Top Ten Food Hacks

I feel like every time I open Facebook there are new must-try food hacks, some are funny, some are really great, but more and more of these hacks are trying a little too hard. Just to be clear, I love a good hack, and I’ve posted some here, both mine and others’ but if it’s not going to  save me time and effort it’s not a hack, it’s just some dude (usually) showing you some really nutty way to do something that really doesn’t need a shortcut.

The other day I saw something posted as a hack, but unless I have the whole concept wrong, and I am Roseanne Rosannadanna, this over complicated way to cook bacon is anything but a hack. There’s the water method, which you make in a pan, but still too much trouble. I have seen numerous bacon cooking hacks, but haven’t found one that is easier than my cook it on a sheet tray in the oven method.  And if you want really great bacon, don’t buy the cheap stuff and then complain the cooking method didn’t work, if you want great bacon, no matter how you’re going to cook it, start with good quality bacon!   

Surely you’ve seen the video of the guy using a plastic water bottle to separate eggs, and yes, it’s cool but I’m not convinced it’s any faster than my method, and no need for a plastic bottle. The way you run into trouble with separating eggs is when you break the yolk when you crack the eggs which this video doesn’t address, the separating isn’t hard at all. To eliminate the danger of contaminating whites with yolks, break each egg, one at a time into a small bowl, then if the yolk is intact put that into your larger bowl. To separate the yolk scoop it up in your hand, and let the white slip out between your fingers. Or you can do this as you transfer the egg to the big bowl, instead of putting the whole egg in.

Truth is, hacks have been around forever, but they used to be called advice from Mom. When I use her ‘hacks’ I save a lot more time than I would sucking egg yolks up into a used plastic water bottle (and I never have one of those as I don’t drink bottled water).  So here are my best hacks:

1. Read through the recipe before you start, and get out all the ingredients (mise en place)
2. Turn down the heat! If you cook on medium or medium-high you’ll reduce the chances of burning things
3. Clean as you go, unless you have someone kind enough to clean after you cook
4. Put some baking soda into the water your for hard boiled eggs. They will peel perfectly
5. To remove the core from an apple cut it in half, then use a melon baller to remove the core
6. To measure honey or other sticky stuff first swirl oil in your measuring cup, then either use it, or pour it back into the bottle
7. Wrap leftover waffles, pancakes and French toast individually, and store them in the freezer, then pop in the toaster for a quick weekday breakfast
8. Put a damp paper towel or a flat sponge under your cutting board to keep it from slipping
9. Use scissors to cut fresh herbs into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
10. Have fun, or don’t do it!

 What are your favorite hacks?