Rachel Dobbs
1. Cook dinner in the dishwasher
Seriously! Tightly wrap fish in aluminium foil, put vegetables in sealed glass jars, or whole eggs in a container full of water, place on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run an ordinary washing cycle – without the soap, of course.
2. Ditch smelly containers for good
Plastic containers are porous, so even after washing they can smell like the last thing you put in them – even if that was several months ago! Keep your containers smelling fresh by storing them filled with newspaper to soak up lingering odours.
3. Make ice-cream with a hand blender
If you have limited space in your kitchen or you’re just not the appliance-hoarding type, you probably don’t want a bulky ice-cream maker. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this cool, creamy treat at home.
A hand blender is the chopper/blender/mixer to rule them all; it can’t quite do everything, but it can blend smoothies, whip cream, beat eggs and – yes – make ice cream! Simply freeze custard in ice cube trays then pop the cubes into a bowl and pulverise away.
4. Clean stainless steel with flour
If you’re wanting to cut back on chemical products around your home, buff your stainless steel appliances with some dry flour and a microfibre cloth. Rinse away the flour and the surface should come up as shiny as new.
5. Make cheese last longer
To prevent hard cheeses from drying out after cutting, spread butter or margarine on the cut side. Store cottage cheese and sour cream containers upside down in the fridge; this creates a vacuum that limits bacteria from growing.
6. Never risk eating rotten eggs again
To test whether a raw egg is still OK to eat, place it in a tall glass of water. If it’s fresh it will sink, if it’s off, it will float. There’ll be no more nasty Sunday morning surprises when all you want is a mushroom omelette.
7. De-salt your dinner
If you’ve been too heavy-handed with the salt, you can still salvage your soup, stew or saucy meal. Add slices of raw potato, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove. The potato will absorb the salt. If it’s still too salty, add a little sugar or apple cider vinegar.
8. DIY milk froth
Perfectly frothy milk is often the difference between a brilliant coffee and an average coffee. If you don’t own a milk-frother, try this simple home hack: Find a microwaveable jar with a well-fitting lid (a mason jar will work, as the lid won’t go in the microwave). Fill it halfway with cold, fresh milk. Shake vigorously until the milk forms bubbles. Remove the lid and heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds.
9. Bring your barista home
If you’re a coffee addict, don’t underestimate the joys of having a good coffee machine in your own kitchen. Not only will a home espresso machine save you money (buying your daily hit from a café can cost more than $1000 a year) but it guarantees you’ll never have to resort to instant again (blasphemy!).
10. Peel your mangoes with a glass
No longer will you have to stand scraping the mango skin with a teaspoon, desperately trying to snag the last remaining pieces of fruit. This life-changing food hack will scoop out the mango for you quickly, and cleanly. Cut your mango in half. Take a large glass, and push the mango through the glass, getting as close to the skin as possible. This will get all your fruit out in one go, ready to be added to smoothies, salads and cheesecakes.
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