5 No-Effort-Needed Cooking Hacks

If you are peeling onions…

Don’t get all misty-eyed on them (or put on your swimming googles – they’ll fog up anyway!). Simply hold the onion under running tap water while you peel off the outer layers. Your eyes won’t smart at all. We promise. Because we are serial onion peelers at home.

If you are squeezing limes or lemons…

Hate how those little seeds always land on your fried Hokkien prawn noodles or your mee rebus? Easy – wrap the lemon or lime in some netted material and squeeze away. The seeds will stay within the net.

If you are boiling vegetables…

Overcook them and they can turn an unappetising yellow really quickly. Add a pinch of baking soda (though my mum swears half a teaspoon of sugar does the job too and is less “chemical”) as baking soda has alkaline properties that slow down the cooking process.

If you are slicing a soft cake roll…

Use a length of dental floss to get a clean, neat cut. Also works like a dream on hard boiled eggs or century eggs.

If you are microwaving food…

Just yesterday, that chicken stew or fried bee hoon tasted so moreish. But pop it into the microwave the next day and chances are you will get tough meat and hardened vermicelli. Microwave your food together with a glass of water (in a microwave-friendly cup, of course) and the latter will emit steam that keeps your food soft and moist.