Want to get a little more creative in the kitchen? Unleash the Masterchef in you and impress the whole family.  Whether you’re just starting out or looking for the newest tricks in the business, we’ve got nine kitchen hacks you need to try. 

1. Refrigerate your onions before chopping

Refrigerating onions before chopping them up slows down the movement of that painful tear gas we all know too well. Although this method doesn’t completely get rid of the gas, it can help to lessen the effect so you won’t look like a cry baby!

2. Peel a mango in seconds

Take a regular drinking glass with thin, glass edges and have your slice of mango in the palm of your hand. Slowly move your hand and mango over the glass’s edge to separate the mangoey-goodness from the skin. Voila! Delicious skin-free mango ready to eat in seconds. 

3. Cut all of your tomatoes in one cut

But how you ask? Simply, place all of your cherry tomatoes on a flat plate and place another plate on top of the tomatoes facing downwards. Then, take a knife and cut the tomatoes in between the two plates. You’ll be the fastest salad maker in the country with this hack. Or if your knife isn’t the sharpest, also potentially the messiest. 

4. Check your avo is ripe without cutting it open

Did you know avocados come with their own ripeness indicator? Just remove the stem and look for the colour underneath. A bright green colour means time to eat and a yellowy colour means you should let it rest for another day or so. Brown means it’s too far gone - toss it.

5. Apple slicers are perfect for cutting potatoes

Cut perfectly even potato wedges every time with an apple slicer. Cut the potato just like you would an apple, sprinkle with garlic salt and pop them in the oven. Why hadn’t we thought of this one earlier! 

6. Separate eggs from yolk

Have you ever incorrectly read the recipe and now you need to somehow separate the already cracked eggs from their yolks? It’s actually an easy fix! Just grab an empty plastic water bottle, place the nose of the bottle over the egg yolk, gently squeeze and release. 

7. Test Your Eggs

We’ve got a quick and easy way to check whether your eggs are still worthy of the breakfast plate or if they’re better off in the compost. Put your eggs into a cup of cold water and if they sink, they’re good. If they float at the top, then it’s time to feed your compost bin instead. 

8. Keep your bread fresh

Simply add a piece of celery into the bread bag and seal. The bread will naturally absorb the celery’s moisture, keeping it fresh and ready to eat.  

9. Use a wooden spoon to stop water from boiling over the pot

Use some magic in the kitchen with this hack. Rest a wooden utensil flat across the pot and watch as your boiling water doesn’t boil over. The secret? By using a dry wooden utensil that is below boiling water temperature (100 degrees), the temperature difference will break the bubbles and should stop the water boiling over. However, this only works momentarily, until the utensil eventually heats up and loses its magic. Although, it has worked in the past its also a good idea to keep an eye on it in case the utensil heats up faster than you thought… Give it a go and let us know if you have success!

Get Cooking

Show off your new-found kitchen skills with these nine creative kitchen hacks. We’re sure your friends and parents will be impressed!