Cooking is a great skill to have and if you’re someone who loves to cook, you might want to check out these genius cooking tips! Where ever your favorite dishes come from around the world, these cooking tips are for kitchen appliances and basic vegetables and fruit you’ll find in any kitchen.

Ranging from how to cut corn from a cob, pastry hacks, how to peel garlic through to ways to squeeze a lemon!

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1. Use two bowls to cut corn off the cob without getting kernels everywhere.

Wrap a small bowl in a paper towel (to keep it from slipping) and set upside-down inside a big bowl. A bundt pan works great for this too, if you have it.

2. Instantly core a head of iceberg lettuce by slamming it down on a cutting board.

3. Pre-soak pasta and it will cook in about 60 seconds.

Sounds weird, but it works! Soak the pasta in water in a sealed bag for a couple hours or overnight. Then you can cook it super super fast in boiling water or just add it straight to a hot sauce in a pan and let it finish cooking there.

4. Use a sharp knife (CAREFULLY) to pit an avocado.

Safest to put the avocado down on the cutting board first, or maybe invest in some rad chain mail gloves.

5. Slice avocadoes right in the skin to make neat cubes.

Then scoop out the chunks with a spoon.

6. Put a dish towel or damp paper towel under your cutting board to keep it from slipping and wobbling.

Emily Fleischaker

Yay for safety!

7. Use a spoon to peel a kiwi from the inside out.

Cut the ends of the kiwi off, then slide the spoon under the skin around the kiwi.

8. Make Your Own Spice Mixes

Source: Thinkstock

Instead of relying on sugar or salt to flavour your food, get creative and make your own spice mixes. Look to ready-made spice mixtures in the supermarket to inspire your personal creations. You’ll be able to season your meat, pastas, or even snacks at a fraction of cost — not to mention, a fraction of the salt.

9. Hold cherry tomatoes between two plastic lids to slice them all at once.

10. Caramelize onions in half the time by adding a little baking soda.

You can read the full explanation of how this works over at Serious Eats. Love that SCIENCE!

11. Microwave an ear of corn and it’ll fall right out of the husk.

No silk! Thanks, Ken.

12. Grate ginger with a microplane instead of mincing it.

You can freeze the ginger first to make it firm and easy to grate.

13. Maximise Produce Nutrients

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Whenever using fresh fruits and veggies, make sure you maximize their nutritional content with proper cooking techniques, like steaming rather than boiling. Resist the urge to peel produce since a lot of essential nutrients are found in the skin.

14. Microwave lemons and limes to get more juice out.

Zapping citrus for 15 or 20 seconds helps break down carbohydrates in the fruit and encourages maximum liquidity. Get more info here.

15. Peel a whole head of garlic by shaking it really hard.

16. Use an apple slicer to quickly cut potatoes into perfect wedges.

One of those things you can’t believe you didn’t think of.

17. No need to peel potatoes before boiling them; the skin will just slide off once they’re cooked.

Transfer them to an ice bath when they’re done cooking, then twist the peel off with your hands. This works best with Russet potatoes.

18. Bake With Applesauce

Applesauce works as a substitute for both eggs and butter. The ratio of applesauce to butter is one to one: if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter, simply sub in 1/2 cup of applesauce. For every large egg a recipe requires, toss 1/4 cup of applesauce in its place.

Source: Shutterstock

19. Pit cherries with a paper clip.

Watch CHOW’s whole video to see how.

20. Prep Produce in Advance

Source: Thinkstock

One of the most cumbersome parts of cooking is all that chopping and mincing! Prep produce in advance and chop everything early in the week. Even if you don’t have specific recipes in mind, wash, chop, and peel your favourite veggies. From there, you’re just 10 minutes away from a healthy stir-fry, soup, or pasta dish.

21. Add on Herbs

Source: Thinkstock

Herbs add a depth of flavour to just about any dish. A sprinkle of fresh parsley or a sprig of thyme can elevate a light pasta or plate of fresh veggies from pedestrian to sublime. And whenever possible, choose fresh herbs. They offer more nutritional value.

22. Mix in Tofu

via BuzzFeed and PopSugar

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