14 of Martha Stewart's All-Time Best Tips That Make Life So Much Easier

Martha standing near garden — Photo:
Celeste Sloman

From gardening and cooking to entertaining and cleaning, Martha has been a go-to source of knowledge and inspiration for decades. Her trusted tips have taught us how to do everything from fold a fitted sheet to remove the toughest of stains. With so many useful pointers for common conundrums, it can be difficult to keep track of her best ideas. To help, we are sharing a collection of our favorite tips from Martha that help make everyday living easier.

01 of 14

Cook Bacon Without the Mess

Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole — Con Poulos

Cooking bacon on the stovetop can be messy due to excess grease splatter. Martha's tip? Cook it in the oven instead. She loves this technique because it's hands-off and she can drain the bacon fat from the baking sheet, which she saves in a jar and uses for cooking eggs and potatoes.

Martha's Bacon How-To

02 of 14

Save Leftover Tomato Paste

Most recipes call for only a small portion of tomato paste. To save the remainder, carefully open both ends of the can with a can opener. Remove and discard one metal end while leaving the other end in place. Wrap the entire can in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. The next day, use the metal end to push the frozen paste out the open end. Discard the can and tightly rewrap the unused portion. Store the remaining tomato paste in the freezer for up to 3 months, slicing off just as much as you need each time you cook.

03 of 14

Juice Lemons Better

A lemon juicer is already a handy kitchen tool, but Martha has a tip to make it work even more efficiently—especially if you have large lemons. Rather than just slicing the lemon in half with one pointed end jutting against the top half of the tool, Martha cuts the pointed end off to just above where the flesh of the fruit starts. This helps the lemon fit into the juicer more easily, so you get more juice.

Martha's Lemon Juicing How-To

04 of 14

Polish Metal to Perfection

While tarnish on metal can't be avoided, polish can help you maintain its gleam. Martha recommends using products formulated for the specific metal you're cleaning, as "all-purpose" polishes and chemical dips can be too harsh. She also suggests looking for previous polishing patterns (like up-and-down on cutlery and circular on pots or other large vessels) and following them.

Martha's Polishing How-To

05 of 14

Remove Lobster Meat Easily

Martha's go-to trick for removing lobster meat is simple: Flex the tail and insert a fork between the shell and the meat, with the back of the fork facing upward. "Twist and pull, and the whole tail should come right out," she says.

06 of 14

Unstick a Drawer

An old, wooden dresser can be a cherished piece, but after many years of service, its drawers may not open and close with the same ease they once did. Martha says to give these pieces a helping hand by rubbing the undersides with a wax candle. After a few passes the drawers will slide open like new.

07 of 14

Remove Oil Stains With Cornstarch

If you have an oil stain that you can't get out, try Martha's tried-and-true stain remover. Her secret ingredient? Cornstarch, which helps absorb the grease and keeps it from setting into the fabric. She pours it all over the stain and lets it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Martha's Oil Stain How-To

08 of 14

Peel Multiple Cloves of Garlic

multiple garlic bulbs on a pale purple background — Kirsten Strecker

Peeling multiple cloves of garlic can be very time consuming, which is where Martha comes in. To peel multiple cloves of garlic quickly, she says to place the individual cloves in a jar then shake the jar with the lid on. Remove the garlic and quickly rub the heavy outer layer of skin, then repeat the process.

Martha's Garlic Peeling How-To

09 of 14

Test Garden Seeds for Viability

Seeds saved from your garden may be worth sowing, but only if they pass Martha's test. Fold 10 seeds in a moist paper towel and place them in a resealable bag, labeling the bag with the date and type of seed. Watch to see how many germinate. Multiply that number by 10 to calculate the percent of germinations. More than 70 percent is passing. If between 40 and 60 percent germinate, sow thickly. Below 40 percent, consider buying fresh seeds.

10 of 14

Fold a Fitted Sheet

Knowing how to properly fold a fitted sheet is a good thing—yet one that is baffling for so many of us. Luckily, Martha shares her method, which produces four sharp corners and a flat sheet that can be neatly tucked away into your linen closet.

Martha's Fitted Sheet How-To

11 of 14

Remove Garlic Smell From Your Fingers

The smell of garlic can linger on your fingers for hours, but Martha has a quick technique for removing it. Under warm running water, carefully rub your fingers over a stainless steel item like the spine of a knife.

12 of 14

Form Perfect Cookies

Portion Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies on baking sheet — Grant Webster

Martha's go-to tool for making perfect cookies every time is a release ice-cream scoop. She use a 2-ounce scoop to make a 4-inch cookie. This method guarantees your cookies look uniform and bake evenly.

13 of 14

Whiten Laundry the Right Way

Even if you do everything right when it comes to laundry, your garments can still get dingy over time. To restore these pieces to their original brightness, Martha says to use a pre-treating solution on your fabrics then wash them with oxygen bleach and detergent.

Martha's Laundry Brightening How-To

14 of 14

Remove Red Wine Stains

Red wine stains can be stubborn to remove. On delicate fabrics, Martha recommends soaking the spot with denatured alcohol and flushing with white vinegar. On sturdy fabrics, she says to coat the stain with salt and let it sit for five minutes. Next, stretch the stained area over a bowl and secure it with a rubber band. Place the bowl in the sink and carefully pour boiling water over the stain, keeping a distance of at least a foot.

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