3 super-handy new TikTok kitchen hacks (+ 3 golden oldies)

There have been so many fun kitchen hacks on TikTok this year! Of course, there were also videos to shudder at, like the one with those little creatures crawling out of a fig… But on the other hand, there were a great many tips & tricks that were genuinely useful. Like these:

We’d already highlighted a few, but we think you should see these hacks too. Because surely we’ve all been stuck for a good way to remove the leaves of fresh herbs from their stems more quickly at some point? Voilà:

Stripping herb leaves

We already knew the sieve trick, where you pull sprigs of thyme through it to strip off the leaves instead of trying to pick them off one by one (which takes ages). But if you only have a very fine sieve, or herbs with somewhat thicker stems, such as celery or parsley, you can also use a cheese grater! Super handy.

@anet_shevchenkoМое первое видео#реки #втоп #лайфхаки♬ Laxed – Siren Beat – Jawsh 685

Making vegan ‘bacon’

For plant-based food lovers who don’t necessarily want to use meat substitutes but do fancy something that somewhat resembles bacon, vegan TikTok hero Tabitha Brown has two rather brilliant hacks: using marinated ribbons of carrot and rice paper, she makes oven-baked strips that are a great alternative to bacon in terms of salty smokiness. You’ll need liquid smoke (a substance that looks a little like ketjap and gives food a very specific smoky aroma and flavour), maple syrup or honey, onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Make a marinade with these ingredients, coat the ribbons in it and bake them in the oven or Airfryer. They get wonderfully crispy!

@iamtabithabrownCarrot bacon❤️ ##tabithabrown ##veganbacon♬ original sound – Tabitha Brown

@vegaliciouslyevaWait for the crunch ??? ##veganbacon ##vegan ##veganbreakfast ##veganbreakfastrecipe ##breakfast ##bacon ##crueltyfree ##ricepaper ##veganfood ##veganlife♬ Originalton – vegaliciouslyeva

Quesadillas from the toaster

Yes, melting cheese in your toaster is a little nerve-racking, but if the tortilla is large enough and you fold it properly, you can make a quesadilla this way in no time. No pan needed, a crispy exterior and deliciously gooey melted cheese inside in the blink of an eye: what’s not to love?! You can make it as generously filled or as simple (with just melted cheese) as you like, but do check the proper folding technique first.

@tastyTOASTER QUESADILLA #food #recipe #foryou♬ original sound – Tasty

And of course there were the useful hacks we’d already reported on: how to degrease greasy Tupperware containers, how to remove those white stringy bits from chicken breast, and how to cut perfect slices of cake! That platform remains a source of useful nuggets of information…

Also read:

• 7 kitchen hacks that make absolutely no sense
• For this handy hack, all you need are a few empty wine bottles! (And you probably have some lying around)
• 6 healthy food hacks: deliciously easy, while still doing the right thing