Sometimes, just when you think you have it all figured out, you land a bad egg in your cake mix and you have to throw the whole thing away because of a rotten egg. Chill, here are some neat kitchen hacks to help you out. — Compiled by PATSY KAM
1. Usually, you never, and I mean, never ever have a rotten egg in your tray of eggs. But in the rare instance, for whatever reason, one such egg gets on your tray – one egg that stayed too long on the shelf before going into the fridge or it’s just not your day! And the smell of rotten egg is truly horrible. However, before it starts to smell, it’s quite hard to tell by just looking alone. What you can do is place the uncooked egg in a bowl of cold water. If it sinks, it’s still good but if it floats, it’s dodgy so throw it away.
Sometimes, it’s just instinctive (or laziness) to just crack the egg directly into the mix, right? But if you really need to crack a few eggs into your batter, the practical thing to do is to crack the eggs separately into a small bowl first. So if it’s bad, just throw away the egg instead of the whole bowl of batter.
Ladle designed to remove excess fat from soups. — Photo: PATSY KAM
2. A good hot bowl of soup is always comforting, especially on cold, rainy days. For a healthier version, you can scoop out the excess fat by wrapping some ice cubes with a paper towel or piece of cheese cloth, and skim the surface of the liquid. Thanks to the extreme difference of temperature of the ice, the fat will solidify and then you can dish out the fat with a spoon. Alternatively, you can use one of those special ladles designed to help you remove the fat. A small hole at the side lets the soup run out while the heavier fatty liquid stays in the middle.
3. When you remove shells from hard-boiled eggs, sometimes they all come out in bits and pieces and your egg ends up looking ugly! That doesn’t matter if you’re making egg salad, but if you’re serving the eggs whole, it doesn’t look so pretty. Usually, it is harder to remove the shells from fresh eggs when hard-boiled. The good news is, at least you know it’s straight off the farm! Add a dash of baking soda or vinegar to the water when boiling the eggs. This helps the egg white to separate from the shell more easily when cooked.
Easy way to peel hard-boiled eggs is to add vinegar to the water. — Filepic
4. Do you like frothy hot milk in your coffee? Not everyone has the good fortune to own a fancy milk frother. One cheap and easy way is to fill a small jar with some milk (just before the halfway mark). Then, close the lid tightly and shake it like no tomorrow! Then, take off the lid and warm it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds. And there you go, hot frothy milk! Alternatively, you can buy one of those simple battery-operated milk frothers – they cost less than RM5!
5. If you own a cast-iron pan, you should know that you’re not supposed to wash it with soapy water as it’ll strip away the coating on the pan. And in future, it won’t work as well anymore as food will tend to stick to the pan more. What you should do instead is clean it with a salt scrub to remove the bits of food that may be stuck on it. Pour a cup of salt into a warm pan, then use a paper towel to rub and clean it. Rinse with hot water and dry with a dish towel.
A milk frother. — Photo: PATSY KAM
6. It’s not always easy when you’re cutting meat. If you want them in thin slices and your knife is not heavy duty like the commercial ones used in restaurants, or even worse, if it’s not sharp, it’s a real struggle. Try freezing the meat for about 30 minutes so that it’s not so unwieldy. It will also cut easier.
Never wash a cast iron pan with soapy water. — Filepic
7. When you’ve spent the last hour preparing stuff in the kitchen, you might find your hands reeking of garlic or other condiments. And no amount of scrubbing with your usual hand soap seems to work. Try rubbing your hands with lemon juice or baking soda to neutralise the smell. One trick is to hold something made of stainless steel, as it seems the molecules will bind with the molecules of the ingredients that are causing the smell on your hands (sulfur from the garlic, etc). Or so they say. You never know until you try.
