We Tested These 15 Popular Tips: Are They Mindblowing or Not?

I’ll confess that I’m a bit of a skeptic when I come across very off-the-wall cooking tips that are supposed to blow my mind, so when I started writing here at The Kitchn, trying out some of these tips was really fun.

Here are 15 popular tips that we put to the test. Find out if they were duds or world-rocking techniques that we’ll actually be using in our cooking!

We’re always searching for the best tips on how to easily peel hard-boiled eggs, but there are also some crazy things that we just had to test out, like if a shoe can really open a bottle of wine. And hey, is it really necessary to rinse your quinoa before you cook it?

• Can You Really Open a Wine Bottle with a Shoe?
• Can You Make Stovetop Popcorn with Water Instead of Oil?
• Can You Really Make Whipped Cream with Just a Mason Jar?
• Do You Need to Dimple Burger Patties So They Stay Flat?
• Can You Make Powdered Sugar at Home?
• Do You Really Need to Rinse Quinoa Before Cooking It?

• Can You Really Use a Pillowcase to Dry Lettuce?
• Can You Really Peel a Mango with a Drinking Glass?
• Does Cutting a Lemon Lengthwise Really Give You More Juice?
• Can You Really Use Your Microwave to Shuck Corn?
• Does Blanching the Basil Really Make Pesto Stay Green for Longer?
• Can You Quickly Ripen Bananas in the Oven for Last-Minute Banana Bread?

• Can You Use an Empty Water Bottle to Easily Separate Eggs?
• Is the Best Way to Make Easy-to-Peel Eggs in the Pressure Cooker?
• Are Hard-Boiled Eggs Easier to Peel If You Add Baking Soda to the Water?

* * *