Cooking Buddies: Kitchen hacks with Buddy

Buddy’s been in the kitchen and has picked up clever hacks and tricks from his dad. Get inspired to do the same with Buddy’s easy tips for prepping fruit and veg.

Before you start, a simple trick to stop your chopping board moving around is to pop a damp tea towel underneath it. Genius!

FRUITY TRICKS

Let’s kick off with an easy one: rolling lemons and limes on a hard surface for a few seconds before you squeeze them makes it much easier to get the juice out. Use this savvy tip to add a bit of zing to Buddy’s BBQ chicken.

When your bananas are looking a bit black and bruised, don’t throw them away! Instead, peel them, pop them in a reusable bag and stash in the freezer, ready to pull out for this banana bread recipe or a quick breakfast smoothie.

To get the seeds out of a pomegranate, cut it in half across the middle, hold the cut sides down in your hand and spread your fingers as wide as you can. Give it a good whack with a wooden spoon (just be careful not to whack yourself!). This way most of the white pith stays in your hand and you’re left with the delicious seeds. Use the pomegranate seeds to keep the whole family hydrated with this beautiful flavoured water.

VEG-TASTIC TIPS

The best way to peel ginger is with a teaspoon. Yes, that’s right, a spoon! It’s safer than using a knife and helps prevent too much waste. Simply hold the spoon firmly and use it to scrape the surface of the ginger to remove the skin. Once you’ve got the hang of this method, you can try it out in loads of delicious dishes, including this easy Indian-style baked chicken. Yum!

Finely chopping harder veg can be tricky, so swap to a box grater for ease and speed. It is safer than a knife but you will still need to be careful as the grater is sharp – hold on tight and keep your fingers out of the way. Practise this great hack by making Buddy’s easy meatballs.

And how do you stop onions from making you cry? Buddy insists that wearing goggles and a facemask works. Give it a go for this fantastic fajita recipe and see what you think…

And if that’s got you itching to get in the kitchen, check out our favourite recipes to cook with the whole family here.