Having to cook all your own meals for the first time as you start the new chapter of life as a student can sometimes be daunting.
It turns out that cooking can be a whole lot trickier, and messier, than you might have thought. But we’ve put together a few top tips to help make things just a little bit easier.
1. Citrus Secrets
Adding a touch of lemon, lime, or orange juice can really help to bring a meal to life. To get the most out of your citrus fruit, try rolling on a hard, flat surface until it is soft. This helps to release the juices, making them more forthcoming when you slice and squeeze the fruit.If you’re are struggling to get the peel to separate from the flesh of those “easy” peelers… try keeping them in the fridge and then giving them a quick 15 second flash in the microwave before you peel.
2.Butter
Too hard for spreading and mixing? Try grating the butter into smaller pieces. This will make it much easier to rub into flour or spread on your toast. Another idea is to flatten the butter out with a rolling pin. This helps to gently warm the butter and make it easier to spread!
3.Pasta Hack
How many times has your pasta water boiled over to make a mess of the hob? We’re guessing, a lot. Try balancing a wooden spoon across the top of your pan. As wood is a poor conductor of heat, the hot pasta water will keep away from it – and the rim of the pan! However, wood is a great fuel for fire, so keep your eye on it!
4. Flapjack
Trying your hand at making flapjack? Any recipes which make use of golden syrup, honey, or treacle are accompanied by an expectation of sticky hands, spoons, and kitchen sides… But worry not! Running your spoon under hot water or coating it in cooking oil will help to make sure any sticky ingredient slides into your mixing bowl with ease.
5. Boiling an egg the easy way
Everyone can boil an egg, right? (After a few tries, at least). Removing that fiddly eggshell, however, can be a frustrating job. Adding a dash of vinegar or a sprinkle of baking soda to the cooking water will help the shell to separate from the egg white.
