From Saving Stock to the Perfect Steak: Seven of our Favourite Cooking and Food Hacks

Cooking woes be gone! If you’re like us no doubt you’ve found yourself slaving away preparing dinner wondering if prep could be just a bit easier. Never fear, we've got you sorted - These simple tricks and hacks will have you cooking like a pro in the kitchen in no time. 1) The perfect steak? Use the simple finger test to determine how you want your steak. Using just your hands you can easily determine whether your meat is rare or well-done. Images via Simply Recipes 2) Prevent Boiling Over Boiling pasta or cooking up something in a pan? Place a wooden spoon over the top of the pan to prevent the water from boiling out over the pot. 3) Stock up If you’ve got left over juice, stock, wine and don’t know where to put it, just pour it into an ice cube tray and save it for later! You can even use this method to store fresh herbs - just chop them up and drizzle a bit of olive oil into the tray. Not only do you save on waste but you also have handy small portions for future meals. 4) Cutting cheese with ease This trick is particularly handy when you’ve some of the more annoying soft or crumbly cheeses to deal with. With just a bit of dental floss you can slice through cheese like a pro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhiJhFjKfY 5) The bad egg Can’t tell if your eggs are out of date? Get a bowl and fill it with water, if the egg sinks it’s fresh if it floats chuck it into the bin. If the egg sinks to the bottom, but stands on its point, it's still good but needs to be used as soon as possible. 6) Keep ‘em fresh Sick of your bananas going off before you’ve eaten them. Wrap the stems in clingfilm to prevent them from browning. 7) A cool, refreshing, tipple. Freeze white grapes and pop them into your glass of wine for an instant chill - no more watered down wine! Have you any cooking tips you'd like to share? Leave us a comment!