Whether you consider cooking a source of joy or an unavoidable chore, any tips for making those everyday kitchen tasks a little easier are always welcome. These clever, time-saving hacks from the quickest way to hull strawberries to a shortcut to shelling a boiled egg should be on every cook’s radar.
Hull strawberries with a straw
For neat and speedy removal, gently push a straw, preferably a thin metal or reusable plastic one, through the tip of the strawberry. The calyx will simply pop out of the top.
Sharpen kitchen scissors with kitchen foil
While this technique won’t be able to sharpen completely blunt scissors, foil can be used to greatly improve the cutting ability of a dulled pair. Fold a piece of aluminium foil at least four times then using the full length of the scissors cut through the foil several times. This will smooth rough edges and tiny divots and remove micro rust.
Strip herb leaves with a box grater
Save time picking the leaves from bushy herbs such as coriander or parsley. Just pull small bunches of sprigs through the holes on the coarse side of a grater to effortlessly remove the stems.
Keep cutlery shining with lemon juice
Squeeze lemon juice onto stained cutlery or rust spots then sprinkle over bicarbonate of soda – leave to fizz for a few moments then rinse off.
Mash and skin a potato with a cooling rack
This is a brilliant way to prepare cooked potatoes for hash or mash while simultaneously removing the skins. Set a wire cooling rack over a bowl then firmly press halved boiled or baked potatoes through the grid before peeling away the skins.
Shell a boiled egg in a jam jar
There are many theories on the best way to peel a hard boiled egg, from tapping the shell with a spoon to “release the membrane” to adding vinegar to the cooking water. I’ve tried them all and this is the definitive method: fill a jar or small lidded container roughly a third of the way up with cold water. Add the egg, firmly seal then shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. The shell will slip away in one piece, leaving the egg perfectly smooth.
Get the lumps out of your sugar with some bread
Brown sugar has a tendency to attract moisture and form clumps that can be difficult to break down when baking, even with prolonged whisking. Just place a piece of soft white bread in the packet and the sugar will return to soft granules within a few hours.
Freeze food in tiles to save time and space
Packing food flat in a layer thin enough to snap off sections is one of the most practical ways to freeze both raw ingredients and prepared foods, such as sausage meat for adding to a ragu, or pre-cooked sofrito ready for use in soups and pasta sauces. Place the food in a freezer bag and roll out thinly, pressing out any air as you go before sealing. You can use the back of a knife to mark out portions. Freeze flat then simply break off the amount you need – no need to thaw.
Measure sticky syrups without the mess
Next time you’re baking and need to add a tablespoon of honey, treacle or golden syrup to a recipe, avoid mess by pressing the measuring spoon into the dry ingredients then fill the resulting indent. No more scraping sticky goo from the spoon.
Keep your fridge smelling fresh with bicarb
Banish unpleasant whiffs from the fridge by placing a small dish of bicarbonate of soda on a shelf where it’ll absorb any unwanted odours.
Open tight ring-pull cans with a spoon handle
Some ring-pulls can be difficult to lift – sliding a spoon handle underneath and into the loop makes a brilliant lever and saves you breaking your nails.
Use a cocktail stick to drain saucepans
Leave the colander in the drawer and simply slip a toothpick between the lid and pan when draining boiled pasta or vegetables – it creates the perfect-sized gap for the water to quickly escape while the food remains in the pan.
Use a skewer to get a squeeze of lemon juice
The perfect solution for when just a squeeze of juice is needed. Roll the lemon firmly on a hard surface with the palm of your hand for 20 seconds. Use a small skewer or a cocktail stick to pierce a hole in the bottom. Squeeze firmly to release the juice then return the lemon to the fridge. Once the lemon has been fully juiced, give it 15 seconds in the microwave and you’ll find it yields a little more.
Keep salt free-flowing with rice
If you find the table salt clogging when you shake it over your plate, try the time-honoured hack of adding a few grains of rice to the salt cellar. The grains are too large to fall through the hole but will absorb any moisture, keeping the salt dry and free-flowing.
Cut pastry with dental floss
Using a pizza wheel is the simplest way to slice through flat pastry. For cutting through cylinders, for example when making cinnamon rolls, wrap a piece of dental floss around the pastry, cross it over at the top and gently pull the loose ends upwards and outwards. It will slice through cleanly, maintaining the shape without any squashing. Get perfectly sliced buns easier than you think.
The easiest way to clean a blender
Save yourself an age trying to clean round sharp and fiddly blades – just add some warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid to a used blender and whizz for a few moments to remove all food traces.
Roll tortillas before freezing
Flour tortillas freeze brilliantly but if you’ve ever tried prising just one from the stack to make a lunchtime wrap you’ll most likely end up with shards rather than a disc. Instead, open the pack carefully and tightly roll each tortilla, returning to the pack neatly as you go, then reseal. Once frozen it’s easy to take out a single tortilla as needed.
Use a cupcake case to prevent ice lolly drips
For a fantastic way to avoid small children dripping ice lolly juices far and wide, push the stick through a paper cupcake case – it’ll serve as a brilliant drip guard for little hands.
Grated chocolate without the mess
When a recipe calls for grated chocolate, it can quickly turn into a melty mess. Avoid an epic clear-up by freezing both the grater and the chocolate for 10-15 minutes before using.
Cut a party cake into diamonds
Get 32 even slices from a deep celebration cake like this elegant M&S Collection Pistachio & Raspberry Cake by cutting it into diamonds. First, cut the cake into eight wedges, then cut small triangles from each wedge to create a diamond in the centre of each section. Cut each diamond in half to create a total of 32 pieces.
Vacuum seal food using a bowl of iced water
You don’t need any special kit to vacuum seal sliced fruit and veg to prevent browning and make it last longer. Fill a bowl with iced water. Partially seal the filled food bag, leaving a small opening. Submerge the bag slowly into the iced water and once the water pressure has pushed out the air, seal the bag. It’ll take up less space in the freezer.
Use a wooden spoon to stop a pan boiling over
A wooden spoon placed across the top of a saucepan breaks the surface tension of the bubbles, which prevents them from rising too high and spilling over. Additionally, wood is a poor conductor of heat, so the spoon stays relatively cool. This simple trick is especially useful when boiling starchy foods such as pasta or potatoes, which tend to create more foam.
Videos by Andrew Crowley
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