1. You can tell how ripe an avocado is by popping off the stem and checking the color underneath.
2. Chopping herbs? Use a pizza cutter!
3. Impress your guests with crystal-clear ice cubes:
4. Use an apple cutter to cut potatoes into wedges quickly.
5. If you crack eggs on a flat surface instead of on the edge of a bowl, they will open more cleanly:
6. You can fish eggshells out of eggs easily by wetting your fingers first.
7. Here's how long to boil your eggs just the way you like them:
8. Or go totally crazy and BAKE your eggs. It takes a bit longer (30 minutes at 350ºF), but the result is a much creamier — and much less smelly — hard-boiled egg.
By the way, a muffin tin is perfect for baking your eggs.
9. If you get distracted and the water keeps boiling over while you're cooking pasta, simply lay a wooden spoon on the pot.
10. Use a small glass with a little water in it to peel your hard-boiled egg quickly and easily.
11. If that's a little too exciting for you, just sprinkle ½teaspoon of baking soda into the boiling water. The finished egg will peel like a dream.
12. Keep your knives in a knife block? Turn the blades to face up and they won't dull as quickly.
13. Here's a little tip for peeling mangoes without getting mango all over the place:
14. And here's how to remove the stem of a strawberry simply and elegantly:
15. If you wrap the tops of bananas in cling wrap, they will last three to five days longer.
16. Place an apple in with your potatoes to keep them from sprouting.
17. This may sound like absolute madness, but sprinkle a little salt and/or cinnamon into your ground coffee before brewing.
Salt helps cut the bitter flavor of the coffee, and adding cinnamon will change your life completely.