Hack your kitchen – kitchen hacks to improve your life

Hack your kitchen with these 7 kitchen hacks to improve your game in the kitchen.

1. Make perfectly crunchy and golden chips by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chips (don’t add too many at a time) and boil for 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Allow the chips to cool, 10 minutes. Deep-frying in hot oil, about 5 minutes. Remove from oil and allow to cool, 10 minutes. Return to the hot oil to deep-fry until golden, crispy and utterly delicious, about 7 minutes.
2. Make your own hummus! Mix together 1 x 400g tin chickpeas (drained), juice of ½ lemon, 10ml (2 tsp) tahini, 2 peeled garlic cloves and 125ml (½ cup) olive oil and blend until smooth. Season to taste and enjoy. The recipe should yield about 375ml (1½ cups) hummus.
3. Always be sure to whisk quickly and thoroughly when whisking egg yolks with sugar to make custard. Sugar cooks egg yolks and will create small lumps of egg in the custard if given the chance.
4. It’s better to store bananas separately than in the fruit bowl. Bananas release gases that cause other fruits to ripen quickly. If kept separate, bananas will also stay fresher for longer.
5. ‘Sous-vide’ (the French term for ‘under vacuum’) is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags then placed in a water bath or temperature-controlled steam environment for longer-than-usual cooking times. The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and to retain moisture. As may also be done in traditional poaching, sealing the food in sturdy plastic bags keeps in juices and aromas that, otherwise, would be lost in the process.
6. If cream cheese is fridge-cold, you will never get a smooth texture in a cheesecake. Remove your cream cheese from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature before using it.
7. Rub vinegar on your hands to remove fruit stains.

READ MORE: 7 more kitchen hacks to improve your life