Article By: Mirna Cacic

Cast iron skillets are one of those things that not many people know how to clean. You’ve all heard the stories about how you’re not allowed to use soap, or any other harsh chemicals. All you need to clean your skillet are a few basic items like salt, oil, and a sponge. Check out our tips and tricks below to get your skillet looking fresh and new!

Supply Checklist:

1) Cast iron skillet

2) Salt

3) Sponge

4) Vegetable oil

5) Paper towels

6) Kitchen towel

Step #1:

It’s important to clean the skillet each and every time you use it. This way you’ll prevent gunk from building up, making the job much easier. Don’t soak your skillet to get rid of stuck-on food, as it can make it rusty.

Step #2:

To wash your skillet, simply scrub it with a sponge under hot water. Avoid soap or steel wool, as it can strip your skillet of its seasoning.

Step #3:

To get rid of burnt or stuck-on food, sprinkle salt over your skillet and add a bit of water. Swish it around with your sponge to make a paste, and then scrub it.

Step #4:

Rinse the skillet and dry it with a kitchen towel.

Step #5:

Grab a sheet of paper towel and add a few drops of vegetable oil to your skillet. Wipe the skillet down, then get out a clean paper towel and wipe it again to get rid of any excess oil. To store your skillet, keep it in a dry place.

Photos: Sarcastic Cooking, Tori Avey, Lemons and Anchovies, Galley Kitchen Gal.

There are tonnes of things you can cook in your waffle iron that don’t have to be waffles! If your waffle iron is dusty and forgotten, put it to good use by trying out these cool recipes! From bacon, to eggs, to cheeseburgers, almost anything goes in a waffle iron! Try out these fun ways you can put your waffle iron to work and it’ll never gather dust again!

1. Bacon

Who doesn’t love bacon?! Just throw the bacon onto the iron and the grease from the bacon will grease the iron. The waffle iron will make the bacon nice and crispy, just the way we all love it!

2. Brownies

If you’re living in a tiny apartment or dorm room and don’t have an oven, don’t fear! You can bake tasty brownies right in your waffle iron! Take a look at the super easy tutorial here.

3. Cheeseburgers

Make some waffle-shaped hamburger buns right in your waffle iron! This’ll be a big hit with the kids! Recipe here.

4. Pizza

We just couldn’t leave this one out! The key to making a great waffle iron pizza is cooking the dough in the iron first until it’s almost completely cooked. Pack on the toppings and leave the iron open and wait until the cheese melts. This recipe uses an oven to melt the cheese, but you can also use the mentioned method to melt it.

5. Doughnuts

Make breakfast easy by making your very own homemade doughnuts! You can also freeze the doughnuts so you’ll always have some on hand! Tutorial here.

6. Omelettes

Making omelettes in a waffle maker is great for those without a stove. Simply mix up your favorite recipe and pour it into the waffle iron. The result is a super tasty, light, and fluffy omelette! Recipe here.

7. French Toast

Another breakfast favorite, this waffle iron French toast is a piece of cake to put together – even on busy weekday mornings! Get the recipe here.

8. Hashbrowns

Making hashbrowns has never been easier! Whip up a batch of tasty hasbrowns for the kids in only 3 steps! Tutorial here.

9. Grilled Cheese

Also great for dorm room cooking, this waffle iron grilled cheese sandwich can be made in a snap! Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, it’ll quickly become a family favorite! Video tutorial here.

10. Macaroni and Cheese

You didn’t think it was possible, did you? If you’re stuck without an oven, making mac and cheese is no problem if you’ve got your trusty waffle iron around! Tutorial here.

Photos: Craftsy, Betty Crocker, The Gracious Pantry, Eat Cake for Dinner, Tablespoon, Eat Your Books, Will it Waffle, Listotic, Buzzfeed, One Good Thing by Jillee, Fifteen Spatulas.

Apple cider vinegar is all-natural and can be used for so many things around your home. It can be an all-purpose cleaner, room deodorizer, flea treatment for your pets, and it’s a great immunity booster! Take a look at these 8 ways to use apple cider vinegar and you’ll never see apple cider vinegar the same way again!

1) All-Purpose Cleaner

Ditch the chemicals and try out this all-natural cleaner! We’ve mentioned vinegar cleaners before, and we’ll mention them again since we love them so much! Apple cider vinegar is antibacterial and odor absorbing, making it great to use around your home. It’s safe for pets and humans alike, so mix up 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle and use it wherever you need to!

2) Get Rid of Odors

If you’ve got some bad odors lurking around your home, there’s an easy way to get rid of them! Place a shallow bowl with apple cider vinegar where your odor is the strongest. Leave the bowl there until the smell is gone.

3) Pet Flea Treatment

Dilute apple cider vinegar with water (1 part water, 1 part apple cider vinegar) and rub the mixture into your pet’s fur. It’ll help keep those nasty fleas at bay without the use of harsh chemicals!

4) Erase Warts

Soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and apply it to the wart. Use a bandaid to hold it in place overnight. Repeat these steps and your wart will be gone in no time!

5) Add it to Your Soups

Apple cider vinegar is not just for salads! Add it to your favorite vegetable soup for a kick!

6) Use it in Baking

Adding apple cider vinegar to your baking recipes will enhance the flavor of all the ingredients. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to detect any apple cider taste in your cakes!

7) Detox!

Add a tbsp or two to your meals to help build up your immune system. Doctors believe that adding apple cider vinegar into meals also helps improve lymph circulation.

8) Make Juice

Everyone knows that adding a spoon of apple cider vinegar to your water is great for your health, but why stop there? Add it to your grapefruit juice or grape juice for a boost!

Photos: Ebay, Inhabitat, Painter 1, Fan Pop, Teeth Health x, Food Network, Fine Cooking, Making Thyme for Health, Huffington Post.

Winter isn’t going to let up anytime soon, and that’s why you should warm yourself up with this tasty chicken tortellini soup! We just love soup, and there’s no better way to end a hectic day than with some hot soup and crusty bread. This chicken soup is simple to prepare since it uses the rotisserie chicken you can buy at any grocery store. Add in some tortellini and veggies and you’ve got yourself a soup fit for a king! It also works well for weeknight dinners, and we think it would work in a crockpot, too! Keep reading for the recipe!

Photos: Cooking Classy.

If you’ve ever wanted to dine like King Edward VII, try out this soup! This cheesy cheddar soup is the perfect soup to warm you up these cold January nights. It’s made from cheddar cheese, potatoes, onions, cream, and chives. All the ingredients are easy to find, and the soup is pretty simple to make. Just because it’s so simple, doesn’t mean it skimps on flavor! This soup was one of the most popular soups among aristocrats just because it was so tasty!

Dine Like the Edwardians: Royal Cheddar Cheese and Potato Soup

Photos: Taste and Tell Blog.

These snowy cupcakes are a must for your dessert tray this Christmas! They’re really easy to make since you can use cake mix and ready-made frosting. Give them a try and we’re sure that you’ll have the most unique cupcakes on the block!

What You’ll Need:

1) A box of white cake mix

2) 2 containers white frosting

3) Cupcake liners

4) 2 bags of cocoa candy melts

5) 1 bag white candy melts (you can also use white chocolate)

6) Sparkling sugar

7) Granulated sugar

8) Ziploc bags

9) Sheet protectors

10) Tree clip art (there’s tonnes on Google!)

11) Cooking spray

Step #1:

Print out your tree clip art, making several copies of it on one page before printing. Insert your printed clip art into a sheet protector. Grease with a spritz of cooking spray.

Step #2:

Melt the brown candy melts in the microwave. Place the melted candy melts in a Ziploc bag and snip off the corner. Pipe the candy melts along the tree design until the image is filled. Don’t worry about it being perfect!

Step #3:

Leave the trees to harden. During this time, bake your cupcakes according to package directions.

Step #4:

When the trees have hardened, it’s time to add the snow! Melt the white candy melts and place them in a Ziploc bag, snipping off the corner. Pipe the candy melts randomly on the branches.

Step #5:

Before the candy melts have hardened, sprinkle the white areas with sparkling sugar. Allow the candy melts to harden completely.

Step #6:

Frost your cooled cupcakes with white frosting and dip them into the sparkling sugar and granulated sugar mixed in a small bowl.

Step #7:

Remove the chocolate tree carefully from the sheet protector. Insert the tree into the frosting on the cupcake. If the tree needs extra support, you can insert a toothpick into the cupcake to hold it up.

Photos: Not Your Momma’s Cookie.

We just love roast duck, but unfortunately it’s one of those dishes people get insecure about when preparing. Have no fear, we’re going to show you the whole process, and you’ll be roasting your own in no time! Serve this duck with roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes, and you’ve got a meal fit for a king! Take a look at the recipe below and make it for your Christmas dinner this year!

To roast the perfect duck it does take a few hours, but it’s incredibly easy to do. This method ensures a duck with crispy skin, moist meat, and no grease. If you’re wondering what to do with all the duck fat that will be leftover, here is a list of things you can use it for:

1) Duck fat goes great with potatoes. Add the duck fat to mashed potatoes instead of butter.

2) Rub it on chicken skin before roasting. It will give your chicken a bolder flavor.

3) Add it to roasted root vegetables, along with garlic, pepper, and salt.

Roasting the Duck

What you will need:

1) A whole Pekin duck that’s 5-6 lbs.

2) Salt

If you like, you can add a glaze to your duck. This one is sweet and spicy:

Sweet and Spicy Hot Roasted Duck Glaze:

1) 1/4 cup honey

2) 1/4 cup molasses

3) 3 tbsp orange juice

4) 1 tbsp soy sauce

5) 1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce

Step #1:

Take the duck out of it’s packaging and take out the innards. The innards will usually be wrapped in paper.

You can freeze all the innards except the liver, and add them to the stock. The liver can be made into a pate by frying it with a little bit of butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash the liver and spread it onto buttered toast. Yummy! If you aren’t sure which is the liver, it’s the brown thing on the top left of the photo below.

Step #2:

Preheat your oven to 300 F. Rinse your duck under cold water and pat it dry using paper towels. Place a rack in a deep roasting pan and place the duck on top. Sprinkle salt inside the cavity.

Step #3:

Using a sharp knife, score a diamond pattern into the duck’s skin on the breast. The key is to cut through most of the fat and not cut into the meat.

Your duck should end up looking like this:

Step #4:

Your duck won’t have any quills, but sometimes there might be a few left. Take those out.

Step #5:

Cut off any excess skin that’s around your duck’s cavity. You can toss the skin, or you can keep it on if you want to get out as much fat out of your duck as possible.

Step #6:

Prick the duck with a sharp knife all over. This will allow the fat to drain easily. The more fat the duck drains, the crispier the skin will be. When you’re pricking the skin, take care not to prick the meat.

Step #7:

Tie the legs together using butcher’s twine.

Step #8:

Fold the wings under the duck.

Step #9:

Sprinkle salt over the duck and place it into the oven.

Step #10:

Allow the duck to roast for 1 hour. When the hour is up, take the duck out of the oven. The skin will still be pale, and only slightly crisp. Pierce the skin again with a knife and you should see more fat drip out. Make sure to poke extra well around the legs, since that’s where a lot of the fat is. Flip the duck over, so that it’s breast-side down. Place the duck back into the oven and roast it for another hour.

Step #11:

When the second hour is up, take the duck out of the oven again. The skin will be more brown this time. Prick the skin all over again and flip the duck so that it’s breast-side up. Place the duck back into the oven and roast it for another hour.

Step #12:

When the third hour is up, take the duck out of the oven. The duck should be browner, and the skin crispy. Prick the skin and flip the duck so that it’s breast side down.

Step #13:

In the last hour while the duck is roasting, it’s time to make the glaze. In a saucepan, add honey, molasses, orange juice, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Whisk the mixture constantly on medium-high heat. It will become thick. Set your glaze aside until your duck is finished.

Step #14:

When the fourth hour is up, take the duck out of the oven and turn up the heat on your oven to 400 F. The duck should look like this:

Step #15:

If you want to save the duck fat, take it out of the pan now. Take the duck rack out and pour the duck fat into a container. Do this before glazing the duck.

Step #16:

Put the duck rack back in the pan. Flip the duck over so that it’s breast-side up. When the oven heats up to 400 F, place the duck back into the oven for around 10 minutes. This will help the skin crisp up more.

Step #17:

When the 10 minutes are up, take the pan out of the oven. The skin of the duck should be crisp and brown like this:

Step #18:

Brush the glaze onto the duck until it’s covered completely. Place the duck back into the oven for 5-7 minutes.

When the duck is finished, it should look like this:

Step #19:

Allow the duck to rest for 10 minutes, then cut and serve. Enjoy!

Photos: Jemma Watts, Citrus and Candy, The Hungry Mouse.

These will be the best French fries you’ve ever had! They’re double-fried and super crispy! Serve them up alongside some juicy hamburgers, and don’t forget the dip! We highly recommend Tzatziki dip, because it’s light, although delicious, and won’t overwhelm the fries. The secret to crispy fries is soaking them in water beforehand. Now that you know this trick, you’ll never want to go back to the old way of making French fries again! Take a look at the recipe below!

Crispy Double-Fried French Fries

Photos: Cooking on the Weekends, Damn Delicious, The Epoch Times.

Pizza dough is one of those things that sometimes when you make it yourself it can either be a hit or a miss. We’ve got the whole process down pat for you in this article, and soon you’ll be whipping up your own pizzas in no time! So, put on your apron and follow along with our easy steps!

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

– 1 package (2-1/4 tsp) active-dry yeast

– 1-1/2 cups very warm water (110°F)

– 4 cups all-purpose flour + more for dusting

– 1-1/2 tsp salt

– 2 tbsp olive oil

Making the Dough

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Make sure the cup or bowl that you are using isn’t cold. Meanwhile, add the flour and salt into a food processor. Process for a minute to mix. While the food processor is running, add the yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the food processor off and add in the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

Take the dough out of the processor and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands and knead the dough. Cut the dough into 4 pieces with a knife. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Knead the ball the push any air out.

Rising and Storing the Dough

The next step depends on if you want to make the pizza right away, or make it another time. If you want to make the pizza as soon as possible, put the dough balls onto a floured surface. Cover them with a clean dishtowel and allow them to rise for 45 minutes. They will double in size. You can then prepare your pizza for baking.

If you want to make the pizza tomorrow, you can place the dough into the fridge. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, making sure they have enough room to expand. Leave them to rise in the fridge overnight. The next day when you want to make your pizza, take the dough out and leave it to sit for 15 minutes. You can then bake your pizza.

If you want to freeze your dough, dust each dough ball with flour as soon as you’ve made it. Put each dough ball in a seperate freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for 1 month. To defrost the dough, take the dough out of the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight.

Photos: Golden State Mom, Bogliv, Flavia’s Fundamentals, Eat Laugh Love, Charleston Adventures, Money Saving Mom.

No one likes a stale cake. Whether your cake goes stale from just cutting a slice from it, or during preparation, this bread trick will save your cake! Take a look at how to use the bread slice trick below!

So you’ve got this delicious cake, and once you’ve had a slice, how do you prevent the rest of the cake from going stale? Easy! Get out a few slices of bread and hold them in place with toothpicks! You’ll notice that the bread will get rock hard, but the cake will stay super moist!

Here is another way to use bread for cakes. If you’ve ever baked a cake, but didn’t have time to add filling and decorate it right away, you can also use the bread trick. Just lay a slice of bread right on top of the cake and leave it on the counter. The cake will stay moist and fresh while the bread will get hard. It’s like magic! Give it a try for yourself!

Photos: Baked Bree, Created by Diane, Hand Made Cake UK.