If you’ve brought home substandard tomatoes — hard, flavorless, or underripe — all is not lost. They’re technically fruit, so most common tips for helping fruit ripen faster work on tomatoes, too. Even so, you’re looking at a day or two at minimum before they taste like they should. So what do you do if your meal plans call for ripe tomatoes today? Here’s a trick that can give you tasty tomatoes in about an hour.

Peak Tomato Flavor in 60 Minutes

Home cook and content creator Corre Larkin (@CocoLarkinCooks) has earned thousands of likes for this ingenious tomato hack. Faced with tomatoes that just weren’t good enough, she improvised. Larkin cut her disappointing tomatoes into large pieces and dropped them into a gallon-sized zipper-seal bag. Then she added flaky salt, a few cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil, and several sprigs of fresh oregano before sealing the bag.

She squished the tomatoes gently to make sure the marinade reached every nook and cranny, then set the bag outside in direct sunlight. (Larkin specifically placed it on a sun-warmed stone countertop, but any heat-absorbing surface will do.) An hour later, she brought in the warm, well-marinated tomatoes and cut them up for her meal. That hour marinating in the warm sun made all the difference, taking the tomatoes from bland to bold.

Why This Works

This is a smart hack in a lot of ways. First, when Larkin gently massaged the tomatoes, she released some of their juices to mix with the aromatic ingredients. Second, salt draws moisture from the tomatoes into the marinade before pulling those seasoned juices back in — much like brining chicken. Third, salt, garlic, and oregano are all proven partners for tomatoes. Finally, warming the tomatoes gradually helps bring out their natural flavor.

Want to make the technique your own? Swap the oregano for another fresh herb, such as thyme, basil, or dill, or use an herb-infused olive oil. If your tomatoes are really bland, add a splash of mild vinegar — cider, wine, or rice vinegar — to the marinade for acidic brightness, plus a pinch of sugar to bring out the tomatoes’ sweetness.

The problem is that shredding soft cheeses with a high moisture content — think fresh mozzarella, Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, and fontina — can be difficult, especially compared to harder varieties. Thankfully, there’s a way to make the task a whole lot easier. You just need to complete one simple step 30 minutes before shedding.

The Cold, Hard Solution

Soft cheeses are loaded with moisture, making them challenging to grate without clogging the holes or turning into a goopy mess. But you can firm up the cheeses’ fat and moisture content through freezing, taking the hassle out of shredding.

Place the fresh mozzarella (or whatever soft cheese you’re looking to shred) inside a freezer-safe container and pop it into the freezer for 30 minutes. This hardens the cheese just enough to shred easily, without it freezing rock-solid.

At this point, you can grate to your heart’s content, and you should have fresh, shredded, soft cheese in no time at all.

Spray Before You Shred

Another smart trick is to lightly coat the grater with nonstick cooking spray or a spritz of olive oil. This creates a slick surface that prevents gooey, soft cheese from sticking to the grater.

If you own a food processor, you can skip the hand-grating altogether, though you’ll still want to chill the cheese in the freezer for about 30 minutes first. Simply attach the shredding disc near the top of the bowl (consult your food processor’s manual for more specific directions) and trim the cheese to fit through the feed tube. Turn on your food processor and let the machine do the work in seconds.

The rotisserie chicken is perhaps the ultimate cooking shortcut, but deboning it can take 10 minutes or more — a hindrance when you’re trying to get dinner on the table quickly. Fortunately, there’s a faster way to get all that meat off the bone and all you need is a gallon-sized freezer bag and a bit of elbow grease.

Debone Without the Mess

If you’re tired of picking and pulling apart your rotisserie chicken, all you need to do is remove the butcher’s twine and transfer the warm bird to a gallon-sized resealable plastic storage bag. This hack doesn’t just save you time on dinner prep — it also keeps your hands from getting greasy or covered in seasoning.

Once the bird is in the bag, squeeze out the excess air, seal it shut, and start massaging the carcass to loosen the meat. You can also try rolling it on the countertop if your hands start to get tired. Do this for two to three minutes, or until all of the meat has fallen off the bones. Unseal the bag and dump the contents into a large bowl to pick out the bones. You can store them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and make a hearty homemade stock later on.

How To Pick the Juiciest Rotisserie Chicken

The next time you’re at Costco’s deli counter picking out a $4.99 rotisserie chicken, remember this tip: If there’s a lot of liquid pooled at the bottom of the bag or container, pass on it — that bird is likely dried out. Instead, look for a rotisserie chicken with minimal drippings, a heavy feel, and plump, taut skin. These are all signs that the meat has retained its moisture.

Most recipes involving iceberg lettuce are fairly straightforward. However, preparing it can still be tedious, especially if you’re cooking for a large group. Even if you’re just separating leaves for burgers, the prep time really adds up. That’s where this hack comes in: Use it to core your lettuce quickly and without dirtying a knife.

Core Iceberg Lettuce in Seconds

It’s not every day that you’re instructed to smack your food against the countertop, so have a little fun with this hack. Here’s what to do: First, make sure the core of the iceberg lettuce is facing down. Holding the head of lettuce in two hands, slam it down on a hard surface, such as a countertop or cutting board. (One hard whack is likely all you need.) Next, turn it over and twist out the core — it should dislodge with ease. The impact breaks the core free from the surrounding leaves, allowing you to remove it for hassle-free chopping.

This hack works only with iceberg lettuce — not romaine or other common types of lettuce — because it relies on the iceberg’s tightly packed head and brittle core. While cabbage has a similar round shape, its core is far too thick and dense for this trick to be effective.

How To Crisp Iceberg Lettuce

If your iceberg lettuce lingered in the crisper drawer a little too long and now feels soft and wilted, you can revive it in just 15 minutes. After removing the core, place the leaves in a large bowl filled with ice water. Allow the lettuce to soak for 15 to 30 minutes, then drain the cold water. Your greens should now be crisp and crunchy. This hack works because of osmosis — the dehydrated plant cells soak up water and swell, bringing back that signature crunch. Don’t attempt this trick with iceberg lettuce that has brown spots, a slimy texture, mold, or a foul odor. It’s not just wilted — it has spoiled and should be discarded.