Im always interested in novel ideas with food - Food Hacks (Or life hacks) seem to be a bit of hot topic on the internet.

My biggest one would be using my panini maker for all sorts of things from fish fingers to bacon.
Another one, not really a hack but is to bag any leftovers such as coconut cream, cookie dough, pizza dough, even cat food and pop it in the freezer.
I also freeze portions of supermarket roast chicken for lunches.
I saw a cool one Im going to try for Summer. All you apparently do is stick an ice block stick into a yoghurt pot and freeze. When frozen, just take off the lid and slide out of the pottle and you have an instant icy cold treat.

Another good one for burgers, especially kids burgers is to take a circle out of the meat pattie and add your egg when frying. I guess you could just fry the piece you have taken out and eat on its own.

So what FOOD HACKS do you know of or use???

Vanessa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2017 03:47AM by Vanessa45.

I blitz lemongrass in the food processor until it is finely chopped and then freeze it in resealable plastic bags and use it as needed.

Always store ginger in the freezer and grate (skin and all) as needed.

Hmm I know I have more but need to think on it.

When my limes have all ripened at once, I squeeze the juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I tip them into a suitably sized plastic container and keep frozen till I need some. The cubes break apart easily and I can take just as many as I need.

I also blitz-up any fresh herbs with oil that are getting too straggly and freeze them in the previously purchased pottles of hummus or dips. It never freezes quite solid so I can remove as much as I want and it thaws so quickly I can make fresh pesto or dressings or add some to soups, casseroles, etc.

You know those little pottles of steamed puddings or fruit jellies? My grandkids love them and I saved half a dozen of the little pottles and use them to poach eggs in the microwave. Make sure you prick the yolk and white in several places, though, and cover them while they're cooking (I use a paper towel) or you might have exploded egg all over your microwave!! The pottles are also useful for melting small amounts of butter in the microwave. Once again, cover and reduce the percentage setting to quite a low level for both eggs and butter.

Thanks Lorna, the small pottle idea for eggs is GREAT - I cant wait to try that one as I find poaching eggs the traditional way a bit of a pain with hungry kids, bacon burning, toast popping up - I LOVE IT!

Also using those pottles (I usually throw them away) for small things like melted butter is an awesome idea.

Vanessa

Another thing I do is save the blue plasticy type sheets that come between frozen puff pastry slices. I use them for lots of things: putting between my home-made burger patties or wrapping several slices of bacon from a 1kg pack, which then get frozen for later use. In fact, anything smallish that needs to be kept separate when frozen so that I can take just the amount I need, i.e., fish fillets, chicken pieces, etc. They come apart so easily there's no hassle taking one burger pattie from the stack of 6, etc.

Wow another good idea.
I aways buy a 1kg of bacon and freeze portions - I usually use ziplock bags.

A great one I read on the Internet (so it has to be true), but I tried it and it works, is to store your 2L plastic tubs of ice cream upside down after opening. You don't get the layer of icicles on top

Irene Field Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A great one I read on the Internet (so it has to
> be true), but I tried it and it works, is to store
> your 2L plastic tubs of ice cream upside down
> after opening. You don't get the layer of icicles
> on top

Thanks for that tip, Irene as a tub of ice cream seems to last us for ages.

Chris, exactly the same here. Ours can be in the freezer for anywhere from 6 months to a year and I hate those icicles that form on the top.

Oh gosh Irene, I admire anyone who can keep icecream in the fridge for the length of time you do - big icecream weakness in this house! Therefore icecream is only bought when the g/children are here or for special occasions, and consequentially when everyone has gone the remainders would only last a week-+ depending on how much there is left!!
Regards,
Dawn.

Dawn, we both love ice cream, but for some reason it just isn't a go to.

Im addicted to Kohu road icecream (cartons), but do buy the cheap and cheerful tubs for the kids - great idea!
Vanessa

Actually another 'food hack' I do is with Crumpets. I don't know if it's our particular toaster, but crumpets never really toast well - and we have a Crumpet setting. They just don't come out with that oomph texture.

So... I have a very old school (1980s) Toasted Sandwich maker, and I have been putting them in there, and then turning over for less than a minute. They are beautiful!!

So the toasted sandwich maker now comes out of the cupboard to toast crumpets

Here's one I just remembered after reading Irene's post about crumpets. When I want to reheat left-over pizza, I get out one of my cast-iron frying pans and heat it to medium. Put in the pizza pieces in a single layer, cover with a lid, turn the heat right down (as cast iron holds it's heat very well) and leave it for about 5-8 minutes. It comes out with the base as crisp as when first baked and the toppings are not all dry and shrivelled they way they would be if reheated in the oven.

Great idea, I just did the opposite yesterday! Grilled the top and had a soggy bottom - I couldnt even hold the slices.
Vanessa