Busy lives mean little time for cooking, so here are a few tips to make the most of your time in the kitchen:

• Make peeling a boiled egg easier by piercing the end of the egg shell with a sharp needle before you boil it. The small amount of air released will make the egg easier to peel.
  
• Make rolling out a piecrust simple by freezing the rolling pin first. Just a few minutes of cold will make dough slide off the pin.
  
• Don't throw out over salted soup. Half a potato thrown in to the pot will soak up the salt and return the soup's flavor.
  
• For fluffier, whiter rice, add a teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water before you cook.
  
• Perk up soggy lettuce by soaking it in cold water and lemon juice. Add the leaves to the water mixture and put the bowl in the fridge for about an hour.
  
• When cooking carrots, peas, beets or corn add a small amount of sugar (like a half teaspoon) to the water to help maintain the natural sweetness of the vegetables.