Hack This!

If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you’ll find a number of things that can make meal preparation difficult. So we at The Maya Kitchen have put together a list of kitchen hacks to help you out!

#1 Test your eggs for freshness
Almost nothing smells (and tastes!) worse than a bad egg. Before adding an egg into any mixture, test it first for freshness. Take a bowl and fill it with 4 inches of water and place the egg inside.

If it sinks to the bottom you can be assured of its freshness. If only one end floats, use it right away, as this means it will go bad soon. If it floats completely, that means it’s not fresh at all and you should throw it in the trash.

#2 Extend the life of your bread loaf    
Thinking of making sandwiches? Check on the state of your bread loaf first for signs of mold (green, black, blue, or white patches). Whether it’s just on a slice or the whole loaf, do NOT eat any of it as it may cause food poisoning.

If your loaf is tough and crusty, this means it’s gone stale. But all is not lost! You can still use stale bread for bread pudding or croutons for your salad or soup. Or you can pop a stick of fresh celery into the plastic bag holding your bread and leave it overnight, and voila! The next day your loaf will be fresh again. The bread will absorb the moisture of the celery, and since celery doesn’t have a strong flavor, the bread won’t taste of it.

#3 What to do with burnt rice  
Left the rice cooking too long? If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, think twice before throwing good food away! It may still be salvageable.

Turn off the heat and take a square of white bread and place it inside the pot of rice and cover it. Leave it for about 10 minutes. Remove the slice of bread and spoon the rice into a bowl, making sure that you don’t include any burnt grains, especially those at the bottom of the pot. The bread will absorb the burnt taste of the rice and you can still enjoy your meal knowing you didn’t let good food go to waste!

#4 What to do with overly salty soup  
Too much salt can make anything unpalatable. If you’ve added one too many pinches, simply peel a small potato and put it in your soup pot (make sure its off the heat).  Leave it in for a few minutes so it can absorb the excess salt.

#5 Keep milk fresh for longer
Does your milk go sour before you can use all of it? If so, just add a pinch of salt when you open it. It will last much longer.

We hope these tips will save you from hassle and disappointment and make your kitchen experiences as enjoyable as they’re meant to be!