Dad in the Kitchen : 16 Food Hacks Every Parent Should Try

You can’t avoid it. Meals happen every day. Your family needs to eat. Here’s how to stop food wastage and save a few shillings in the process.

Below are the ultimate food hacks you should try:

1. Beef Hack: Hate blocks of frozen beef? Pre-cut before freezing and break off what you need.

2. Banana Hack: How do you keep bananas fresher longer? Wrap the end of the bunch with plastic wrap. If you have time, separate each banana. The plastic wrap blocks ethylene gases from releasing out of the stem, consequently ripening the fruit too fast.

3. Banana Ripening Hack: The clever parents might have figured this out from the above Hack. Transform a banana from green to yellow or a peach from crunchy to juicy by tossing them into a paper bag with concentrated ethylene gas helps it ripen faster.

4. Greens Hack: We have all tried a million ways of keeping our sukuma wiki and leafy greens from wilting in the fridge. Simply, line your leafy greens container with towel and they will stay fresher longer.

5. Tomato Hack: Store your tomatoes stem side down at room temperature to keep them from spoiling as quickly.

6. Brown Sugar Hack: Want your brown sugar to stay soft and scoopable? Simply toss in an orange peel and put the sugar in a sealed container.

7. Dry Food Hack: Dry foods such as ugali and cereals are also a potential food waste issue. The most common problem is plastic and paper packaging that can’t be resealed after opening and then you get cupboard spillage or even worse ants and weevils! Reuse all plastic caps and store all dry foods in bags after purchase. Just don’t forget to label.

8. Veg Hack: This might seem odd, but I swear by it. Most of us Nakumatt and Tusky’s shoppers don’t realize that vegetables and fruits in the shrink-wrapped bags last longer.  Leave them in the shrink-wrapping until you are about to eat them.

9. Potato Hack: Hate peeling potatoes? Boil the potato and then immediately giving it an ice bath. The skin will separate from the potato with your fingers.

10. Egg Hack: Is that egg edible? Just place your egg in water and if it sinks to the bottom it’s okay.

11. Egg Shell Hack: Broken eggshells in the bowl? Simply take a larger piece of shell and it will draw the smaller piece like a magnet.

12. Super Egg Hack: Want to Make eggshell removal easy? Add a little vinegar and baking soda to your water when you are boiling the eggs to make removal much easier.

13. Orange Hack: Love oranges and hate peeling? Cut off a thin bit from the end, and then do the same thing with the end opposite. Next, cut a perpendicular line. Then unroll it!

14. Carrot Hack: Soggy carrots or limping celery? No problem! Drop them upright into a jar of cold water to re-crisp.

15.  Refrigerator Hack: Cut decorative shelf paper to fit your refrigerator shelves.

16. Cookbook Hack: This is my favourite hack for 2016. Use a trouser hanger to hold your cookbook while you prepare meals for your family.

You may also like: Food Hacks to Save Time and Money

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