that you know you’re not going to drink within a few days, fear not because you can still salvage it. Pour the wine out into an ice cube tray. Use the cubes in a cooking recipe, wine spritzer, or pitcher of sangria. For a fun party treat, why not track down some funky ice-cube shapes. Rosé roses anyone?

Do you have a recipe that calls for powdered sugar? You can make your own. Just pulverize granulated sugar in a spice grinder to make your own.

The easiest way to pit stone fruits is to cut them into two equal halves. Twist the halves in opposite directions. Use your thumb or a butter knife to pop out the pit.

If you want your tomatoes to last longer, place them stem down when you store them. The air and moisture won’t be able to enter the stem scar this way. Storing them at room temperature also makes them last longer.

Fill a jar with a little milk (no more than halfway). Close your jar and shake it well. Microwave your milk for about 30 seconds and it should come out wonderfully frothy.

Squeeze some lemon juice on your cut fruit to prevent it from browning. You can also mix one part honey with two parts of water. This method will slow down the oxidation process.

Don’t stick your fingers in your eggs to get rid of eggshells. Use another piece of eggshell to get rid of the rogue piece. The eggshell will act as a magnet to scoop the other pieces.

Scooping out seeds from your vegetables can take a lot of time, and it’s just not a fun task. Use an ice cream scooper to perform this task, it makes it a lot easier and faster. In fact, why not get the kids involved and keep them busy with the task while you try out your new rosé roses?

There’s a much better way to peel potatoes without a peeler. Start by boiling your potato. Toss your potatoes into an ice bath after you boil them and watch the skin fall right off.

If you need to prepare a butternut squash to cook, simply place your squash in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. This will make it a lot easier to peel, seed, and cube.

If you need a few more precious drops of juice from your lemons, refrigerate them. Then microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds. Roll your fruit, cut lengthwise then take tongs to the flesh to get the most juice out of your lemons.

Microwaves can cause food to dry out. But there is a way to combat this. Place a cup of water next to your food in the microwave when you cook it. Then you can even make a cup of tea with your hot water. Say it with me: Two birds, one stone.

Make grating semisoft cheeses like mozzarella easy. Just put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It will be much easier to grate this way, and easier to grip.

Chopping onions can turn you into a weepy mess. To avoid this just freeze your onion before chopping. Just make sure you cook the onions right after you freeze and chop them or else they’ll get soggy when they thaw. You can also hold a slice of bread in your mouth to prevent the tear-inducing gases from reaching your eye.

Bacteria can build up if you don’t properly clean your wooden cutting boards. Cut a lemon in half and dip the cut side with coarse salt. Use it to scrub your cutting board clean, then rinse.

Place a cherry on top of an empty beer bottle. Use a chopstick to squeeze the pit out of the cherry. The pit will fall into the bottle. Then you’ll have yourself a free maraca. That’s two birds with one cherry stone.

Here’s the secret to safely cutting cherry tomatoes. Place your cherry tomatoes in between two plates. The bottom plate should be upside-down. Run a knife in between the two plates.

Don’t let your herbs dry out or go bad. You can preserve them by placing them in an ice tray with olive oil or water. Freeze them and take out when you’re ready to cook with them.

Honey can become crystallized and hard to use after a while. You can reverse the crystallization by placing it in a bowl of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then it will be as good as new.

Don’t want to wait for that peach or banana to ripen on its own? Put your fruit in a paper bag and toss it. The concentrated ethylene gas will help it to ripen faster.

Boil coffee in a pot of water using the same coffee to water ratio as you’d put in a coffee maker. Remove the coffee from the heat and let the grounds settle for four or five minutes. Ladle the coffee off of the top of the pot into a mug.