5 Cooking Hacks for Next-Level Adulting

We’re no cooking experts — heck, we’re still trying to get in the habit of eating before 8 p.m. because adulting can get crazy busy.

But we are trying to get better at it, and these cooking hacks have us feeling like we’re leveling up in our ‘adult’ cooking skills.

Brown bananas attracting fruit flies? Don’t throw them away!

They might be too mushy for the average person’s texture preference (not to mention the propensity for an extra loud banana sound…Yuck.), but brown bananas have their perfect place in the world: banana bread.

Don’t have a bread pan? No problem — we’ve made some in a small, round casserole dish before! Or you can always ask a neighbor.

Banana bread can be one of the most versatile recipes — you can substitute protein powder for flour, ground flax seed for eggs, and so on. Just take stock of what you already have on-hand, and turn to our trusty friend Google to find a recipe that works with your pantry’s contents.

Monday’s avocado not yet ripe for Taco Tuesday? Brown paper bag it!

Oh, science. You continue to amaze us — like how you can make avocados ripen themselves!

All you need is a brown paper bag, if you have ~24 hours until you need said avo.

If you’re on a shorter timeline, you can always cook or nuke the avocado.

Oven: Wrap avocado in tinfoil, put in oven at 200* until avocado is soft, ~10 minutes.
Microwave: Pierce the avo several times with a fork, then put in microwave for 30-sec increments until the fruit gives a little when you squeeze it.

Do your cookies lose their softness before you eat ’em all? Sliced bread to the rescue!

Though we rarely have this problem (we’re a bunch of cookie monsters over here)…there is a solution!

You know how awesome sliced bread is? Yeah…we don’t remember that era either, but it is awesome in this situation!

Select a slice and place it in the cookie jar/tub/container with the cookies. The slice will absorb all the moisture and keep your cookies nice n’ soft…like God intended them to be. 😉

Afraid your celery has lost its crunch? Submerge it in water!

We often buy celery because we know it’s healthy…but then don’t touch it for weeks on end (Wah, wah…).

Even though it often goes soft by the time we finally bring it out for a snack, it just needs a bit of revitalization to snap back into crunchy-shape!

Celery acts like a plant (I know…wat, right?) when submerged in water — it absorbs the H2O and gets back to its crunchy self.

Recipe calls for food to be sautéed in oil, but you just ran out or perhaps you’re watching your calories? Try these alternatives!

Even though the technical definition of sauté is “to fry quickly in a little hot fat,” you can still get that sautéed texture from other healthier alternatives.

If you have some low-sodium vegetable stock in your pantry, cooking your grub in this alternative can enhance the natural flavor of your food.

Two zero-calorie alternatives for sautéeing are (1) water or (2) any type of vinegar (balsamic is a personal favorite).

Just get the pan slightly warm on the stove (if you sprinkle water on it and it crackles but doesn’t explode, you’re ready to go), add your liquid, then toss in your food.