Ten simple foodie hacks that will blow your mind

Ever find yourself scrolling through Facebook watching soundless food videos with
disembodied hands?

Their fingers nimbly assembling elaborate unicorn shaped cakes or turning lumps of
barbecue coal into giant diamonds – just by dipping them in peanut butter.

Every once in a while you’ll come across a genuine foodie hack guaranteed to make your
life easier, your food last longer and save you money!

Here’s our round-up of the foodie hacks that blew our minds in 2018. Prepare to be wowed.

1. OXO cube hack

Don’t just open an OXO cube and crumble it willy nilly with your fingers, you’re not
heathens. Spread the corners of the cube to make a flat square, crush and sprinkle. That’s
what the packet is there for, duh! Cheers for making that super obvious, OXO.

2. Stress-free camping

Going camping and buying the small boxes of multi-pack cereal for the kids? Pour the milk directly into the cereal packet, leave it in the box and give your little cherubs a spoon. Minimal waste and next to no washing up. Genius.

3. Cook pasta without a hob

Apparently, if you leave dried pasta for four hours in a ziplock bag filled with water it doesn’t need to be cooked in the traditional way. When needed, you can simply drain the pasta, stir through some sauce and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave. Although, I heard every time someone does this an Italian grandmother dies so that’s on
you.

4. The right way to use a cheese grater

You’ve been using your cheese grater all wrong. Don’t hold it above the bowl. No, no, no.
Lay the grater on its side so it collects all the cheese inside the grater, then put it in the
bowl.

5. No more spillages

What’s the first thing you say when you hand your kid a carton of juice? Say it with me
now: “Don’t squeeze it!” and what do they do? Squeeze it. Give. Me. Strength. Next time,
make ‘bunny ears’ with the carton by pulling both corners up, no more spillages or children complaining they’re wet. You can thank me later.

6. Pepper pot trick

You know when you shake the pepper pot and it all clumps together and nothing comes out? Infuriating, right? Grab a salt shaker or use your hand to make circular motions over the ridges on the bottom and just watch the magic happen. I’m shook.

7. Salvage stale bread
Stale bread? No problem. You can easily revive it by popping it in the oven. Put the bread
on a tray, pour over a cup of cold water then bake at 160C for eight minutes. Voilà – fresh bread.

8. Extra juice
Did you know microwaving lemons and limes for 15 seconds prior to squeezing will make
them way easier to juice? Save any leftover by freezing in ice cube trays and use as and
when you need it.

9. No more wasted avocados
How many times have you bought expensive avocados only to find them under or overripe? A simple supermarket hack is to remove the small stem at the base of the avocado. If it’s difficult to peel away the avocado is not ready. If underneath the stem is a brown colour the avocado is overripe. Pale yellow and you’re good to go. You’ll never waste another avocado again.

10. Extend the life of bananas

Talking of overripe food how do you like your bananas? When I see brown bananas all I can think of is banana bread. To halt overripeness at home, wrap the bunched end in clingfilm. This will extend the life of your bananas by several days.

Did you know any of these hacks already? Got any to share? Tell us in the comments.
Remember, when it comes to food and saving money: always make a list before you go
shopping. Avoid the produce at eye level on the supermarket shelves (that’s where they put the most expensive items) and never, ever go shopping on an empty stomach!