Healthy Kitchen Hacks #8

Healthy Kitchen Hacks is a weekly series on Teaspoon of Spice. We share fellow bloggers’ and our own favorite cooking shortcuts, kitchen tricks and “aha” ideas for making healthy meals a snap.

After a few months of this, Serena and I are getting into the hacking grove. We’re having a blast sharing all these tips with you and finding out which ones speak to you the most. Please feel free to contact us (below) if you have a hack you’d like us to share! Here are our all #HealthyKitchenHacks to date:

Healthy Kitchen Hacks #1
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #2
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #3
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #4
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #5 – Homemade Protein Powder
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #6 – Green Edition
Healthy Kitchen Hacks #7

1) How To Prevent Your Cutting Board From Slipping
via Katie @Mom’s Kitchen Handbook

Kitchen safety tip alert! Katie shares the ridiculous easy thing that professional chefs do to keep that cutting board in place while chopping.

2) Make Your Cucumber Slices Fancy in 30 Seconds

I remember being about 10 years old when my mom showed me this trick and this is the only way I’ve ever served sliced cucumbers since. Simply peel the cuke and hold vertical. Start at the top with a fork and scrap down the side. Repeat until all sides have been scraped then slice.

Bonus: If you hold the cucumber close, you get an instant cucumber water facial while scraping.

3) How To Get the Most Juice Out of Citrus Fruit
via Kristy @Harvard Homemaker

This press and roll method really works to help release the juice from any orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, etc. you may be juicing so you get even more juice out of your citrus. Or for any citrus you are straight up eating. For some reason, I only did this for citrus I was juicing but now every piece of citrus will get this massage treatment from now on.

4) Know Your Oven’s Hot Spots
via SaBrina @Cooking Light

Most of us have experienced the temperamental oven. Using bread slices on a baking tray can help you locate what part(s) of your oven may be hotter, which is important when baking or roasting to prevent uneven cooking. (My oven hot spots: back middle and right corners. <—- I can just hear my husband saying “that’s what she said.” #Sigh.) Note: it took about 15 minutes for my bread to truly reveal the hot spots vs. just a few minutes.

Bonus: Make homemade bread crumbs in a snap by pulsing your “test bread” (which is now toast) in your food processor or blender (I use whole wheat bread for this hack.)

5) 4 Ingredient No Rise Pizza Dough
via Nick @NewsOK

I had this super easy, no added yeast, pizza dough recipe memorized from an old (circa early 1990) heart healthy cookbook. It was often a staple in my kitchen when I first moved out on my own. Flour, baking powder, salt and a can of beer and 5 minutes later you have homemade pizza dough ready for rolling, topping and baking.

And some pizza topping inspiration:

White Clam Pizza Pie
Tomato Basil Grilled Pizza
Sriracha Chicken & Pineapple Pizza
Figgy Bacon, Ricotta & Thyme Pizza

 Would you try any of these hacks? Any healthy kitchen or healthy living shortcuts to share? Shoot us an email ([email protected] or [email protected] ) or share below and we’ll try them out.