1. Slice cheese…
Held taught, a length of unscented dental floss is useful for slicing through soft cheeses without mess, or for cutting sponge or whisked cakes into neat pieces. Wrapped around the edge of a sponge or whisked cake, you can even use it to slice a cake into layers.
2. Open a jar…
Can’t open that pesky jar? Wrap an elastic band around the lid – it will provide grip and you’ll whip the lid right off.
3. Degrease in a jiffy…
Greasy stew or soup? Drop in a couple of ice cubes and you’ll soon see the fat solidify into globules, which you can easily scoop off.
4. Keep your chopping board in place…
If your chopping board is prone to moving, lay some wet kitchen paper underneath it to hold it in place.
5. Tell your greaseproof from you baking parchment…
Lost the box and can’t tell whether your roll is greaseproof paper or baking parchment? It’s not always easy to feel the differences so here’s how: hold a little of it under running water. Greaseproof paper will absorb the water and get wet; baking parchment will repel the liquid like water off a duck’s back.
Looking for more kitchen hacks and inspirational ideas? Why not book on to a cookery class at the GHI Cookery School in Soho, London. View courses here.
All of the above have been Tried & Tested by the Good Housekeeping cookery team. For all of our tested recipes, visit our food pages.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
