Food hacks can be extremely helpful for uscollege students who just need to free up some space on our tiny counters or fix our kitchen mishaps. Use these eight food hacks to make everything in your life way more efficient.
1. Easily Remove Eggshells
GIF by Paige Rodgers
Getting egg shells can be a cat-and-mouse game, with your fingers being the cat and the shells being the mouse. It’s annoying, and I admittedly sometimes just let the egg shells cook in the pan. But don’t let your omelette suffer anymore.
There are two hacks to get those nasty shells out. First, you can use the empty egg shell to scoop the little bits out (see above). Or you can wet your fingers, and pick the up the egg shells.
GIF by Paige Rodgers
2. Avoca-go or Avoca-no?
Photo by Emma Delaney
You know that little nub at the top of an avocado? Remove it and observe the color. If it’s black, it means the avocado isn’t ripe yet. If it’s a greenish color, similar to avocado color, it’s good to go.
3. Check the Freshness of Your Eggs
Photo courtesy of foodcycle.org.uk
This is one of the oldest hacks of all time (is it still a hack if your grandma knows about it?). If you’re wondering how good those eggs in the back of your fridge are, there’s a simple test to find out.
Get a medium bowl full of water, and place the egg in there. If it’s still fresh, it’ll sink to the bottom and rest on its side. If it’s a week old, it’ll sink too, but lifts slightly off the bottom. If it’s three weeks old, it’ll sink, but stand vertically. If it’s completely rotten, it’ll float. But does anyone really want to eat a three-week-old egg?
4. Keurigs Aren’t Just Limited to Making Coffee
Photo by Hana Brannigan
When you don’t feel like taking the time to boil water for your oatmeal, no stress. A Keurig can easily shorten the time. Simply put your bowl of oatmeal under the Keurig spout, and turn it on. Hot water will dispense into the bowl and cook up your oatmeal.
#SpoonTip: Put your favorite flavored K-cup in there to make flavored oatmeal.
5. Put Your Dental Floss to Good Use
Photo courtesy of treasuringlifesblessings.com
If you have extra soft or sticky food that just falls apart when you cut it, you can use dental floss for a cleaner cut. Just make sure it’s not mint-flavored.
6. Use Tongs to Squeeze Lemon Juice Out
Photo courtesy of 24carrotkitchen.com
It’s always so annoying when you can’t get all the juice out of a lemon. There’s always the fork method, but you can use tongs to really make sure you’re getting all the juice out.
7. A New Way to Store Your Snacks
Photo courtesy of mrshappyhomemaker.com
Put those empty jugs of coffee creamers to use, and do good to the environment at the same time. You can take the label off, and place cereal, chips, or other snacks in there for easy storage.
8. Take the Yolks Out Easily
GIF courtesy of questnutrition.com
If you need an easier way to get rid of the yolks, or maybe you only need the yolks for a recipe, you can easily separate them from the egg whites with a water bottle.