TikTok made me do it! The app has become one of the biggest platforms to share time-saving tips. Here are my top nine, all tried and tested in the GMS kitchen.
Solve that annoying problem of getting eggshells in your bowl when breaking eggs. Wet your finger under a tap, place it on the piece of shell, and it will stick– no more unexpected crunch in your omelette.
Hulling strawberries can be tedious. A knife will get the job done, slowly. Try a reusable straw, it works brilliantly. Just push the straw through the bottom of the berry, and you’ll have perfectly hulled strawberries.
A little-known dishwasher hack that’ll transform your life – honestly. Make better use of the top shelf in your dishwasher. Have you ever tried to stand tall glasses in the top drawer? On either side of the top shelf are two clips, push them both in, push down gently and the drawer will drop down, enabling wine glasses to fit inside the dishwasher with ease.
Use your kitchen scissors to trim herbs, chop leafy greens and trim spring onions. This saves time and no more smelly fingers.
Stop wasting time cutting tomatoes individually. All you need are two lids from plastic containers. Place one on your worktop, right side up, and fill it with a layer of tomatoes. Place the other on top, upside-down. Hold the top lid to keep everything in place, and slice the tomatoes with a sharp knife.
Don’t discard the vinegar from pickled onions or gherkins. Using a mandolin, thinly slice half a red cabbage, rinse and drain, then add it to the jar. Allow standing for 1–2 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 2–3 months.
Place some scrunched-up damp sheets of kitchen towel on the chopping board when cutting onions – the moisture will absorb the tear-inducing chemicals before they reach the eyes.
Pasta fans will be very familiar with the spaghetti spoons, which usually have a hole in the middle. That hole does help with draining, but it’s also a measuring guide for the perfect spaghetti portion for one. Fill the hole and you’re good to go.
When a recipe says ‘fresh coriander leaves’ and you don’t have the time, or patience. Rather than pulling off the leaves one by one. Stalk first, pull the herbs through a box cheese grater, simple as that, you will thank me for this later, keep the stalks, they’re great chopped to top a dish.
See the full new GMS issue here | Images: Kier in Sight @unsplash, Shutterstock