Kitchen Hacks That Actually Work

These kitchen hacks are ones I use all the time. They actually work and are practical in real life.

There are dozens of kitchen hack posts and videos out there, but some of them are so weird that I would never use them in real life. There are some awesome time-saving, sanity-saving tips out there too, though. Today I’m sharing four of my favorite kitchen hacks that actually work and that I use all the time. I’ve also created a video at the end that shows all four of these hacks in action so you can see for yourself how well they work.

Pour Spout Mason Jar

Cut the lid off of a salt container, then cut it down to size to fit on a mason jar. Step by step instructions can be found here or just watch the video below. I use these pour spout mason jars for a lot of my baking ingredients… yeast, cornmeal, salt, sugar, etc. They work wonderfully and it’s so much easier to control how much comes out of the container. Plus the jars are pretty so that’s always a bonus in my book.

Make Your Own Powdered Sugar

Have you ever been in the middle of making frosting only to realize you’re a tiny bit short on powdered sugar? That’s the worst!

Luckily, I learned the secret to making powdered sugar and it’s super easy. Pour 1/2 cup of regular granulated sugar into a blender, then blend it on high until it’s powdery soft.

Mind. Blown.

The name says it all right? POWDERED sugar. But I never put two and two together that it’s literally just regular sugar that has been powdered. And now I’ll never run out again.

1/2 cup of granulated sugar makes about 3/4-1 cup of powdered sugar. If you need to make more than that, it’s best to do it in small 1/2 cup batches. Too much sugar in the blender all at once won’t give you good results.

Shred Chicken The Easy Way

I was taught to shred cooked chicken by placing it on a cutting board and using two forks. It takes forever. FOR-EV-ER!

Now I shred all of my chicken with a hand mixer. If I cooked it in the crockpot, I shred it right in the crock, juice and all. It works amazingly well and is so much faster than the two forks method. I’ll never go back!

Fresh Whipped Cream in Seconds

Whipping cream by hand is ludicrous. Whipping cream in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer is bearable. But what if I told you there was a way to make fresh whipped cream in seconds? Literally… in less than 30 seconds you can turn a pint of heavy cream into perfectly whipped cream!

The secret is using a blender. Pour 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/3 cup sugar into a blender. Make sure the lid’s on tight, then blend on high. You’ll know it’s done when you hear the blender slow down because the cream has thickened. It’s magic, people. I’m telling you… magic!

See these kitchen hacks in action in this short video:

Do you have any favorite kitchen tips or tricks that make life easier? Share them in the comments!