Not having a corkscrew on hand should never get in the way of enjoying a bottle of wine.
A genius video of kitchen hacks made by the Instagram account @soyummy (and shared by Instagram account @diy.learning) shows just how to get to that sweet vino when you’re lacking the right utensils.
The video also breaks down several other nifty kitchen tricks, from using a glue cap to write with icing to shredding chicken with an electric mixer.
Steam that sucker out! Hold a lighter or blow torch to the neck of an unopened bottle of wine to heat up the air, which will expand and expel the cork
How to… remove a cork without a cork screw
Unless you grew up in a corkscrew emporium, there’s a good chance that at one time or another you’ve tried to open a bottle of wine without the proper tools. People have tried just about anything sharp that’s lying around, from pens and scissors to forks and knives.
The problem is, those tools usually only scoop out pieces of cork, and leave a sizeable chunk still in the bottle — which then becomes even harder to pull out.
Next time, instead of poking something sharp in through the top, try pushing the cork up from the bottom… using heat.
Remove any packaging or labels around the neck and, using a lighter or blow torch, hold the flame up the the part of the neck between the wine and the cork.
The air should heat up and start to expand, slowly pushing the cork up through the top.
Easy squeezy! Poke a hole in a lemon with a toothpick to get a steady stream of juice
How to… squeeze out lemon juice without the seeds or pulp
Squeezing slices of lemon into a drink or onto a dish isn’t always clean, and can occasionally leave you with seeds or pieces of pulp you don’t want.
This Instagram account suggests poking a single hole deep into an uncut lemon, using a toothpick. Then, it says, the juice will squirt right out in a tiny stream.
While that method will work in a pinch, there are a few other tricks for getting lemon juice out easily. Some other hacks include pressing and twisting a fork into a cut piece of lemon, or wrapping it in a piece of cheesecloth before squeezing.
Fruit trick: Push a whisk into half of a kiwi, twist it, and pull out for perfect pieces of fruit
How to… cut a kiwi
Most people will slide a spoon between a kiwi fruit and its skin, but there is a way to separate the fruit and cut it up into pieces at the same time.
Using a metal whisk, push down into a half a kiwi until you hit the skin. Then twist the whisk around, separating the fruit all the way through, and pull out.
Voila — four pieces of skin-less kiwi.
Now practice your cursive! In a pinch, a glue cap can work in place of an icing tip
How to… ice a cake without baker’s icing tips
Frosting bags and tips are fairly inexpensive, but not everyone has then sitting around the house. Fortunately, there are still ways to write ‘Happy Birthday’ on a cake without the proper tools.
This Instagram account suggests using the cap off an unused bottle of Elmer’s glue (or at least thoroughly washing the cap from a used bottle).
Take a plastic zip bag and cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners. Put the nozzle of a glue bottle through the hole, then fill the bag with icing and squeeze it out through the glue top.
Of course, if you’re doing something less precise than writing — say, adding a border to a cake — you can just cut the hole in the bag and use that opening to guide frosting into a design.
Aw, shucks! A round cookie cutter can chop corn off a cob, and it’s quicker than using a knife
How to… get all the corn off a cob
Instead of slicing with a knife, try using a round cookie cutter.
Pick one that is about the size of a corncob and place it at the top, sharp side down. Twist it down the corn, severing each of the pieces from the cob.
Tug tug! Duct tape pressed onto the lid of a jar can help unscrew it if it’s stuck — and sometimes, running it under hot water does the trick, too
How to… loosen a stuck lid on a jar
Not enough muscle to unscrew the lid from a jar? It’s not a lost cause.
Rip off a small piece of duct tape, and wrap it around one half of the lid. Then pull the tape, and the cap should screw off.
Hot water can also work wonders. Sometimes, the reason a lid is stuck is because whatever’s inside has dried up between the jar and the lid, leaving behind just sugars — which can act like glue.
In that case, run the top of the jar and lid under hot water for a few seconds before giving the lid another try.
No more forking hard work! Shredding chicken is a whole lot easier with an electric mixer
How to… shred chicken
There are few things more aggravating for a home cook than shredding chicken or pork. It’s not difficult to master, just tedious — and at times painful if you accidentally stab yourself with a fork.
But it’s not necessary to do it by hand. Instead, put the meat into the bowl of a KitchenAid electric stand mixer, or use an electric hand mixer to chop it up.
For this, it’s of course better to use sturdy whisks, and debone any meat before blending it.