An Australian traveller placed in a 14-day quarantine after returning home from overseas has resorted to toasting bread with her hair straightener after discovering there was no toaster in her four-star hotel.
Amy Todd, 34, and her partner Matt have been staying at the Travelodge Hotel Sydney since arriving from Los Angeles on March 30 after Prime Minister Scott Morrison instated 14 days of forced isolation for all Australians returning home from overseas on March 27 in a bid to control the rising coronavirus cases.
The couple received a grocery care package from their friends, which included breakfast ingredients such as bread, bacon, eggs and avocado, shortly after their arrival in the hotel – but lacked the facilities to prepare a decent meal.
‘We quickly realised we had nothing to make toast,’ Amy told Daily Mail Australia.
The room included just a microwave, kettle, fridge, desk, bed and a lounge so they came up with a brilliant way of using other household appliances as a cooker.
The pair used a hair straightener to toast bread, an iron to make toasted sandwiches, a kettle to boil eggs, and a microwave to cook bacon for their delicious breakfast.
Amy Todd who’s placed in a 14-day quarantine after returning from overseas has revealed how she used her hair straightener to toast bread for her breakfast
The couple used a hair straightener to toast bread, an iron to make toasted sandwiches, and a microwave to cook bacon and scrambled eggs
The couple came up with a brilliant way of using other household appliances as a cooker – including the kettle to poach eggs, and microwave to ‘crisp’ up the bacon
‘After a failed attempt of making toast in the microwave we had a think about what other “tools” we had with us that we could use to make toast,’ Amy said.
‘My partner Matt is pretty handy to have when camping or travelling and had a thought to try my hair straightener – of course after sanitising it. It did toast the bread; but was still a little bit soggy.
‘We had also learned that we can make bacon in the microwave, poached eggs in coffee mugs, boiled eggs in the kettle.
‘I actually like bacon cooked in the microwave; it is crispy and not as oily.’
The couple also used an iron with tin foil to make toasted sandwiches.
‘I learned that you can make toast and toasted sandwiches with an Iron along with some paper or foil. We tried this and it worked a treat,’ she said.
‘After being served cereal for the duration of the trip, I was just wanting toast… so it was great that our toastie was successful.
‘It’s amazing what you can do when you focus on what you do have rather than what you don’t have. We have been trying to work out some other Hotel MacGyver tips and tricks.’
After realising their room didn’t come with a toaster, they resorted to an iron to make toasted sandwiches – and it was a success!
Another woman who’s in quarantine made a cheese toastie using her hotel iron
One man used a hairdryer to heat up his pizza because his hotel didn’t have a microwave
After sharing her hair straightening cooking hack in a Facebook group, many Australians placed in an enforced 14-day quarantine at other hotels revealed they have been using other household items to cook their food too.
One woman attempted to make a cheese toasting using an iron, while one man used a hairdryer to heat up his leftover pizza because his hotel room didn’t come with a microwave.
Amy and her partner will be able to check out of the hotel on Sunday, April 12 and she said she’s looking forward to returning home to see her dog.
‘I understand that this has been a necessary precaution; but it was tough to get into the headspace of having freedom removed,’ she said.
‘It was pretty confronting the thought of being escorted from the airport by the police and army but in the moment it felt like a movie or a dream, it’s definitely a story for the grandkids.
‘We have just tried to focus on what we do have and how we can get through each day. Each day we get through is another closer to home time. We have been extremely fortunate to be in quarantine together; I think that helps.’
Since being in isolation, Amy said she’s learned a lot of lessons, including ‘resilience’, ’empathy’ and a ‘deepened appreciation for those fighting on the frontline’.