Fast track to kitchen success with our best-ever hacks for food storage, quick meals, baking, barbecuing and more. These tried and tested tips will have you cooking like a pro in no time.
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Use plastic wrap to make perfect poached eggs
If your attempts at poached eggs always end in a disaster, follow this top tip. Lay a piece of plastic wrap in a bowl, lightly oil the inside and crack in an egg. Gather up the sides of the plastic wrap and tie it tightly on top. Add to boiling water for two to four minutes, depending on the size of the egg and how soft you want it.
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Save time with an omelet in a mug
Cooking an omelet in the microwave is quick and simple. Whisk two eggs, seasoning and some grated cheese or chopped ham, pour into a greased mug and microwave on high for one minute. Stir, then cook again on high for another minute.
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Microwave scrambled eggs for less washing up
Omelets aren’t the only microwave marvel you can make for breakfast. To make scrambled eggs, add a dash of milk and seasoning to beaten eggs before a minute and a half in the microwave on high, stirring midway through. The perfect hack to avoid washing up pots and pans.
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Make brownies richer with espresso
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Save overripe bananas for banana bread
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Swap fat for mashed banana in muffins
To reduce the saturated fat in your favorite muffin recipe, you can use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of around 8tbsp (half a cup) of butter.
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Bake with room temperature ingredients
Before you begin baking it’s important to have all your ingredients at room temperature. Weigh out the portion of butter you need then cut into small pieces and leave it for 15 minutes or so. It needs to be soft enough that when you’re creaming it with the sugar, it combines well and gives an airy finish.
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Coat extra baking ingredients with flour
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Chill cinnamon roll dough for tighter rolls
When it comes to making picture-perfect cinnamon rolls, if you can wait for the dough to chill, you will be rewarded. Chilling makes the dough firmer and easier to roll into tight coils.
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Achieve gooey cookies by taking them out early
If soft and gooey chocolate cookies make you melt, you need to start removing them from the oven a couple of minutes early. Don’t worry if they don’t look ready yet, they will continue to cook and harden up once they’ve come out.
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Cool cheesecake in the oven to prevent cracks
Making the perfect baked cheesecake takes time and patience. To keep the consistency creamy and prevent cracks forming, it must be slow cooked in a bain marie (a water bath) and allowed to cool slowly in the oven, with the heat off and the door ajar.
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Buy an oven thermometer for accurate baking
You can get away with a slightly inaccurate oven for roasting and casseroles but for baking, precise temperatures are important. An oven thermometer, which you pop onto the top shelf of your oven, is worth the small investment. Ovens are regularly over or under the specified temperature.
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Check for hot spots with toast
What’s more, one side of your oven is likely to be hotter than the other. There’s an easy way to find out whether yours is: lay slices of bread on the shelves and see which parts come out more brown. When making cakes, bake them in the center and be sure to rotate them.
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Use a skewer to check cakes are ready
To test if your cake is fully cooked through, it should be slightly shrunk away from the sides and springy to the touch. Double check with a thin skewer through the center which should come out clean. If it’s the correct color on the outside but still a little raw in the center, use a piece of foil to lightly cover the cake and continue to bake.
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Line cake tins to prevent sticking
Using parchment paper to line your cake tins serves two purposes. Firstly, it prevents the cake from sticking so it’s easier to get it out of the tin. Secondly, lining the sides of the tin prevents the cake from becoming too dark.
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Use cake fails to make new desserts
Don’t worry if a cake doesn’t match up to your expectations – it happens to the best of us. Instead, turn it into something else. Broken pieces of cake can be used in trifles (pictured) or even crumbled in a food processor to make cake pops.
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Make shop-bought cakes look homemade with powdered sugar
Grab a sieve and cover your shop-bought cake with a light dusting of powdered sugar. You could also use a stencil to create a fun design and add a scattering of fresh berries or edible flowers. It will give that homemade flourish to the cake.
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Sneak veg into smoothies
Start the day on a healthy note by adding veg into your breakfast smoothie first thing in the morning. We guarantee you won’t even notice spinach blended in with sweet fruit such as banana and apple.
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Add white beans to smoothies for protein
More blander-tasting beans like cannellini or butter beans are perfect in a smoothie, as they add protein and make it more filling. Try whizzing a small handful along with a banana and berries to make an energizing breakfast drink.
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Use mashed avocado instead of mayo
If you’re trying to avoid butter or mayo, use a thin layer of puréed avocado in sandwiches instead. It goes particularly well with a tuna or chicken salad filling.
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Blanch veg to keep their bright color
Blanch hard veggies to tenderize them and lock in color, flavor and nutrients, instead of boiling them. After the veg is scalded in boiling water, remove and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking process.
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Tenderize kale by massaging it
If you’re planning on eating raw kale in a salad, massage the greens beforehand. It may sound odd but it’ll tenderize the hardy leaves. First, remove the stem and add a glug of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Then gently knead with your hands until the leaves start to wilt a little.
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Squash potatoes to make them extra crisp
The trick to crispy potatoes is to increase spuds’ surface area. When you make the surface area larger, more of it is exposed to the heat. To do this, squash potatoes lightly with a fork. This technique works whether you are frying them or baking them.
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Make speedy baked potatoes in the microwave
You won’t get potatoes that are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle just by cooking them in a microwave – but you can use one to save time. Pierce the skin of the potatoes with a fork and microwave them on high for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer to a preheated hot oven to crisp up the skin for 10–20 minutes.
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Add pesto to mash for flavor
Mash doesn’t need to be plain. You could stir through pesto for an Italian twist or add cream, scallions, parsley and thyme to make this recipe for traditional Irish champ.
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Add cauliflower to mash for a silky texture
Swap half of the potatoes for blitzed cauliflower next time you make mashed spuds – you’ll not only be adding another portion of veg, you’ll be giving it a lovely, light velvety texture and sweetness.
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Make gnocchi with leftover mash
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Chop veg the same size for stir-fries
For stir-fries, cut vegetables roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly but if you’re including hard veg like carrots, add these slightly earlier. A common stir-fry mistake is to add veg at the same time, when some produce takes longer than others.
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Sear veg for flavor
When making a stir-fry, it’s also helpful to sear veg – a little browning brings out flavor. Once the protein has been set aside, heat a touch more oil and add harder veg like carrots. Next, in goes softer veg like peppers, mushrooms and mangetout. Lastly, the likes of watery beansprouts and fresh herbs.
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Add stock instead of extra oil
Instead of adding extra oil when stir-fry veg begin to stick or burn, add a splash of stock or water if oil is something you’re trying to cut down on.
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Use up leftover meat in stir-fries
You don’t need lots of meat in stir-fries because a little goes a long way in flavoring the dish – leftovers or scraps are ideal. Cut pieces into strips so they cook quickly yet retain bags of flavor.
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Cook rice in stock for extra flavor
Even if you’re cooking plain rice as an accompaniment to a dish, you can liven it up by cooking it in stock. Throw in a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary, some grated ginger or garlic. You could also fry the rice in a little oil before adding the water or stock to bring out the flavor.
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Dry chicken to help it brown
A few moments drying chicken with a clean piece of paper towel is time well spent. Otherwise, residual surface moisture ends up steaming the meat when it cooks. Patting it dry will help brown and crisp up the skin.
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Don’t stuff chicken as it will cook slower
An empty cavity means chicken cooks quicker and more evenly. The late great chef Julia Child once said you should only stuff a chicken if you want to make the meat go further. Alternatively you can cook stuffing in a separate dish.
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Use butter to get the crispiest chicken skin
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Deglaze pans to make sauce
Deglazing pans is a French technique which ensures no flavor is wasted. Remove sautéed veg or browned meat, then pour in cold wine, stock or water to create a cloud of steam and help move any caramelized pieces of food stuck to the bottom. This flavorful jus can be used for gravy or poured straight over your dish.
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Bulk out sauces with lentils
If you’re cooking on a budget, lentils are a great way to make meals go further. Bulk out meat sauces, soups and salads with the legume for a filling dish. They’re also a great source of fiber and protein. A winner all round.
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Make cannelloni with lasagna sheets
When you fancy cannelloni but don’t have any tubes, make your own using lasagna sheets. Cook the flat pasta until flexible, spoon the filling on one end, roll them up and place in a baking dish seam-side-down. Cover in sauce and cheese, then bake until golden.
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Use pasta water to emulsify sauce
Rather than drain pasta in a colander, lift it from the pot and mix it into the sauce on a low heat. While the flavors are mingling, add a ladle or so of the pasta water. It will give the sauce a rich, silky texture.
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Wipe the rim of plates for a professional finish
Keep a paper towel to hand when you’re serving up and give each plate a wipe around the rim before taking it to the table. A clean edge helps the food stand out and gives a professional-looking finish. No one needs to know if the food came out of a jar or packet.
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Use nutritional yeast instead of cheese
The savory, slightly cheesy flavor of this vitamin-packed powdered yeast means it can substitute cheese in a variety of dishes, including pasta, veg and salads. Try it sprinkled on popcorn, added to scrambled eggs or to stuffing.
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Add anchovies for umami
Instead of adding a fishy flavor to dishes, anchovies add umami, a savory, salty taste. Always keep a tin to hand to marinate lamb, make a puttanesca sauce or whiz into a salad dressing.
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Refresh nuts and spices by toasting
Toast nuts in a dry pan or in the oven for 5–10 minutes at 350–375°F (150–170°C) until golden in color. Once cooled they’ll be crisp and refreshed. Cook whole and ground spices in a dry pan to unlock their aroma but watch carefully they don’t burn.
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Season steak to help caramelization
Some people say you shouldn’t season steak until after you’ve cooked it, but sprinkling salt onto meat helps with caramelization. This technique works wonders for not just for steak, but beef burgers and barbecued ribs too.
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Sear steak on cast iron to help caramelization
Create a steak with a charred surface and tender interior by searing it on a cast iron griddle pan – they’re the best at retaining heat. Make sure the pan is roaring hot before you begin and don’t add butter first, this should go at the end.
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Add extra juices to steak
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Only flip burgers once for perfect char marks
When making burgers, American chef Bobby Flay uses a meat mixture that’s 80% beef and 20% fat, and creates a small dent in the middle of patties so they turn out flat. But there’s one thing more important than anything else: he flips burgers just once so that they form a perfect char.
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Use a burger lid to melt cheese
When it comes to melting cheese onto burgers, there’s a nifty trick to get the perfect melt. While the patty is still in the pan, add slices of cheese plus a dash of water to the pan, then cover it with a metal burger lid. The trapped steam melts the cheese onto the burger perfectly.
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Wrap bones in foil to prevent burning
Avoid eating meat with black, brittle bones by covering them with foil before they go on the barbecue. You can remove it towards the end to give them a little color.
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Access more flavors with a marinade
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Use pineapple to tenderize meat
Pineapple is a natural tenderizer for meat, plus the sweet flavor pairs especially well with pork. Purée fresh pineapple for the best result. With shop-bought pineapple juice, the enzymes that break down meat are removed in the pasteurization process. Don’t marinate meat with pineapple for any longer than 12 hours as the acid will begin to cook the meat.
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Save time with a multipurpose marinade
Don’t you love a multipurpose marinade that goes with everything? Punchy jerk marinade and this spicy Indian-inspired marinade work well with pork and beef ribs. Make extra and use it to marinate other barbecue foods like cheese, such as halloumi, or veggies, such as eggplant and bell peppers.
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Cut barbecue times with help from the oven
If you don’t have six or more hours to tend to a barbecue, start meats like ribs on the flames and finish in the oven. Using a combination of charcoal and wood chips can give you the smokiness you want in 30 minutes to an hour. Then cover with foil and let the oven do the rest of the work.
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Speed up cooking with foil
To get meat cooking quicker, you can try wrapping it in foil with a little water or apple juice. The steaming effect from the liquid speeds up the cooking process.
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Create different heat zones for more control
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Double check your fridge temperature
It sounds obvious but it’s worth checking your fridge’s temperature. A fridge should be set to 40°F (4°C) to keep harmful bacteria from growing. Your fridge may have a thermometer or, alternatively, they’re cheap to buy. Any higher than 40°F (4°C) and you might be putting yourself and your household at risk.
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Don’t overcrowd your fridge so air can circulate
Nothing beats having a fully-stocked fridge but if you overcrowd it, it won’t be efficient at maintaining the right temperature as the cool air can’t circulate. Resist the temptation to overstuff the fridge and store some of its contents elsewhere if you can.
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Store meat and fish on the bottom shelf
The bottom shelf is the coldest part of your fridge and is where food that can spoil quickly if not kept cold, such as meat and fish, should be placed. Another reason to store it here is to prevent juices dripping onto and contaminating other foods.
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Store ethylene-producing fruit separately
Some fruits like melons, apples, bananas, pears, avocados and stone fruit (such as peaches and nectarines) produce a chemical called ethylene. It causes some produce, such as greens, unripe bananas and berries, to ripen and spoil faster. Keep sensitive items in one fridge drawer with the vent closed (which also helps with humidity). Store ethylene-producing fruit in the other fridge drawer with the vent open, or outside the fridge.
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Kill bacteria on berries with vinegar solution
Berries are delicious fresh but they don’t last for long. To help preserve them, wash them in a mixture of one part vinegar and three parts water, then drain, rinse thoroughly and pop them in the fridge. Don’t worry, it won’t make the fruit taste vinegary, it will just kill any germs and keep mold away longer.
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Prevent soggy salad with paper towels
A bag of salad leaves is always one of the first things to lose its freshness. Make it last longer by opening the bag as soon as you’re home from the shop and removing any soggy or wilted leaves. Pop a couple of clean paper towels in to absorb excess moisture, then clip the bag shut.
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Use silicone fruit and veg covers to keep produce fresh
These silicone food covers are perfect for covering half a lemon or avocado. They’re better than a plastic container as less air comes into contact with the surface of the fruit. It’s also much better for the environment than using plastic wrap or foil.
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Save washing up with ovenproof storage
Invest in glass storage containers that are also oven-safe. Not only can you cook food then handily store the leftovers in the same dish, but you can reheat a meal without creating more washing up too.
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Keep beer fizzy by storing it upright
Don’t be tempted to store bottles of beer on their side. When laid flat, more of the beer’s surface area is exposed to air (rather than just the part at the slim neck of the bottle). The more the beer becomes oxidized, the less time it will last, so make sure you stand bottles up straight.
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Optimize your freezer to save fridge space
Not everything needs to go in the fridge. In fact, using your freezer is key to fresh-tasting food. If you’re not eating raw chicken or ground beef in the two days after purchasing, it should be kept below 0°F (-18°C). You have three to four days to eat leftovers, otherwise they should go in the freezer. Berries, bananas, avocados slices and green veg also fare well in the freezer.
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Store bread in the freezer to keep it fresh
If you’re going to eat all your bread within a few days, don’t put it in the fridge. Cold temperatures change its texture and make it taste stale. If you plan to use a loaf over a couple of weeks, store it in the freezer. You can defrost whole loaves in the oven or pop slices of frozen bread straight in the toaster.
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Freeze milk you don’t need
Freezing fresh milk is a great hack if don’t manage to use the whole carton before its use by date. Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk can last for up to a month in the freezer. However, fat requires an extremely low temperature to freeze (lower than the average freezer), so this won’t work as well with whole, full-fat milk.
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Keep pesto at its best by freezing it
Pesto is a great partner for pasta but can start to spoil incredibly quickly. To keep it fresh, spoon the remaining pesto into an ice cube tray and freeze it, so you’ve always got some on hand when you need it.
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Freeze leftover wine to make fancy sauces
While wine will last for a long time unopened, it will quickly turn once uncorked. There’s no real way of keeping open wine fresh for long – but you can save it for cooking. Fill up an ice cube tray with any leftovers, freeze and defrost as needed to use in sauces or stews.
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Freeze fruit in a single layer to stop it sticking
Avoid frozen clumps of fruit by freezing pieces in a single layer. Not only will you save space in your freezer drawer, but it’ll also be easier to take out a few pieces at a time if you don’t need the whole bag.
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Have frozen fish on standby for speedy meals
Frozen fish is great to have on standby in the freezer for midweek meals. You can cook it straight from frozen or thaw it in the fridge and marinate it. The best part? It always tastes fresh and you don’t need to worry about use by dates. However, note that cooking from frozen works best with lean fish like cod or tilapia. It’s generally best to thaw fatty, rich fish like salmon.
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Buy frozen veg to prevent food waste
Most of us know this, but it’s worth a reminder – frozen veg has as many or even more nutrients than fresh produce. Be sure to always have some in the freezer so you can add veg to every meal without having to worry about produce going off before you have a chance to use it.
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Freeze food in usable portions
It might be tempting to freeze a whole bag of chicken thighs in one go but it’s unlikely you’ll need to use all of them at the same time. Once they freeze together, it’s difficult to separate just one or two pieces without damaging the meat. Instead take the time to pack and freeze in usable portions.
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Wrap food tight to avoid freezer burn
There’s nothing more annoying than freezer burn (when food becomes dried out from exposure to air). But most of the time it’s our own fault. Whether you’ve used freezer bags, kitchen foil or plastic wrap make sure you remove as much air from around the food as you possibly can. If you’re freezing in containers, be sure to fill them to the top.
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Stack food in freezer bags to save space
You can save a lot of space, especially in smaller freezers, if you freeze your sauces, stews and casseroles in bags rather than containers. Simply fill the bags with one or two portions and lay flat on the kitchen counter to get rid of the excess air. Then lay flat in the freezer, one on top of the other.
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Vacuum seal food if you want it to last a long time
You’ll not only avoid freezer burn but vacuum sealed bags will save as much space as possible. If you tend to use your freezer a lot, this will also make it easier to see what’s inside the bags.
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Throw away chunky boxes to save space
Many freezer foods, like ready-made pastry, come in a bulky cardboard box. Get rid of the box to save space and write the cooking instructions on the remaining packaging.
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Pack your freezer full to save energy
Contrary to your fridge, where too much food can make your fridge warmer, your freezer will work better if it’s full. When you open the freezer door, the cold air escapes and the freezer has to work twice as hard to bring the air temperature back down. If your freezer is tightly packed, there’s less air to cool.
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Cover your ice cube tray for fresh-tasting ice
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Store ice cream at the back of the freezer to stop it melting
A tub of ice cream frozen solid is one of the most annoying things, however it can be easily avoided. Store high fat content foods that melt easily at the back, far away from the door where they run the risk of melting a little and freezing again every time you open the freezer.
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Double check your freezer temperature
More often than not our freezers are not working as efficiently as they could be. Check your freezer temperature is set correctly – ideally it should be 0ºF (-18ºC). Also don’t forget to defrost it once a year.
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Start a freezer inventory
If you’ve got a big freezer, it’s hard to keep track of food you have and how long it’s been in there. Start a document or a notebook with an inventory, outlining what you have, how much of it and when you need to use it by. This will save you from having to open your freezer unnecessarily.
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Check if your kitchen is cool enough to leave food out
When deciding what to store in your fridge and what to leave out, consider the temperature of your kitchen. If it’s hot and humid, you might want to store things you’d usually leave out, like butter and certain fruit and veg, somewhere cooler to preserve them longer. Note, this will change between winter and summer.
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Store garlic for months in a dark and dry place
The worst way to store garlic is in a container in the fridge, where it will sprout and develop mold. Instead, place garlic somewhere dry and dark, and keep the bulb together for as long as possible. Once you’ve separated and peeled a clove, it can keep for up to a week in the fridge.
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Don’t keep onions and potatoes together
If you want potatoes to keep for longer, start by storing them in a separate place to your onions. Both potatoes and onions produce ethylene which causes the other to spoil faster. Keeping them in two different brown paper bags in a cool, dark cupboard is a good option.
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Store herbs like flowers
Want to know the secret for making cut herbs last? Keep them upright in water as you would a bunch of flowers. Shelter them from direct sunlight and change the water regularly. They’re bound to stay fresher for longer.
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Stop bananas browning with a banana hanger
Invest in a banana hanger to stop your fruit from getting bruised and going bad too quickly. As long as it’s located somewhere that allows for free movement of air around the bananas, this handy contraption will slow down the ripening process.
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Transfer sugar into airtight containers to prevent clumps
Fed up of your sugar turning clumpy and hard? It usually happens to brown sugar when it’s been exposed to the air too much and has dried out. For white sugar, it happens when there’s too much moisture. It’s best to store any sugar in an airtight container.
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Clean food storage containers with baking soda
If last night’s chicken stew or chili has stained your storage container and hot soapy water just won’t shift it, reach for the baking soda. Wipe the inside with a smooth water-and-soda paste and allow it to sit for a few hours. This should get rid of any stubborn marks for good.
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Remove fridge odors with baking soda
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Froth milk in a jar
Fancy a barista-style coffee in the comfort of your own home? For perfect froth, fill a jar halfway with milk, screw on the lid and shake. Once foamy, remove the lid and microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Your froth should double in size and provide the perfect topping for your coffee.
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Let boiling water cool to prevent coffee burning
Most coffee beans react best to hot water that’s not boiling (although some argue that boiled and slightly cooled water helps deal with hard water and other impurities). Boiling water poured straight over your coffee scorches the grounds, and will result in a mediocre brew. Trust us, you’ll notice the difference.
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Freshen a chopping board with lemon
Chopping boards can be a breeding ground for bacteria and over time they can also become a little whiffy. Be sure to wash them thoroughly with disinfectant first. But a going over with half a cut lemon can also help rid the odors of things like fish and garlic, plus it will impart a lovely citrus scent.
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Clean your bowl with lemon before making meringue
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Microwave lemons to get more juice
If you’re cooking with lemon, you can get more juice by microwaving the fruit on high for around 20 seconds. It’ll be warmer and softer than straight from the fridge, making it easier to squeeze.
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Save vegetable water for gravy
You might already use the juices from roasted meat in gravy, but don’t forget about veggies. Add the water from boiled veg and any run-off from a roasting tin as well. It’ll make for a flavorful gravy packed with vitamins.
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Set aside vegetable scraps for stock
Cutting down on waste isn’t just good sense from a financial and sustainability perspective, many of the things we regularly throw out can be used to create or enhance another dish. So start setting aside veg trimmings you’d usually throw out to use the next time you make stock.
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Revive old bread with water
Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over bread that’s a few days old, then stick it in a preheated hot oven for a few minutes. It’ll bring your stale loaf back to life. This trick works best on whole, unsliced loaves like baguettes, sourdough or ciabatta.
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Check eggs are fresh with the float test
To check if eggs are fresh, fill a bowl with cold water and try the ‘float test’. If the egg sinks to the bottom on its side, it means it’s very fresh. If your egg sinks to the bottom in an upright position, it means it’s not quite as fresh. If your egg floats, it means it has started producing gas and has likely gone bad.
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