Being a decent cook takes a lot of practice, patience, and an open mind. In few parts of the kitchen is that more true than in the utensils drawer which can easily become filled with gadgets and gizmos of unknown origin and function.
But even the commonly-used tools in there can be trickier to use than you’d like to admit. Who among us hasn’t spent ten minutes battling a bottle of wine with a corkscrew that makes no sense?
Getting better acquainted with such tools can make life, specifically cooking, much easier.
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One of the great faffs of cooking up a storm is the peeling of vegetables.
As a brief aside, while we’re on the subject, your mum is wasting her time by filling the sink with water and peeling potatoes into it. Honestly, it makes no sense. The water makes the blade less effective, and you’re peeling the skin off; you don’t need to clean peeled potatoes.
What is it with Boomers and nonsensical household tasks? How many millions of hours have been wasted over the past century by ironing bedsheets and underpants? Why did they buy silver cutlery that requires regular polishing when stainless steel was both available, similar to look, at faff-free?
Anyway, I digress. Back to the subject at hand: you’re probably not using your peeler correctly.
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If you want an education on making the most of your peeler, look no further than Tim Smith, a home cook who posted a viral video showing his peeling ‘discovery’.
Whilst making a bolognese, Tim whipped out the peeler to hack at a carrot whilst using a tip given to him by his girlfriend.
Rather than only peeling in one direction, he peels on both the forward and backstroke.
"Oh my God, I just figured out how to use this," he says in the video, looking suitably mind-blown.
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The 2020 video was shared by thousands, with many of the comments calling the move ‘genius’ and ‘a game changer’.
"I was absolutely stunned. It's just something so small and simple in your life that most of us have been doing wrong all along,” he said.
"My girlfriend had mentioned it a week before and I hadn't had a chance to put it to the test until I started making the bolognese.
"I don't normally put a carrot in the sauce but I had searched recipes for the slow cooker and it suggested it, so I decided to give it a go.
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"This was my genuine reaction as I hadn't tried it before this. I was incredulous.
"I never imagined it would get so much interest online. I thought a couple of my mates would call me 'boring' for posting it, but it's blown up.
"I think it just shows that we all need a bit of a laugh at the moment.
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"I love cooking as it's good stress relief and the slow cooker is just so easy. I like to make a good curry in it, I make a sensational Thai green curry. I'll be using this technique in the future. It's life changing."
Anyway, that’s enough of that. The towels need ironing and I need to make sure nobody has gone anywhere near the fine china that will only see the light of day over my dead body.
Topics: Cooking, Social Media
Rachael Davis