Cooking may be a passion for many and they’d love spending time in the kitchen but everyone would appreciate certain tips to alleviate their labour and conserve the freshness of food

While a large number of people across all age groups, genders and social strata enjoy their creative time in the kitchen, lovingly cooking food varieties for their near ones … still they are always searching on the internet and on social media handles for kitchen hacks to not only ease their toilsome labour but also to fasten processes and keep fruits, veggies and cooked items fresh and longer-lasting.

Then again, saving time on menial chores by deploying smart techniques will free these amateur chefs for experimenting with preparing some more delicacies for their loved ones. Perhaps it is this need which has led to the discovery and application of various kitchen hacks.  Many of which have been passed down from one generation to another while some have been discovered accidentally and then shared on social media platforms with like-minded souls.

Foodism has collated some kitchen hacks to lighten and enliven the kitchen experience of those home chefs who are too busy to cull out time to do some research in this segment – 

Don’t Go Bananas!

• Fed up of bananas turning black? Keep them fresher for a longer time by wrapping the end of the bunch with plastic wrap. Go a step further and separate each banana
• Here’s another one on bananas! For those times when you want to quickly ripen a banana simply toss it in a paper bag and watch the concentrated ethylene gas help it ripen faster

For Potato Lovers

• Keep potatoes white by covering shredded or diced potatoes with cold water before cooking. This will prevent the spuds from turning that gross greyish/brown - caused by the release of a starch that makes them oxidize
• Potato-buffs who hate peeling them can do so in a snap by boiling them and then dunking them in ice - this will ensure that the skin separates from the vegetable and you can then simply pick it off

Fruity Tips

• Save cut fruit from browning by – squeezing a bit of lemon juice or alternatively adding a mixture of one part honey to two parts water. Want to know why this works?  Well the citric acid and vitamin C in lemon juice as well as a peptide in honey slows down the oxidation process that causes discolouring
• Fed up of the mess created while peeling citrus fruits? Relax – either roll citrus fruits and/or microwave them for a minute for easy peeling
• With lemons costing a bomb maximize them by refrigerating and then microwaving them for 15 to 20 seconds – hey presto the content of juice will magically increase!
• Wrap citrus fruits in cheesecloth for seed-free juice
• Store tomatoes stem end down to delay their spoiling. Storing tomatoes at room temperature rather than in the refrigerators also makes them last longer

Walking On Eggshells!

• Confounded with whether the eggs in your pantry are edible or not? Do the floating test! Place the egg gently in a bowl of cold water – if it sinks to the bottom go ahead and use it; if it floats then better to drop it! The rule of thumb here is – the more and better it floats the older it is
• Scoop up bits of broken eggshell from a bowl of cracked eggs ready from scrambling with an already-cracked egg
• Separate eggs by gently squeezing a plastic water bottle over a cracked egg – the principle which works here is that when the bottle re-inflates with air, it will scoop the yolk right up
• Add baking soda or vinegar to water when boiling eggs for easier shell removal

Veggie Tips

• De-seed vegetables such as squash and pumpkin with an ice cream scoop – the sharp edge of the scoop will cut through the gooey stuff inside the squash more smoothly than your hand or a regular spoon can
• Ginger is becoming a mandate ingredient of our daily diet thanks to its immunity boosting powers. Here’s a hack for those who are challenged with peeling its papery skin – opt for a spoon instead of a peeler and voila see how quickly the obstinate ginger sheds its skin!
• An easy and comfortable method to peel garlic is to remove all the cloves from the bulb, then whack each clove with the side of a chef’s knife. Sit back and watch how the skin falls right off!

Miscellaneous

• Ensure that your brown sugar stays soft and that it can be easily scooped by adding an orange peel or a slice of apple along with the sugar into an airtight container. Forgot to do so and your brown sugar’s become as hard as nails? Relax just microwave the hardened brown sugar next to a small glass of water. The moisture within the microwave will help break up the block of sweetener
• Avoid plastic wrap mishaps by storing the roll in the refrigerator
• The health conscious home chef can spoon out excess fat from stocks, stews, and sauces by skimming a few ice cubes (wrapped in a paper towel or cheese cloth) along the surface of the liquid
• Want to de-kernel a cob of corn without the help of your teeth? It’s simple - place the pointed end of the cob on the centre hole of the bundt pan (with the open part of the pan facing up) and gently slice downward

Well we are sure that you would already be practicing some of these hacks with dexterity while a few would be eye-openers. Do you have any such time, labour and cost-saving kitchen tips to share with the food community? Foodism would love to hear them from you! Do leave them in the comments section.