Testing More Viral Kitchen Hacks – Some Genuinely Surprised Us
We’re back in the kitchen for another round of viral kitchen hacks, and this time, Mrs Barry joined me once again to see if any of them are actually worth trying – or just end in complete chaos.
In this episode, we tested 6 different food and kitchen hacks that have been doing the rounds online, from clever little shortcuts to downright bizarre methods that really made us question how we got here (looking at you, hairdryer egg).
Here’s a rundown of what we tried:
1. Flaking Garlic with a Stick Blender
This one involved peeling a few garlic cloves and popping them into a stick blender held upside down, covered with some cling film. When we turned it on, it didn’t exactly mince the garlic, but it gave it a decent flake. Not a bad start – actually worked fairly well for quick prep.
2. Catching Zest with Baking Parchment
The idea here was to put baking parchment under a grater to catch citrus zest – sounds clever in theory. In practice, it was a bit of a fail. The grater tore through the parchment and didn’t really help. Bit of a head-scratcher.
3. Peanut Butter & Banana Tortilla Toastie (Toaster Hack)
This one was a winner. We spread peanut butter and sliced banana onto a tortilla, folded it into a pocket, then toasted it upright. It warmed the filling nicely and crisped the outside – genuinely tasty. We reckon it’d be great with savoury fillings too, like pizza toppings.
4. Washing Pre-Grated Cheese Before Melting
We washed the starch coating off some pre-grated cheese (the stuff they add to stop it clumping) and melted it side-by-side with unwashed cheese. The washed version melted faster, stretched better, and had less clump. Not bad at all – there’s some actual science to this one.
5. Fixing a Ripped Foil Roll with a Foil Ball
If you’ve ever had foil tear weirdly on the roll, this hack says you can fix it by scrubbing the edge with a scrunched-up ball of foil. It technically worked, but the sound it made was truly awful. Probably not one we’d use again unless desperate.
6. Frying an Egg with a Hairdryer
Yes, we really tried this. The idea was to cook an egg in a frying pan using just a hairdryer. It didn’t go well. Egg whites flew everywhere, the yolk burst, and we ended up with what can only be described as a sad air-fried omelette. Not recommended.
Final Thoughts
As always, this was a mixed bag. Some viral kitchen hacks actually worked – and one in particular (the toaster tortilla) will likely become a regular thing in our house. Others were more of a laugh than a life-saver. Either way, we had fun testing them out, and hopefully you enjoy watching the results just as much.
If you’ve got any hacks you’d like us to try in the next video, pop them in the comments or send them my way on social media.
Watch the full video above or here on YouTube.
See the full playlist of kitchen hack videos here.