6 unexpected kitchen hacks (and more!) with… cola
Lovely, a cold cola on a hot day! But did you know you can also do all of this with a can of cola? That red-and-white can (or bottle) has unexpected talents.
1. Sauce for chicken wings
You get the most delicious chicken wings if you stir-fry them over high heat and then deglaze them with cola. Add soy sauce, cinnamon and ginger, let that sauce evaporate and you’ll have delicious sticky wings with a sweet-and-spicy flavor of…. Cola.
2. Making stew
The acid in cola ensures that the stewed meat becomes truly melt-in-your-mouth tender. The cinnamon flavor goes very well with an autumnal pot of stew, and all that sugar… well, you’ll need to add some extra pepper and salt to restore the balance. It works best in a slow cooker. So replace part of the liquid (whether it’s wine or stock) with cola, and you’ll see.
3. Baking a cake
Cola cake? Yes, that’s a party! Google it and you’ll find dozens of recipes. Generally, lots of chocolate and – fasten your seat belts – shockingly sweet.
4. Removing stains
That stain on your shirt that just won’t come out? Put it in the washing machine with detergent, then empty the can of cola into the ‘fabric softener’ compartment (for the real noobs: it has a little flower next to it) and watch: that shirt will be as good as new again. It’s because of the acid in the cola, which makes the stains dissolve.
5. Washing your car
A heron takes aim, splat on your windshield. Or you park your car under a tree with lots of cheerful little birds, so your car is covered in white spots of bird droppings. Well, if that’s allowed to bake on for a while, it’s very difficult to get off again. The solution: cola. Pour it over the droppings, let it soak in briefly and then sponge your car clean. After that, do still run it through the car wash, otherwise you’ll be left with a sticky car.
6. Starting a compost heap
You want to make a compost heap from a whole lot of pruning waste, grass clippings and kitchen peelings, but the composting isn’t really getting started. Pro tip: pour a can of cola over the compost. It attracts microorganisms that get to work on all those leaves and twigs. But beware, you do need to let the fizz go out of the cola first.
Read also:
- Deep-fried Mars is a really good idea (but almost forbidden)
- The real difference between Pepsi and Coca-Cola
- 7 facts about cola that make absolutely no sense
Source: Eat This
