10 Food Hacks That Actually Work

Whether you’re the person who cooks all the meals in the house or you’ve been asked to whip something up, and you have no idea what you’re doing in the kitchen, you could probably use a hack or two to help you get through the task.

There are so many hacks flying around social media for various things, but hardly any of them address food. Food hacks are possibly the most useful hacks out there because you have to eat, you have to eat no matter who you are.

Here are some of our favorite food hacks that we have found while trawling the internet.

Poached Eggs

We all know that poached eggs are the bougie older cousin of the fried egg and are seemingly impossible to get right unless you’re Gordon Ramsay and have had years of experience with poaching eggs.

However, this hack will change all that. All you need to do is combine ⅓ of a cup of water with ½ a teaspoon of vinegar and then add your egg and put it in the microwave for two to three minutes, and your egg will come out perfectly poached!

Ripe Bananas

I don’t know about you, but in my house, it seems like one week everybody eats bananas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then the next week everybody has developed a phobia for them, and they sit out and become overripe.

However, on the weeks when everybody is in a banana-feeding frenzy, it seems like the bananas cannot get ripe fast enough. Buying a banana hook will help to speed up the ripening process, though.

Grilled Fish

If you’ve ever been on a serious health kick, you will know that grilled fish is one of the best ways to get some protein as well as healthy fats into your system. It is also one of the most difficult proteins to cook because of how it sticks to everything.

If you have been struggling to keep your fish from sticking to the pan while you’re cooking it, all you need to do is place a couple of slices of lemon underneath your fish so that it has nothing to stick to and also takes on the lovely citrus flavor.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are such a versatile dish and can go along with almost any meal, but actually mashing those potatoes can feel like an entire workout on its own while simultaneously feeling like you’ve shaved a couple of years off of your life.

You don’t have to expend all your energy on mashing potatoes, though. You can simply use a hand mixer to blend your potatoes, butter, and cream together to get the perfect mashed potatoes in half the time and a quarter of the effort.

Grating Garlic

All great meals start with some garlic sprinkled into the base so that your loved ones can tell you’ve had a good meal just by speaking to you. However, it can be difficult to grate garlic if you need to.

However, if you freeze your garlic beforehand, it will be much easier for you to grate it as it will be firmer. The great news about this hack is that it also works for butter and ginger!

Stale Bread

We’ve all had that moment when we see a gorgeous french baguette in the grocery store and buy the entire thing because we’re so sure that we’re definitely going to be able to finish it, especially with some delicious toppings added.

Inevitably though, you end up with leftover bread and can do nothing but store it away for another day. It often goes stale, and many people simply throw it out once this happens, but you can save it! Put your bread in the oven with a cup of water and allow the water to evaporate into the bread, leaving it soft and fluffy again.

Cutting Onions

Cutting onions is something that does not phase me in the slightest because I wear contact lenses, and for some reason, that makes me immune to onions. My mother, however, looks like she’s watched ‘Steel Magnolias’ every time she cuts an onion.

If you have the same problem as she does, all you need to do is freeze your onions before you cut them. That’s right, pop them in the freezer for an hour or two before you plan to dice them up, and you won’t feel the effects.

Pasta Sauce

Okay, so you know the routine when it comes to making a pasta dish. You start your sauce, you start your pasta, and once they are both done, you combine the two and serve it up, right? What if there was an easier way to do it?

Rescue Biscuits

Everyone has had that moment when they think that baking cookies will be the best idea they’ve had in a while, even though it’s 5:30 on a Wednesday night and they have nine other things to do simultaneously.

This can only result in burning the cookies and feeling major frustration and heartache as you toss them away. You don’t have to do that, though. If your cookies are only slightly burned, simply grate the burned pieces off with your cheese grater.

Ice Wine

Boozy brunch with the girls at someone’s house is always a good idea because nobody has to drive anywhere if they can’t, and you’re all in a safe environment where you can truly let loose. For this reason, you probably don’t want to be diluting your wine with ice cubes.

Before the girls arrive at your house for your boozy brunch, freeze some grapes so that you can use those to cool your wine down instead of ice cubes. It won’t compromise the taste of the wine, and it looks adorable, too!