Did you make that frittata in your cast iron skillet, and now you’re wondering how to clean it without pulling out the soap that you know you shouldn’t use? Skip the soap and give your skillet a facial. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and scrub with a wet paper towel. Repeat until clean. Lightly rub with oil afterwards.

Does your leftover pasta dry out when reheated in the microwave? Try steaming it instead by adding a little extra liquid and loosely cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Heat in the microwave as usual.

This little nugget of wisdom was birthed after becoming a working mom—bake in bulk. Instead of making one loaf of banana bread, triple the recipe and bake three. Freeze two for later. Once completely cooled wrap in plastic wrap then wrap tightly with tin foil. Store for up to 2 months in freezer. Before serving, allow to come to room temperature on the counter for a day-ish. Only one mess to clean with three loaves of offspring. It’s kinda like having triplets. Kinda?

My Smoothie King days taught me more than just how to make a good smoothie. They taught me how to clean a blender like a pro. (Adding that one to my resume.) Just after using your blender, lightly rinse with water. Fill basin about a quarter of the way full with hot water and a squirt of soap. Secure lid and blend on high for about 30 seconds. The soap and the steam will do the work. Rinse. Repeat as needed.

Sometimes we overcook our cakes. It happens. But all is not lost. Trim off any burned edges. Brush the top of the cake with a layer simple syrup. This will add moisture back into the cake. Take it a step further and infuse your simple syrup with herbs or spices. Brush over cake, perfect or overcooked, to add an additional layer of flavor.

Into a microwave safe bowl, add 1/2 cup of water. Cut a lemon in half, squeezing the juice into the water. Drop the two halves into the water. Place in the microwave, and heat on high for 3 minutes. Let it stand for another 5 minutes. Don’t be tempted to open the door. When the timer goes off, use a dry towel to clean up the mess. (For step-by-step images, click here.)

—Chris, Burnt Macaroni

To bring butter to room temperature quicker, cut it into tablespoons or cubes. The more surface area you expose, the faster it will reach the desired temperature. The same method holds true when melting butter over the stove or in the microwave.

I may be the last person on earth to figure this out—store your bananas away from everything with a shelf-life. They have a way of making other produce decay faster and making bread products taste faintly of banana (not the good kind of banana bread).

 
 
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