The Best Kitchen Tip I Learned From Rachael Ray

Over her impressive 20-year run hosting food shows, Rachael Ray has taught us countless kitchen skills. Beyond the recipes, she’s shared valuable insights to boost confidence in the kitchen, blending tasty dishes with practical, time-saving wisdom throughout her shows.

Ray has always been a champion of efficiency in the kitchen. She’s shown us how to prep ingredients, substitute ingredients when needed, and manage multiple dishes at once without compromising quality. Many of her tips come from her own experience as a self-taught cook, and one of her most popular pieces of advice involves a simple yet genius tool: a bowl for collecting scraps.

What Is a Garbage Bowl and Why It’s Essential for Every Home Cook

Rachael Ray swears by the garbage bowl as one of the most useful kitchen tools. On a 2008 episode of The Rachael Ray Show, she explained how the idea came from her restaurant days. There, chefs would place a bowl or pot under the cutting board to collect food scraps, cutting down on trips to the trash can. This simple tool became a game-changer for home cooks too, making cleanup quicker and easier.

The concept is simple: Keep a large, deep bowl on your counter to collect scraps as you cook. Whether you're cracking eggs, chopping vegetables, or preparing other ingredients, instead of making constant trips to the trash can, just toss everything into the bowl. Once you’re done, you can clean up in one go. This hack helps keep your workspace organized and saves time by keeping everything in reach while you cook. Afterward, just sort the contents and dispose of the scraps at your convenience.

A TikTok video showcasing this kitchen hack has sparked plenty of comments from grateful fans. One viewer wrote, “She taught me this 20 years ago and I’m still doing it.” Another said, “You told me this years ago, and it was honestly the best advice! I still share it with everyone.” Some users even suggested their own variations, like using old ice cream containers as garbage bowls or lining the bowl with a plastic shopping bag for easier disposal. “I just tie up the bag and toss it!” one fan shared.

Next time you're prepping ingredients for a big batch of vegetable soup or preparing a hearty chopped salad, grab a bowl for your scraps. It’s a small habit that will save you multiple trips across the kitchen, and you'll quickly realize just how much time and hassle it cuts out of your cooking routine.