10 absurdly handy kitchen hacks

Love kitchen hacks? Then you’re in the right place. We’ve collected another ten for you, and we’re willing to bet that with most of them you’ll think: ‘stop me, that’s so clever!’

Because everyone either has a handy trick to share, or could use a few tips in the kitchen. So here you go: ten hacks that will probably soon have you wondering how you never thought of them yourself! We get it, though, because you have to see it to see it (as the great Cruyff might have said)…

1. Shred meat with your stand mixer

Making pulled pork or pulled chicken (super easy in the slow cooker)? Once the meat has been cooked until beautifully soft and tender, you can patiently pull it apart with your fingers, shred it with two forks on a large board, or you can also shred it with the stand mixer of a food processor. Using the whisk attachment. Don’t try this with the chopping blades of your stick blender or Magimix, because you’ll end up with meat soup.

2. Peel a banana from the other end

Peel your banana from the ‘bottom’ like chimpanzees do, rather than from the end where it is attached to the bunch. This way, you avoid having to annoyingly pick those strings off the banana and shake them off your fingers over the bin. Which never works, and before you know it you’ve shaken one of those strings into your hair. Better try this trick.

3. Vegetables in a vase

If you want to keep vegetables with a stem or stalk fresh for longer, cut them ready for use and stand them upright in a jam jar with water, like flowers in a vase. You shouldn’t do this for days on end because of bacterial growth, but if you’re nicely in your mise-en-place vibe and it will still be a while before you need those celery stalks, this is a great way to keep them crisp and fresh for a little longer.

4. Loaded nachos from the chip bag

This one is very naughty. Got all the ingredients ready for loaded nachos? Minced meat seasoned and fried, salsa ready, coriander chopped, cheese grated? Then grab the bag of tortilla chips, open the entire top, take out some chips and set them aside. Now sprinkle all those toppings into the bag and fold the rim outward. Then grab a fork, settle down outdoors, and occasionally spear a delicious bite from your portable loaded nachos. Of course you also put a cerveza or two in your backpack, so you’re truly living like royalty. Ultimate guilty pleasure…

5. Slice mushrooms and strawberries in your egg slicer

Egg slicer is obviously a much more fun word, and that little gadget can be remarkably useful when you need thin slices of something that fits inside it and isn’t too hard. Especially if you need large quantities for a lasagne or dessert, we’d simply run mushrooms and strawberries with their tops removed through the thing. And what do you use to slice your eggs with, then? Obviously a:

6. Cooling rack as an egg slicer

Ideal if you have a cake rack or cooling rack with a square pattern. Place it over a deep bowl and press hard-boiled eggs through it. That way you’ll have perfect cubes for old-fashioned delicious asparagus, or for making egg salad!

7. Jam-jar salads

Not exactly new or world-shattering, but if you have some large jars left over (we’re big consumers of mayonnaise and pickles, for example), run them through the dishwasher and then use them as containers for salads to take with you. Simply make layers of, for example, raw courgette cubes, pieces of boiled potato, grated carrot, cooked beetroot and tinned mackerel, take the dressing separately (in a very small jar) and shake it all up when lunchtime arrives. Or just use leftovers from dinner, because leftovers for lunch are actually the best…

8. One more thing your Microplane can do

Slightly burnt biscuits can be saved with this absolute kitchen hero: the Microplane grater. We don’t go on holiday without one, and even though I never, ever bake biscuits on holiday, this tip is perfect for at home. Simply grate off the darkest edges carefully, and nobody will notice. As long as the smell doesn’t give you away…

9. Grill your fish on thick lemon slices

If you place a few sturdy slices of lemon on the grill and grill or barbecue the fish on top of them, you get two benefits: those fragrant oils infuse the fish, and cleaning up afterwards becomes much easier!

10. Grease the whole thing

When you need to measure sticky things like peanut butter or honey (after reading these facts about peanut butter), it’s always difficult to actually get them out of the measuring cup or off the spoon. Usually you then try using something else, such as a spoon, thereby setting off a fun chain reaction in which you can’t get it off that either. So you end up trying with a finger, and before you know it you’ve got peanut butter on your wrists. Annoying! But do you know what will help you keep your patience? Grease those measuring cups or spoons with cooking spray first! Then everything will slide right off, and cleaning up will be much easier too.

Also read:

• This bacon hack will make your life better
• Fried egg 2.0 with this top hack
• With this viral hack, you’ll cut the perfect slice of cake every time