20+ Hacks Your Grandmother Probably Used

And a bunch she would find "newfangled" but effective.

My paternal grandmother, Marjorie Prince, instilled a love of baking in me. She taught me how to make her famous butter cookies one Saturday, when I was in fourth grade. (A very unoriginal name for Dutch cookies that hold a literal pound of butter! They’re like a soft version of Scottish shortbread.)

We experimented with cooking them in the microwave (not good, flat and bubbly), topping with chocolate chips (too sweet), and chilling them for hours before baking (the best!!).

Almost 15 years ago, I lived with friends in a row home in South Philadelphia. One day, my roommate found his brown sugar to be rock-solid. He threw a piece of bread into the container, “This is crazy trick,” he said. “Wait until you see it tomorrow. The next day he popped the top off and the brown sugar was fluffy and soft—as good as if he’d just purchased it.

We moved to a bigger house last year because our family grew out of our city home. What we made up in extra space, we lost in modern appliances: an original oven from 1970 that runs hot at the bottom. A cooktop from 1990 that’s scorched more pans than I’ve ever scorched. Called my mom with a hazy memory of her putting some sort of powder in her pans…

These little anecdotes are all from a library of hacks I use daily, weekly, and monthly. They’ve lightened my load in one way or another, saving me time, money, or another trip to the store. I hope they help you too. x Nicole

Household

Scorched stainless steel or enameled cast iron: Fill with enough water to cover the bottom. Bring to a simmer and add two tablespoons baking soda. Simmer for 20 minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon every few minutes. The stuck-on residue should come right off. If not, repeat or use coarse kosher salt with a brush.

Scorched cast iron: Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt in pan + 1 tablespoon olive oil. Scrub with a clean dish brush. Rinse with water and repeat if needed.

Bathtub rings: Growing up, I had to clean the entire house before I could play with my friends. So when I say that I’ve sworn by this for 30 years, it’s the truth. Sprinkle in the bottom of your bath, add a little water to make a paste, and scrub with a tub brush or old cloth. It removes the water stains and the bathtub grime like a charm!

Overnight guests: Whether you’re putting your guest in a guest room or on a living room couch, place a phone charger, water carafe, ear plugs or sound machine (love this one), and extra blanket near their bed. Warm enough, quiet enough, hydrated enough.

Straightening up the house: It feels like I'm doing this constantly, but one thing has helped me get better at completing it (I get overwhelmed by mess and get paralyzed!). Start in one corner of the house, say the left side of the living room and clean that corner (putting away toys, random sock, hair tie) until it’s back to baseline.

Continue working your way across the living room, focusing on one small area at a time, then move to the next area. You can look back at your progress! It works way better than doing a scattered little bit in each area, at least for me.

Emergency fixer: This is my mom’s go-to for everything—a chipped vase, broken toy, you name it. The number of times this has saved me while a sobbing child holds up a cracked $3 plastic toy…it’s worth it. Plus it’s $5.97.

Dishwasher tip: Empty your dishwasher starting with the bottom rack. Since the top rack often has residual water (sometimes cups full on things that flipped while washing), emptying the top first often makes the bottom rack wet again as water splatters. And no one wants to grab a towel and dry, amiright?

Kitchen

Chill cookie dough: Cookies are infinitely better after they’re chilled for 12-36 hours. It’s not always possible, but the magic of dry aging dough is real. Basically, you’re letting some of the water evaporate for a crispier, chewier, more caramelized cookie. Plus, firming the butter keeps your cookies from spreading and flattening (like my grandma and I discovered with the microwaved butter cookies, ha).

Cleaner workspace: When you’re making dinner, put an empty medium-sized bowl on the counter. Toss anything you’d usually throw away into the bowl as you work. It saves you a ton of trips over to the trash can and keeps it neatly contained. For someone who’s a bit scattered like me, this keeps my workspace feeling more organized.

Veggies not at their prime: Gather all your old veggies—I particularly like wrinkled cherry tomatoes, limp broccoli, onions, and bendy carrots. Chop the large vegetables into uniform pieces (Starburst size, not large marshmallow size) and slice cherry tomatoes in half. Toss with a hefty glug of olive oil (there should be enough that you can see it shimmering on each veggie chunk) and lots of chopped garlic. Roast in the oven at 375 for 20-40 minutes. The amount of time will largely depend on the size of your veggies. Flip once browned. You’re looking for crispy, dark brown here. Season with salt and pepper.

Out of brown sugar trick: If you’re out of brown sugar, mix regular white granulated sugar with molasses. 1 tablespoon molasses per one cup of sugar as

Joy Wilson

taught me.

Hardened brown sugar trick: Like I mentioned in the intro, put a piece of bread (any bread! I like to use loaf ends because they’re inferior to other slices IMO) into your brown sugar bag or container. Close tightly. It will refresh within 24 hours!

Buttermilk: I never stock buttermilk and only “make it.” While there is a precise formula of 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk, I just fill a liquid measuring cup to just under what my recipe calls for. Then I pour in the acidic liquid (vinegar or lemon juice) to reach the mark on the measuring cup. Easy peasy.

Rice: This isn’t technically a hack because you need an instant pot, but if you have one, it’s a game changer. I usually do 2 cups rice + 2.25 cups water. High pressure 4 minutes, natural release 10 minutes. Done. Perfect, fluffy rice.

Gravy: I grew up with a traditional “Sunday dinner”—mashed potatoes and gravy, roast beef, carrots and onions, and pie, if we were lucky. Gravy seems complicated, but is really just meat drippings + water + a thickener. I like to use meat drippings with water from the boiling potatoes or carrots and cornstarch. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a half cup veggie water, slowly add to the simmering meat drippings. Whisk until thickened. If too thin, add more cornstarch and water.

Crusty countertops: This $6 tool has changed my life when it comes to post-baking and meal clean up. Cinnamon roll dough, sourdough starter, rice—they all stick to countertops and it’s so hard to remove. This scrapes anything off counters in about five seconds. Brush it into your sink and you’re back in biz.

Residual heat: In the fall and winter, I crack the oven after I turn it off. It makes the kitchen cozier without turning up the heat. I remember my mom doing this when I was growing up and I’d stand by the oven while she made breakfast. (Obviously be careful if your children are small!)

Beauty & Personal Care

Disposable face towels: These disposable towels take the annoyed feeling I get about washing my face down to almost zero. I use a cleansing balm on dry skin (this one makes me feel like Gwyneth and this one in fragrance free). Then I wet the towel with warm water and massage off all the SPF and makeup from the day. If you’re a double cleanser, do your second cleanse (I love this for both cleansing and moisturizing), rinse the towel, massage again, and boom. You’re done.

Softer lips: Thin layer of hyaluronic acid (any cheap one! I have this $6 one) on clean, dry lips before bed. Top generously with an occlusive moisturizer (I like basic Aquaphor the best). My lips are chronically chapped and this has helped so much.

Underwear rec: I’d been looking for cotton underwear that held up, didn’t break the bank, and didn’t feel stodgy. Earl Earl by Laurel Pantin mentioned these a few months ago and I immediately bought two sets and haven’t looked back. Slowly replacing all of my daily undies with them.

Get two menstrual discs: I learned this the hard way last month when I couldn’t find mine. You’re not going to regret it. Put one in your bathroom and one in your suitcase and you’ll feel so prepared. Haven’t tried one? I can never go back to tampons and pads. They take practice, but 12 hours of protection?! (Nearly) leak-free?! And none of that scary TSS stuff. Here’s the one I have two of!

Travel kit: I haven’t done this yet because it’s more of an investment, but am working on it. I recently read about the genius idea of doubling all of your toiletries for travel (if it was you who wrote about it, tell me because I can’t remember who it was!). Face wash, toothpaste, moisturizer, body lotion, skin care, contact case—literally everything you use. Then pack in a toiletry bag and put in your suitcase. When you pack, you only have to think about what you’re wearing! So simple and such a mental load win.

Okay, please spill! What are the hacks you use? I can’t wait to hear.

Thank you so much for reading Double Dutch. It truly means the world. For more, follow along on Instagram. Connect on LinkedIn. Let’s work together. Buy me a coffee!

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