Do you feel like the price of your grocery list is out of control but have no clear idea of how to reduce costs?
In this blog we share 12 food prep hacks from the book $50 Weekly Shop that are bound to make your time in the kitchen much more efficient.
As well as being an author Jody is the creator of the very popular website, Stay At Home Mum
Enjoy the tips and let us know if you have any food prep hacks on your own!
The below is an edited extract from The $50 Weekly Shop by Jody Allen ( published by Penguin Random House), $24.99
12 Brilliant Food Prep Hacks
1. Softening ice cream
Ever taken out ice cream and found it is just way too hard to scoop? Well keep your ice cream container sealed in an extra large zip-lock bag in the freezer. It will always be easily scoop-able.
2. Cutting onions
Always place your onion in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping. This will stop your eyes from watering.
3. Peeling egg shells
Place the boiled egg in a small glass jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. The shell will crack and loosen so you can peel it off easily without damaging the egg.
Click here to discover 28 more ways to reuse glass jars
4. Making crystal clear ice cubes
For clear beautiful ice cubes, freeze boiled water. Room temperature water always ends up making cloudy ice cubes.
5. Testing if eggs are rotten
To see if an egg is still good or not, place it in a tall glass of water. If it floats, throw it out. If it sinks to the bottom it is fresh and still good to use.
6. Removing bits of egg shell
If you’ve cracked eggs into a bowl and a tiny piece of shell has fallen in, the best way to remove it is to use a bigger piece of the shell. The shell pieces are ‘attracted’ to each other (like magnets), which makes it easy to pick up the little one.
7. Separating egg yolks from egg whites
Crack the egg into a small bowl. Hold a clean, empty plastic drink bottle (top removed) over the cracked egg. Squeeze the bottle to create a small vacuum, gently place the bottle neck on the yolk and ‘suck it up’.
8. Opening a jar
Turn the jar upside down and ‘bang’ the lid (not too hard) on the counter top – it should now open easily!
9. Softening butter
Grate hard butter with a cheese grater – it makes it more pliable in minutes.
10. Preventing pots boiling over
Place a wooden spoon across the top of a pot – it will never boil over it!
11. Slicing meat very finely
If you want extra-fine slices of meat for your stir-fry, use a very sharp knife and slice the meat while it is partly frozen.
12. Keeping your kitchen sponges germ-free
Every night when you put the dishwasher on, pop your sponge or cloth in the top drawer of your dishwasher. The heat and soap will sterilise and make your kitchen cloths as good as new and ready for the next day.