Take a look at these simple and clever kitchen hacks

Life at university can become stressful, especially when you've got deadlines here, there and everywhere. The last thing you want to do is spend more time than you need to in the kitchen. 

To save you wasting time on boring tasks, why not take a look a look at these simple and clever kitchen hacks to make your life just that little bit easier?

Check if an egg's gone off

We've all been there, we fancy a nice breakfast but the eggs have been in the fridge ages and are past the sell-by date. Don't chuck them out just yet, though. There's a handy way to check whether your eggs are a-okay! Grab the eggs you want to eat and place them in a glass (or pan) of water, if they sink they're fine, if they float then you should avoid them. 

Separate your eggs with a plastic bottle

Some recipes require you to separate your egg whites from the yolk, which can prove to be a difficult task. Make it easier for yourself by grabbing an old plastic bottle and touching the yolk with the top of the bottle. Once touching, squeeze the sides of the bottle and it should suck up the yolk and leave the white behind. Yes, it really does work!

Open a tight jar lid with a rubber band

Jar lids can be tough to get into, but you might not always have someone around to come to the rescue - which means it's high time you learn to do it yourself! Luckily, there are plenty of household items that can help you get a better grip on the lid and get to the goods. Wrap a rubber band around the lid and turn and it should come off, alternatively use plastic wrap or put on some rubber gloves. If those don't work then bash the lid with a wooden spoon to loosen the seal. 

Boil water faster

Rice and pasta will form the base of many a meal at university, which means a lot of waiting around for the water to boil in the pan. Speed up the process by boiling the kettle and pouring straight into the pan, with the hob on medium-high heat - it shouldn't take too long now! If you want to do it the original way, put the pan lid on to keep that heat inside. 

Damp tea towel under a slippy chopping board 

There's nothing worse than prepping your veg and the chopping board's moving all over the place, especially if your knife skills aren't the best. To prevent the board from moving, grab a tea towel, wet it and wring it out and place it under the chopping board. The board will keep still and you'll be able to chop a lot easier and all your fingers will still be intact!

Drain water without a sieve or colander

You don't need a sieve or colander to drain your pasta, all you need to do is get the lid on the pan and leave a small space for the water to escape. Then turn upside down whilst keeping a firm grip on the lid to make sure no pasta falls out. Don't worry if there's a little bit of pasta water left - it actually helps to bind the sauce!

Peel ginger with a spoon

Now, you could always get ready-made sliced ginger in a jar to save you the effort, but that can cost more and with this hack, you might as well save the pennies - just use a spoon! Wash your ginger, and then grab an old spoon and scrape the skin off with it. The more you do it, the quicker you'll get and a fresh bit of ginger will always be tastier than the jarred stuff. 

Hull a strawberry with a straw

If you're trying to prepare a treat with a load of strawberries, you might want to know a quicker way to remove the leafy tops. Don't fret, just grab yourself a regular drinking straw and poke it from the bottom of the fruit right through to the top. It should remove the whole leaf and leave you with perfect strawberries! 

These hacks will save you time and effort - try some of them when you're next in the kitchen.