Latest news with #kitchenhack
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
You don't need expensive bug sprays – there's 3 ingredients already in your kitchen that'll get rid of flies this summer
IF you're sick of swatting away annoying house flies then there's good news. One clever TikTok user has shared a game-changing kitchen hack that's gone viral and uses just three everyday ingredients you've probably already got in your cupboards. You don't need to fork out on fancy sprays or chemical-filled traps to win the summer bug battle. DIY queen Genevieve Levy, @ who's known for her simple home tips and clever life hacks, revealed her simple trick in a short clip and it couldn't be easier. She said: 'This is probably one of the most unsexy kitchen hacks but it's a really useful one.' And judging by the swarm of tiny corpses floating in her homemade trap, it seriously works. All you need is a squirt of Fairy Liquid, a splash of vinegar, and a bit of sugar or honey. Mix it all up in a small bowl, top it off with some water, then stretch cling film tightly over the top. Grab a sharp knife and poke a few holes in the film. The holes should be just big enough for the flies to crawl in, but not so wide they can wriggle back out. Place your deadly potion near your fruit bowl or anywhere you've noticed the little pests partying, and wait. Before long, those pesky flies are lured in by the sweet scent, only to meet a soapy end in the murky mix below. 'These miracle bags should be in every home,' says mum who created a cheap hack to prevent flies from entering your home 'I've got some concoctions on the go which they love,' Genevieve said, showing off the results and viewers in the comments are obsessed. One fan said: 'This works wonders thank you." Another wrote: 'Omg you're a lifesaver, I've been struggling for days.' A third added: 'I do the same, it's magic.' So instead of wasting your hard-earned cash on bug sprays that stink up the house, try this easy homemade hack using stuff you've already got in your kitchen. It's cheap, it's effective and it means your kitchen stays fly-free all summer long. What are house flies? House flies got their name by being the most common household fly. With their hairy black bodies and translucent wings, these insects can be found worldwide. They generally live for between 15 and 25 days and can survive without food or water for two to three days. What causes a lot of flies in the house? House flies are highly attracted to manure, and can often be found around farms. They generally stay within a mile or two of their birthplace, but they have been known to travel up to 20 miles. House flies enjoy being in the sun, and will perch in sunny spots around your home. Bright lights at night can also attract flies. Why do flies come out in summer? Flies are present all year round, but all of a sudden when summer comes, they are just EVERYWHERE! The main contributing factors are the breeding cycle of flies and the soaring temperatures. Insects are cold blooded and in summer, when their body temperature rises from the external heat, they become more active. The hotter weather also let's them seek out cool moist spots, like inside your home, to escape from the sweltering heat and to lay their eggs. House Fly eggs take around 20 hours to hatch, but when the temperature rises above 37 degrees, can hatch within 8 hours! In extreme hot weather the eggs can mature from larvae to adult fly in as little as four days. The average lifespan of a housefly is 21 days, so each female can lay up to 900 eggs during the summer months!
The Sun
01-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
The 5-ingredient homemade loaf that costs 13p & minutes to bake in the airfryer, it's so good you'll stop buying bread
A NEW kitchen hack reveals a five-ingredient homemade loaf that costs just pennies to make and bakes in minutes in the air fryer. Foodies are calling it a 'game-changer' for busy mornings, and it's perfect for beginners too. 3 All you need is flour, sugar, milk, yeast and butter – no faff and no waiting around for dough to rise. Making these homemade air fryer bread rolls costs just £1.55 for 12 – that's only 13p per roll. Viral recipe The recipe went viral after a Lillian Elliott shared it in the Facebook group Ninja Foodie & Air Fryer Recipes. She wrote: "I no longer trust buying bread from stores. This is what I bake at least once a month for my family. Sandwich Bread. "I had to make some changes or adjustments." It has racked up likes and comments with home bakers praising how quick, cheap and foolproof it is – perfect for cutting costs as food prices continue to rise. Crowdpleaser One wrote: 'Please shared time/temp can't wait to try this!' Another added: "Looks so good!" A third penned: "Delicious!" Light, soft and ready in a flash, they bake faster than in a traditional oven – perfect for when you want fresh bread without the wait. Simply stir, knead, shape and pop it in the air fryer for a golden, fluffy loaf that's ready in under 15 minutes. My hack makes the scrummiest air fryer crumpet garlic bread in just eight minutes and it only costs 50p Serve it warm with butter, dip it in soup or load it up with your favourite sandwich fillings – once you try it, you won't go back. Whether you're craving fresh bread in a hurry or just want to try something new with your air fryer, this simple loaf is a must-try. And the best part? No fancy ingredients or extra equipment is needed. It is a bargain way to enjoy fresh, fluffy bread without breaking the bank. Ingredient prices set to rise again This comes after shoppers were told to watch their wallets in the second half of 2025 with costs expected to rise by over four per cent, trade experts have warned. Food prices are set to soar once again with bread, eggs, cheese and butter all being hit hard after the Budget tax hikes. Breakfast items have been most notably hit by the skyrocketing costs to produce food in the UK. Cereal and coffee prices are set to steadily rise in the coming months as well as the staple such as breads, egg, cheese and butter. Breakfast items have already faced rising prices in the past after it got drastically more expensive in January. Food prices rose another 4.2 per cent with the return of punishing inflation after the Budget's business tax hike. The price of basic groceries also jumped by record levels as farmers, food manufacturers and retailers passed on the higher costs caused by pandemic supply chain disruptions and the energy crisis. Supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer have all warned that shoppers will face higher prices because of higher taxes in the Budget. 3 3 How to save money on your food shop Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year: Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price. Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30. Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash. Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public. Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio. Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount. Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses. Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap. But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here. Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds. "Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands. The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Your Spice Jar Lids Have a Not-So-Secret Feature That Everyone Is Just Finding Out About — And It's Totally Brilliant
I have a spice rack in my kitchen that I am very, very proud of. All of the little jars are the same size and shape, with matching labels on the lids that make it easy to spot and grab whatever spice or seasoning I need. While this certainly is aesthetically pleasing, the real reason I set up this rack is because I truly hate the plastic bottles that your seasonings come in. They don't make for a pleasant user experience, and when you go to shake them while you cook, nothing really comes out — or you end up with a huge mess. So I quit the battle and made my own setup. Yet now, after finding out this clever spice jar trick, I'm wondering if all my work to make the perfect spice rack has gone to waste. Here's the hack: Instead of shaking that seasoning or spice jar on top of your plate, pot, or pan, twist the lid back and forth. Yes, just like you would with a pepper mill or a salt grinder; you pinch the plastic perforated top with your thumb and pointer finger, gently twist, and the seasoning will come out effortlessly and evenly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aaron Turk (@fatsdabarber) This tip was shared on Instagram by Aaron Turk from @fatsdabarber, who hilariously seasons an empty plate with dried herbs and spices and continues to repeat, 'I just learned this today,' as he twists different jars with wide, exasperated eyes. 'You could have been twisting the top this whole time,' he says, his voice full of shock and joy. Fellow home cooks are sharing how 'mind-blown' they are in the comments of Turk's post. 'You mean to tell me all that splashing I've been doing all these years of cooking, I could have saved myself all the cleaning around the stovetop counter? Oh crap, it works, just tested it,' writes one follower. 'I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said to my spice jars,' jokes to say, if you've been getting arm cramps every time you shake your seasonings and spices — and end up with a messy countertop because of it — we apologize that you only just had to learn this post originally ran on The Kitchn. See it there: Your Spice Jar Lids Have a Not-So-Secret Feature That Everyone Is Just Finding Out About — And It's Totally Brilliant We Tested (and Rated!) All the Living Room Seating at Burrow to Determine the Best for Every Space and Need I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It's a Game-Changer!) We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here's What They Said
The Sun
19-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
You've been eating your avocados all wrong – the easy hack to getting them ripe in just 10 minutes
DO you ever get left frustrated when you want to tuck into your avocado but it isn't quite ripe enough yet? It turns out there is a handy hack which can get it ready to go in seconds. 3 A mum shared how you simply need some boiling water to do the trick. Instagram user @vita_momhack wrote: 'Kitchen Hack - pour boiling water over an unripe avocado and it will be ripe in 10 minutes.' In a video, which has racked up over 9,300 likes, she showed how you should put the avocado in a bowl, before adding the hot water. Then you should wait for the time and voila - your avocado should be less hard and more squishy. The mum-of-two showed herself cutting into her avocado and it was perfectly ripe for eating. Many people were impressed with her tip and said they had no idea it worked. One said: 'Wowwy! Thanks for the tip!' Another added: 'This is amazing.' Meanwhile, one commented: 'Hot water to ripen avocado? Super!' However, one pointed out: 'This only softens the avocado but not necessarily ripen it and produce the best flavour it could if you let it naturally ripen.' How to ripen avocado in minutes And one said: 'Nope. It is still hard.' Other people have said microwaving an avocado can help make it softer. A food writer from All Recipes said: 'Slice the avocado in half, remove the pit, then wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. 'I microwaved the avocado halves, cut-side down, in 30-second intervals until the fruit felt soft enough to use.' 3 However, they warned that the results can be 'faintly rubbery.' According to the team at California Avocados: 'The microwave or oven may soften the flesh of the fruit a little which may make it 'seem' ripe, but it isn't. 'Ripening avocados is a process best left to Mother Nature's timeline. Patience is key.' Another hack is to add an avocado in a brown paper bag with an apple to speed up ripening. This is because apples emit a gas called ethylene which can help with the process. What foods should you ALWAYS keep in the fridge? THE 'King of Bread' Paul Hollywood has said you should never keep bread in the fridge. But what foods SHOULD you store in there? According to EUFIC, The European Food Information Council, these are some of the main foods you should always ensure are kept in the fridge. Apples Berries Butter Cheese Eggs (boiled or unboiled) Fish (cooked or raw) Fresh herbs Lemons Meat (cooked or raw) Milk Oranges Pickles (if opened) Salad leaves Tomatoes Yoghurts
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meghan shares pineapple ‘hack' that had to be cut from Netflix lifestyle series
The Duchess of Sussex shared a kitchen "hack" for pineapples in an unseen video from her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan. In the clip, released on Saturday (31 May), Meghan, 43, was joined by wellness therapist Randi Karin as she explained how to properly cut the fruit. "To make the perfect little bite, you follow the wedge," she demonstrated. "Nature has given you all the cues on how to have a perfect taste of something." The show, set out across eight episodes, follows the former actor as she chats with famous friends, shares recipes and offers glimpses of her home in California she shares with the Duke of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
