Top 10 Food Hacks, 2009 Edition

DIY KFC? Cheese preserved in butter? Self-serving pizza? Anything’s possible, as our Top 10 Food Hacks demonstrate.

Picture by ivanmateev

We visited similar territory back in 2007, but we’ve covered a whole lot of culinary ground since then, and our current Food Week is the ideal opportunity to revisit some of our recent favourites.

10. Open bananas like monkeys

Chances are you haven’t copied a monkey recently and tried opening a banana from the short end — but if you do, you’ll be surprised how effective it is. Also a good talking point for picnics. (Original post)

9. Aargh! I just dropped all the eggs

Don’t panic! When it comes to baking, there are plenty of potential egg substitutes lurking in the kitchen, from mayonnaise to various baking powder mixtures. (Original post)

8. DIY microwave popcorn

It’s cheaper than commercial popcorn, you can flavour it how you like, and you don’t need much more than corn, a paper bag and a stapler. What’s not to like? (Original post)

7. Reverse-engineered KFC

KFC is definitely a “sometimes food” (recent menu changes notwithstanding), but you can minimise the damage by making your own. As well as getting that sense of personal satisfaction, you’re less likely to pig out on chips. (Original post)

6. Mario mushrooms from radishes

The Mario franchise has been around so long that no matter what age your dinner guests, a 1-up mushroom is going to impress them. There’s a bit of work in making them, but the gasps should make it all worthwhile. (Original post)

5. Serve your pizza on the pizza box

If you’ve ordered takeout pizza, you’re clearly aiming for minimal effort, so the idea of converting the box into plates and a leftovers container is ideal. (Original post)

4. Tim Tam cupcakes FTW

Cupcake bakeries seem to be springing up everywhere you look, but not many seem to have taken the patriotic step of incorporating typically Aussie ingredients. Redress the balance with this Tim Tam cupcake recipe. (Original post)

3. Spread butter on cheese to keep it fresh

Yeah, we know, it sounds weird — but experience suggests that it works. Probably not worth the bother for a standard block of cheddar, but helpful when you’re hanging onto pricier cheeses. (Original post)

2. Crush garlic with a rock

Embrace your inner Flintstone! Using a rock as a garlic crusher is cheap, natural and surprisingly effective — think of it as nature’s own mortar and pestle, with a little help from you. (Original post)

1. Edible gummy shot glasses

Edible shot glasses have many advantages: they’re cool, they give you a sugar boost, and you don’t need to wash up in the morning. But the ultimate reward is getting to nuke a bunch of gummy animals to make them. (Original post)