Handy kitchen hacks

I can get a bit lazy sometimes and love saving time whenever I can, especially if I'm cooking or doing other things in the kitchen! Here are a few things I've worked out and experimented with while being a student...

Cut pizza with scissors The days of rolling over your pizza with a blunt cutter are over, simply use a (clean) pair of scissors to snip your way through your pizza and end up with a perfect slice.

Butter bread with a spoon If you find yourself making holes in your bread every time you butter it with a knife, try the back of a spoon - you'll be able to spread with ease (and no holes)!

Check if eggs are off If you're unsure how old your eggs are, pop them in a bowl of cold water; if they sink to the bottom, they're all good but if they float they might be past it.

Freeze your fruit and veg As a student I could never get through fresh fruit and veg as quickly as I want, and always ended up throwing it away. My biggest tip would be to buy your fruit and veg and then chop it and chuck it in the freezer - most can be put straight in but some may need blanching so be sure to check first!

Flavoured ice cubes Whether you like ice in your coffee, soft drink or alcoholic beverage, it's not ideal if they end up watery because of your ice. If you drink it often, create ice cubes from your beverage of choice to keep it super tasty. Or if you're feeling super fancy, freeze a slice of lemon/lime and pop that in your drink!

Box up your dried goods Transferring open bags of pasta/rice/flour/sugar to a box/jar can mean that you don't end up spilling them everywhere and at the end of the day you don't lose any good food!

Tin foil on trays If you're cooking something that's likely to leave a mess on your tray, covering it with tin foil means you can avoid having to scrub it too hard (avoid doing too many times though as it's not the best for the environment).

Bicarbonate of soda in pans Along the same lines, if you manage to burn your food to the bottom of your pan, it could be pretty hard to scrub off. If you're faced with this, cover the pan with bicarbonate of soda, add water to make a paste before heating it and then wipe the pot to remove the burned food.