Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re just learning how or consider yourself the family chef, this list of kitchen hacks will help you quicken kitchen time while keeping your meals healthy and delicious.

Tips for Using a Knife in The Kitchen

• Keep Your Cutting Tools in Shape

  • After using a cutting board, rub half a lemon on it to prevent odor from collecting on it over time.

  • If your knives are getting a bit dull, grab an old coffee mug and carefully scrape the knife along the bottom ring. Then wash the knife before use.

• Slicing, Dicing, and Peeling Produce

  • How to Cut Small Tomatoes and Grapes

    1. Place a handful of them on a clean surface and put a clean plate on top of them.
    2. Hold the plate down lightly with one hand to keep the food in place.
    3. Hold the knife parallel to the plate with the other hand as you cut the food in half.

    Check out this demo.

  • How to Cut Open a Pomegranate

    1. Place it right-side up. Cut a circle about an inch wide in diameter off of the top of the pomegranate so you can see the seeds inside.
    2. Place the knife between two groups of seeds without letting it touch the center of the pomegranate.
    3. Cut downward until you get to the bottom. Continue cutting from top to bottom until you’ve cut between every seed.
    4. When you’re done, you’ll be able to pull the pomegranate open with no mess.

    See a video here.

  • Cutting Onions, The Easy Way

    1. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom and remove the peel.
    2. Place one half flat-side down and cut in the opposite direction.
    3. Carefully hold the knife parallel to the cutting board and cut from top to bottom again.

    Watch how it's done here.

    While you’re cutting that onion, chew gum and avoid inhaling through your nose. This will help you avoid getting onion chemicals in your nasal cavity. Gum can also help to diffuse the tear-causing chemicals and the odors associated with onions.

How to Seed a Pomegranate

Watch the video above for an easy-open kitchen hack, and follow the tips below.

1. Fill a wide mixing bowl (wide enough to fit your hands in) half-full with water.
2. Cut the pomegranate in half.
3. Submerge the pomegranate halves in water and use your hands to separate the seeds from the inner membrane.
4. The membrane will float to the surface and the gems will sink.
5. Discard membrane and outer rind.
6. Skim the surface a second time to remove any small pieces of membrane.
7. Drain and the seeds are ready to use!

Pomegranates are an Antioxidant

An ancient fruit, the pomegranate has been found in Ayurvedic medicine, Egyptian tombs, Greek legend, Biblical verses, and Christian art. The juice-encapsulated seeds are both delicious and nutritious, if messy to extract. Rich in antioxidants, essential fats, including conjugated fatty acids, fiber, and lignins, which contain phytoestrogens, pomegranate seeds are well worth picking out of this fruit.