Kitchen hacks always come in handy, be it food hacks like testing whether your eggs have gone bad or other general hacks like maybe how to clean your burnt pans.
There are plenty of kitchen hacks you could use, but there are some super important ones and we’re here to tell you them! Check out 10 super important and easy kitchen hacks below.
10 important and easy kitchen hacks:
1. How to Tell if Eggs Are Good or Bad
Take a bowl of room temperature water and immerse your egg in it and wait for a few minutes. Soon you will notice that if –
The egg is fresh – it will sink to the bottom horizontally
The egg is stale – it will sink to the bottom and lie vertically
The egg is a week old – it will slightly move away from the bottom and float in the middle
The egg is very old – it will come up and float at the surface
2. How to Tell if Honey Is Pure or Not
Take half a glass of water mixed with vinegar and then drop in some of your honey. If the mixture begins to form, then your honey is impure. If your mixture doesn’t form, then your honey is pure.
3. How to Make Any Pan Non Stick – watch the video above
Preheat the pan on medium heat for a minute or two and then add in a couple of teaspoons of water. If you hear a sizzle and the water begins to evaporate, then the pan isn’t yet ready to use. Then, wait for a few more minutes and add in another a couple of teaspoons of water. If the water begins to glide around the pan (similar to a mercury ball, floating around), then it is ready to be used.
At this point, swipe out the water, turn the heat to low and once the pan is dry, add in the oil and begin to use the pan to fry whatever you wish to. This hack will help and prevent the food from sticking to the pan and make any pan non-stick.
4. How to Clean Burnt Pans with Vinegar
If your pan is burnt, pour in ¼ cup of vinegar mixed with 1 bowl of water into your pan and leave it to sit for around 20 to 30 minutes. This soaking procedure will help loosen up the burnt food particles. Then, throw out all the water and sprinkle a little baking soda powder all over the pan. Thereafter, using a soft steel pad, exert a little pressure and clean your pan to get rid of the tough burnt food particles.
Caution: Do not use a rough steel wool scrubber as it can cause your pans to get scratched.
5. How to Disinfect Kitchen Sponges
Into a bowl of vinegar (full-strength vinegar should be used), immerse your sponge and soak it for 10 minutes and then rise off with plain water.
6. How to Regrow basil, mint, coriander, spring onion from Stem
Take a few stems of any herb of your choice and place/submerge half the basil stem in a glass of water and keep it in an area with sufficient (not direct) sunlight for 10 to 14 days.
You can change the water once in a few days to prevent the growth of algae, bacterial and the breeding of mosquitoes. After 10 to 14 days you will see the roots starting to grow. You can then plant this in the mud, with good manure and grow it like any other plant.
7. How to Remove Turmeric Stains from Blender/ Plastic
Into the container/blender with the turmeric stain, add in hot water and vinegar in the ratio 2:1 respectively. Increase the quantity if the container size is bigger/larger. Let it soak in the sun for few hours and wash off with dish washing detergent/liquid the next morning. The sun bleaches the turmeric out of the bender jar naturally.
8. How to Freeze Herbs
Take your herbs and remove all the leaves from the stems. Then, place these herbs in ice cube trays fill them with water. Try to make sure all the herbs are properly submerged as much as possible. Freeze them overnight or until frozen and you can defrost/thaw when you need to use them.
9. How to Remove Labels with Baking Soda
Into a small bowl of oil (around 1 to 2 tablespoons), add in the same quantity of baking soda (as much as the oil you’ve added) and then give it a mix and apply them over your label that you need to remove. Leave it for 10 to 20 minutes to soak. Using a steel wool scrubber scrub it off and then rinse with plain or warm/lukewarm water.
10. How to Make Crystal Clear Ice Cube
Into a heating pot, boil some water and then turn off the heat once the water starts to bubble and let this water cool completely. Thereafter, repeat this process a second time and use this water while it is still warm to fill up a small cooler.
Let the cooler sit in your freezer WITHOUT THE LID/CAP on for 18 hours. Turn the cooler upside down to remove the ice cube and tap it, to remove any excess water that hasn’t frozen yet. Cut the ice cube into smaller cubes to use in your drinks.
Note this tip: For better and the best results, use distilled water if possible.
11. How to make the best scrambled eggs
Try pouring eggs into the pan through a sieve. You’ll find that cracking eggs into a sieve will help remove the excess liquid from the whites. This hack works exceptionally well for making fluffier scrambled eggs.
12. Ripen avocado faster
Put an avocado in a paper bag with a banana, an apple or a kiwi and fold to seal. These fruits produce ethylene gas, a plant hormone that aids ripening.