11 great household tips to use in everyday life
There are things that we do every day without ever stopping to wonder if they can be done in some other way. That's just the way we've done them from an early age, and it works, so why make a change? Certainly, in life, there are other priorities, but there is nothing wrong with looking at things from a different perspective - even when we are not forced to. And sometimes, this allows us to discover more efficient solutions.
And this also applies to household chores: it's just a matter of giving a new method or tip a try. Check out the suggestions below:
Defrost on the fly
There's no microwave and/or the oven isn't working and you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer that you need to cook right now. Well, there is a solution worth trying:
- Take a saucepan and place it, upside down, on the bottom of the sink (or in a bowl);
- Place the package of meat to be defrosted on top of the saucepan;
- Take a second saucepan, place it on top of the meat (obviously, this method works best with flat pieces of meat);
- Fill the top pot with hot water, to about the half-way mark.
The heat of the water will spread to the the metal which is in contact with the meat, which, in turn, will defrost much quicker.
Opening tin cans without effort or getting cut
Every time we open a can of food that has a lid that needs to be lifted up using a tab, we must be extremely careful: we need to use some force, but we must not lift the container, or make sudden jerks that cut us. And if we pull the tab incorrectly, sometimes it can break off, leaving the can still sealed.
So what can help us? A spoon!
- Place the curved part of the spoon on the lid, and lift the tab with the tip;
- Use the spoon to bend the tab upwards;
- Now, slip the handle of the spoon into the larger of the holes in the tab, and aim the spine of the spoon to the opposite side;
- Leverage upward slowly to open the can.
Et voila!
To remove sticky labels, heat is enough
If you want to remove a label from a cup (or anything else) that is microwave-safe, just put it in the microwave and heat for a few seconds. This heat should be enough to melt the glue and the label will come off easily.
For plastic containers or other objects that are too large for the microwave, you can achieve the same result by using a hair dryer!
Beer that pours itself
If you have a mug of the right size for the amount of beer contained in a can, and that is also tall and narrow enough, do this:
- Open the can by lifting the tab so that it is perpendicular to the top;
- Take the glass, place it on top of the open can, holding it at an angle with your hands: the edge of the glass must contain the tab and rest the side of the can on the opposite side;
- Without letting go of the glass, take the can, turn everything upside down and without separating the two;
- The can will automaticallypour out every last drop into the glass.
A perfect way to quickly serve many beer-loving guests!
Draining pasta
We usually pour the pasta, with all the water, into the colander placed in the sink. But then you have to put the pasta back into the pot to season it. Or the sink is full of dishes when we want to drain the pasta.
The solution is to put the colander on top of the pasta, inside the pot! This way, it will still drain the water and the pasta won't fall out!
Check out these and other quick and cool tricks in our video below:
