If you liked this and want to see other episodes, all the kitchen hack testing videos are in this playlist (you'll want to grab the popcorn!) ua-cam.com/play/PLfItiEY3o1mtJvIdfPhp-sZXfBqF9q24V.html
I always enjoy your videos. Barry. I have to say that the straw vacuum pack is something I have been doing that for some years now. Such a useful too and method.
i miss the sting logo but the channel reboot is needed when transitioned to the new kitchen set. glad you moved the end patreon sting to midway as it being missing from last weeks batch felt off.
The reason the cork broke is because you're supposed to heat the bottle below the cork, causing the air to expand, and push the cork out. Heating the cork weakened it, causing it to break.
Also, when she says "you've corked it" that's not what a wine being "corked" means. If a wine is "corked" it means the cork has gone dry and brittle and shrinks and lets air into the bottle and the wine goes off as well as bacteria growing in the wine, which causes it to smell and taste bad. It has nothing to do with bits of cork in the bottle etc, it's a common misconception. Hence, in a fancy restaurant they open the wine for you to taste to check if corked, not whether you like the wine or not, that's irrelevant - if you chose the wine and it's not corked, you can't then say you don't like it, that's not why you're tasting it.
Hi both! Another way for the vacuum hack: submerge the bag with the opening facing up in water, again only having a tiny gap open. Submerge as much as you can, the water pressure will push the air out. This way, there are no cheese gags, plus you can use it on other products, such as raw meat!
That would be way better and much more hygienic. If the goal is to preserve food for longer by vacuum sealing it don't put your mouth or breath that close to it. Sounds like a good recipe for bacterial growth.
@@asparagus3337 I've never heard of it before and it probably does work short term. As someone who does a lot of home preserving I could just see there being a higher chance of mould forming sooner in those food products if a straw was used.
I was watching this video on tv and found the it on my phone just to comment this exact tip! 🤣🤣 I use this water hack when dividing up bulk packs of meat or when freezing breast milk, works so well!
I thought the straw in the zip lock bag was a pretty common thing. We've been doing that for a very long time, especially when we didn't have a vacuum sealer and wanted to pack things for the freezer.
The straw and the vacuum seal has been going around for years, so that person didn't think of it themselves. You can also get the same effect by putting the bag in water and then sealing it up. Also you can buy silicone cup cake holders so surely they would work a lot better for poached eggs?
@@mrbarrylewis Or even better stop buying breakfast cereal, which is pretty much basically sugar and starch, with nothing else added other than what comes with the milk. Oats is both cheaper, better and more filling, and you can do it in a microwave in under 2 minutes for a 500ml cupful.
for the straw/vacuum seal bag one, I find that using a flexible plastic straw helps a lot, since you can sort of pinch the area where the straw goes in the bag, which provides a better seal around the straw, and you pinch hard when you retrieve the straw, to prevent air from going back in. It's what I used to use before getting a proper vacuum machine
This was highly entertaining 😂 Mrs. B’s expressions are worthy of the big screen ! Loved the cereal box hack the others were fails. But that’s life in a test kitchen 😅❤❤❤
Similar to the cupcake eggs. Just put them in a muffin tin and bake them. If you scramble the egg and add meat and veg you can freeze the extras for a quick breakfast snack. And to get a tight seal, put the bag into the sink with water. It pushes it all out.
Once you practice the straw trick a bit it gets most of the air out, is quicker and nothing has to get wet. It's really better suited to smaller bags, though.
That seal trick has been around for a decade. I saw a pinterest of this mid 00 early 10. There is also lowering the ziplock down into a pot of water ... this will push most of the air out of it. I have uses this to better freeze meats.
I've got a somewhat relevant kitchen hack: Have you ever been in a situation where you've uncorked a bottle of wine and the cork's broken and there are small bits of cork in there? Grab a sieve, a coffee filter, and a jug. Put filter in sieve, put on top of jug, filter wine through, put filtered wine back in bottle. I don't drink coffee, but I have filter paper just for this reason.
The best way to air seal a bag is to leave the top open, lower it into some water, not above the lip of course, and then close it. The pressure from the water pushes all the air out and it seals wonderfully.
my grandma taught me how to self vacuum seal lunch bags back in the 80s. and how to put pillows and things in a trash bag and use your vacuum to vacuum seal them
Please use safety goggles if there's a chance the wine bottle will break! It's unlikely glass will get in your eye, but if it does, it will go REALLY BAD. Bonus points for using thicker work gloves, too.
I have been doing my own vacuum sealing like that for along time 20 plus years. Plastic straws help because you can flatten them when its time to pull it out. Also pancakes in a rice cooker.
We used to do the vacuum hack ages ago. Not just with bags but with chips/crispbags. (when going on a weekend away with not enough space in the bag) poke a hole with a needle, such out the air with your mouth and stick tape on the hole.
I have done the vacuum bag with a straw back in the day with hamburger patties. It's gross no matter what you try. Love your shows especially with Mrs B❤
I've had the Ikea freezer bags, squashed a lot of air out of them (not food but knitting yarn) and they eventually expanded again so they didn't hold the seal well enough to be airtight. It would have been interesting to see if the seal held for long enough to be worth the effort.
Silicone cupcake molds would probably be a bit safer to use for your trick. Actually my family has some similar looking silicone egg poaching cups with handles (heart and daisy shaped) that work fabulously. However, we bought them a decade ago and I've not been able to find them anymore! 😭
When I was a kid, I didn't like cheese, so my parents duped me into eating it by grating boiled eggs as well as cheese, mixing it together and putting it on buttered bread and under the grill, some salt and pepper, and it was my favorite thing ever
For the cupcake hack, they sell actual pans for that too, it's just a double boiler with little cups in the top layer. I don't have one anymore, but I have little steel ingredient bowls I use. I do the seal trick already too, but without the straw.
Ah right, maybe the folks just hadn't seen it, I haven't either. I think you can do something like that with water too, i'll try and find it for a future attempt!
The shredded boiled egg is a great hack for egg mayo, especially I you're making it with small chrlildren who aren't old enough to use a chopping knife but still want to help in the kitchen 😃
the cereal box hack is yet another hack which adds another step and complexity to a simple existing solution. Emptying stuff into a box which you will then have to empty somewhere else (assuming you recycle!) instead of simply emptying the board directly into the bin/food bin :)
Another way to get air out of a zip-lock bag is to place it in water. Leave the partial open zip above the water. Then use the straw. Cork popping is always about heating the gas, not the Cork. The gas expansion is doing the work.
I’ve done this straw hack it was probably wasn’t food handling ohs correct but I used to have $125au budget for a fortnight for 6 clients in a disability house ( yep it’s a ridiculous budget) this included all meals so I used to but snack zip lock bags and bought large packets of chips /crisps , it saved my budget so much money
My mum used to make meals for the freezer and had all her kids sucking the air out with straws. I use that hack today. My grandkids think it's fun to do.
You can vacuum pack by putting the bag in water to squeeze out the air and then seal it, just seal it most of the way, put it in a bowl/sink of water until the air is expelled and seal it, only issue is, I wouldn’t have the amazing still picture that I have right now of you and Mrs B as I paused the video to comment ❤ Personally, I use a vacuum pack system with bags and containers and it totally extends the life of products, but, I did check what can be vacuum packed and ways of preserving the stuff that can’t to make salad stuff last longer. ❤
My grandma used a straw to remove air from freezer bags when I was a kid (I'm 46 now) If I'm not mistaking, they used to sell the bags with straws too. Not sure.
If you have lots of hardboiled eggs, try peeling them and putting them in dill pickle(gerkin) brine. Leave them for at least a week before eating. I have also put them in pickled beets brine. The straw trick is an old one.
Using a bowl of water to vacuum seal is so much easier and will cause an actual vacuum. The moment you stop sucking on the straw, air is flowing back in, no matter how quickly you seal it off.
Wonderful, although none are of any use in my household, got a plastic waste caddy, if you open cheese it will all be gone in an hour, I have an egg poaching insert for my frying pan (6 eggs) and the pancake one I have already seen that debunked. Fun to chuckle along with you both though :)
I have tried “poaching” eggs in silicone moulds and was amazed that with the paper moulds the eggs did not stick to the paper. The silicone case has ridges and the egg whites stick, maybe you could line the silicone ones with the paper!
For the pancake one, you can clearly see where it's touched a pan on the top pancake in the 'hack.' If it had really been done in an air fryer, the color would be a slow fade like the ones you got.
If you liked this and want to see other episodes, all the kitchen hack testing videos are in this playlist (you'll want to grab the popcorn!) ua-cam.com/play/PLfItiEY3o1mtJvIdfPhp-sZXfBqF9q24V.html
Your videos always make my day Barry!
I always enjoy your videos. Barry. I have to say that the straw vacuum pack is something I have been doing that for some years now. Such a useful too and method.
i miss the sting logo but the channel reboot is needed when transitioned to the new kitchen set. glad you moved the end patreon sting to midway as it being missing from last weeks batch felt off.
i think the poached egg trick would have worked better with silicone cupcake moulds
The reason the cork broke is because you're supposed to heat the bottle below the cork, causing the air to expand, and push the cork out. Heating the cork weakened it, causing it to break.
Was shouting that at the screen 😂
@@d49785 haha, me too!
Was going to type the same thing!
Also, when she says "you've corked it" that's not what a wine being "corked" means. If a wine is "corked" it means the cork has gone dry and brittle and shrinks and lets air into the bottle and the wine goes off as well as bacteria growing in the wine, which causes it to smell and taste bad. It has nothing to do with bits of cork in the bottle etc, it's a common misconception. Hence, in a fancy restaurant they open the wine for you to taste to check if corked, not whether you like the wine or not, that's irrelevant - if you chose the wine and it's not corked, you can't then say you don't like it, that's not why you're tasting it.
@@dominiccrimmings6925 I never knew that! Thank you for such a well written explanation.
Hi both! Another way for the vacuum hack: submerge the bag with the opening facing up in water, again only having a tiny gap open. Submerge as much as you can, the water pressure will push the air out.
This way, there are no cheese gags, plus you can use it on other products, such as raw meat!
That would be way better and much more hygienic. If the goal is to preserve food for longer by vacuum sealing it don't put your mouth or breath that close to it. Sounds like a good recipe for bacterial growth.
@@ozfroggirl9221 the straw method was standard in the 70s when everyone was getting a freezer. So far as I'm aware, it never killed anyone. ❄
@@asparagus3337 I've never heard of it before and it probably does work short term. As someone who does a lot of home preserving I could just see there being a higher chance of mould forming sooner in those food products if a straw was used.
I was watching this video on tv and found the it on my phone just to comment this exact tip! 🤣🤣 I use this water hack when dividing up bulk packs of meat or when freezing breast milk, works so well!
Silicon cupcake cases would probably work better as they are more sturdy
Yes we actually have some too!
100%. So confused as to why he thought paper would hold up in boiling water
I find the egg poaching insert for my frying pan works best...
silicone is heat resistant.
@@1donutatday Because it’s made of baking parchment not normal paper 😂
That's one MASSIVE box... I don't think i ever saw cereal boxes that big in local shops. Ours are usually about half the thickness and at best as wide
haha well they used to be much bigger and now it's crazy how small they are getting for the price!
I thought the straw in the zip lock bag was a pretty common thing. We've been doing that for a very long time, especially when we didn't have a vacuum sealer and wanted to pack things for the freezer.
Since they came out, pretty much.
lol I was thinking the same thing.
Alton Brown has been doing the straw hack for years and years on his cooking shows
And if I remember correctly Household Hacker covered it as well.
Ever since I started Sous Vide cooking I've seen that straw "trick", like over a decade. I actually use it if I'm freezing bread as well.
Yep, that’s where I learned it, from Good Eats!
The straw and the vacuum seal has been going around for years, so that person didn't think of it themselves. You can also get the same effect by putting the bag in water and then sealing it up. Also you can buy silicone cup cake holders so surely they would work a lot better for poached eggs?
Becky’s BAIIAAH absolutely cracked me up 😂
been doing the ziplock straw thing since my mom showed me as a kid, so like 25 years, its great.
YAY! Love it when MRS B joins in on the fun!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤
I have a suggestion for the first hack: compost the vegetable scraps and recycle the cereal box.
Not all heroes wear capes! Yep great thought
@@mrbarrylewis Or even better stop buying breakfast cereal, which is pretty much basically sugar and starch, with nothing else added other than what comes with the milk. Oats is both cheaper, better and more filling, and you can do it in a microwave in under 2 minutes for a 500ml cupful.
Technically, you can compost the cereal box, so you just toss the whole thing into your composter or compost bin.
@@SeanBZA or how about letting people live their life.
@@BelleObscuritePhoto yep great shout
for the straw/vacuum seal bag one, I find that using a flexible plastic straw helps a lot, since you can sort of pinch the area where the straw goes in the bag, which provides a better seal around the straw, and you pinch hard when you retrieve the straw, to prevent air from going back in. It's what I used to use before getting a proper vacuum machine
Nice! Love Hacks videos with you two. More please, Barry! They are great
Cheers, we film when we can it's tricky with her real job lol but we do have a laugh doing them
This was highly entertaining 😂 Mrs. B’s expressions are worthy of the big screen ! Loved the cereal box hack the others were fails. But that’s life in a test kitchen 😅❤❤❤
Been doing the straw vacuum pack hack for years. Such a good hack to seal freshness.
New Barry and Mrs. B always makes my day
Cheers
Similar to the cupcake eggs. Just put them in a muffin tin and bake them. If you scramble the egg and add meat and veg you can freeze the extras for a quick breakfast snack. And to get a tight seal, put the bag into the sink with water. It pushes it all out.
Muffin omelettes!
Once you practice the straw trick a bit it gets most of the air out, is quicker and nothing has to get wet. It's really better suited to smaller bags, though.
the half-hearted "bay-ya" from Mrs. B after Barry says "seal" is the best moment in the entire video.
Closing in on 1 million subs Barry! Been with you since 250k 😊🎉
That seal trick has been around for a decade. I saw a pinterest of this mid 00 early 10. There is also lowering the ziplock down into a pot of water ... this will push most of the air out of it. I have uses this to better freeze meats.
Ah awesome! I was wondering what the water one was, i'd seen something like that before!
I used the straw trick long before there was even an internet, probably in 1970s
I've got a somewhat relevant kitchen hack: Have you ever been in a situation where you've uncorked a bottle of wine and the cork's broken and there are small bits of cork in there?
Grab a sieve, a coffee filter, and a jug. Put filter in sieve, put on top of jug, filter wine through, put filtered wine back in bottle. I don't drink coffee, but I have filter paper just for this reason.
awesome! that's how we saved the wine - no coffee filter though!
What's the filter for? Just to make sure there's no extra tiny bits of cork? Cause the sieve should catch most pieces.
@@Adrian-Maxwell yeah, the extra tiny bits
during that fast forward around 4:50, I think I saw mrs B roll her eyes like three times xD
The best way to air seal a bag is to leave the top open, lower it into some water, not above the lip of course, and then close it. The pressure from the water pushes all the air out and it seals wonderfully.
Always enjoy Mr and Mrs B’s kitchen hacks!
my grandma taught me how to self vacuum seal lunch bags back in the 80s. and how to put pillows and things in a trash bag and use your vacuum to vacuum seal them
Please use safety goggles if there's a chance the wine bottle will break! It's unlikely glass will get in your eye, but if it does, it will go REALLY BAD. Bonus points for using thicker work gloves, too.
You’re right! I can’t believe people risk their eyes/face for a video. 🫣 So not necessary!
I have been doing my own vacuum sealing like that for along time 20 plus years. Plastic straws help because you can flatten them when its time to pull it out.
Also pancakes in a rice cooker.
We used to do the vacuum hack ages ago.
Not just with bags but with chips/crispbags.
(when going on a weekend away with not enough space in the bag) poke a hole with a needle, such out the air with your mouth and stick tape on the hole.
I laughed so much at this episode! Mrs. B’s face while you tried to explain the poaching plan, inhaling the cheese gas, woof!
I have done the vacuum bag with a straw back in the day with hamburger patties. It's gross no matter what you try. Love your shows especially with Mrs B❤
I've had the Ikea freezer bags, squashed a lot of air out of them (not food but knitting yarn) and they eventually expanded again so they didn't hold the seal well enough to be airtight. It would have been interesting to see if the seal held for long enough to be worth the effort.
"They are getting smaller" *Holds up huge cereal box*
Mrs B just has the best expressions! ❤️
Silicone cupcake molds would probably be a bit safer to use for your trick. Actually my family has some similar looking silicone egg poaching cups with handles (heart and daisy shaped) that work fabulously. However, we bought them a decade ago and I've not been able to find them anymore! 😭
For egg poaching I use ramekins. I first spray them with non-stick or rub olive oil on the insides.
I have been doing the straw in the freezer bags for years.. Works good once you get the hang of it.
When I was a kid, I didn't like cheese, so my parents duped me into eating it by grating boiled eggs as well as cheese, mixing it together and putting it on buttered bread and under the grill, some salt and pepper, and it was my favorite thing ever
Thanks Barry & Mrs B 😂👍
The straw hack, I have done this for 40 years.
I do a lot of freezing and it helps keep it fresh, nice to see it being used.
Cheese optional
Mrs B’s face with the wine hack, the PTSD 😭😭
lol yep we still saved her the wine though think that was what she was most worried about
@@mrbarrylewis I've had a cork break and yup just pushed in the bottom half. Wine is still good - but you do have to finish it now.
@@melissalambert7615 Mrs B will not mind that
I don't know what to think of the fact that when you knocked the bottle over it made me laugh maniacally.
we were doing straw 'vacuum' freezer bags back in the '70s!
Hey barry you make me laugh even times are hard but everytime i watch your videos they make me laugh love you barry
Hey, thanks a bunch really appreciate that and glad the videos can help in some way
For the cupcake hack, they sell actual pans for that too, it's just a double boiler with little cups in the top layer. I don't have one anymore, but I have little steel ingredient bowls I use.
I do the seal trick already too, but without the straw.
OH My hahaha Mrs. B had me rolling with laughter thanks Mrs. B 🤣🤣
Love mrs B's scared/worried face, she always looks terrified lol poor mrs B
An alternative for the poached eggs, you can get a poaching pan that has little cups in it for each egg. Mom used to have one that did a whole dozen.
You gotta hold your finger over the end of the straw when you take a breath. Lol. The air is just going back in the bag. 😂
Yay another video from my favorite internet couple 😀
Ohhhh you've got the same straws as me! Rainbow metal straws for life.
The straw thing I do that all the time, usually with muffins I'm going to freeze. It works great!
The straw trick to make a vacuum in a bag has been around for years. Still a useful hack if you don't have a vacuum sealer.
Ah right, maybe the folks just hadn't seen it, I haven't either. I think you can do something like that with water too, i'll try and find it for a future attempt!
@@mrbarrylewis It's also most useful with a baggie that doesn't have the zipper as that can ever so slightly let sure back in over time.
I've been doing the straw vacuum seal for years. It works great
The crock one is giving me flashback to you two tried to open a wine bottle a kitchen torch.
I can't wait till you get 1M subscribers!
Cereal cardboard box with food scraps can be put straight to compost bins in your garden (if you’re a gardener).
Hey Barry, I also "invented" a vacuum bag hack. Just nearly close itz and then hoover over the small opening.
The human vacuum seal really works well, I've been doing it for years. You have to be quick and seal the plastic back as you are removing the straw.
I’ve done the straw/baggie hack for years on my ground beef!!
My aunt’s been doing the straw vacuum hack for decades. 😂 Good for those that haven’t seen it, I reckon.
The shredded boiled egg is a great hack for egg mayo, especially I you're making it with small chrlildren who aren't old enough to use a chopping knife but still want to help in the kitchen 😃
I think I'd rather my grandchild use a knife than a grater
Mrs. B so begrudgingly agreeing that the wine hack 'worked' at the very end was so hilarious, omg
I have been doing the straw hack for many years. Vacuum packers were not always the norm in houses. Learned this in the 80's.
Nice one granny
the cereal box hack is yet another hack which adds another step and complexity to a simple existing solution. Emptying stuff into a box which you will then have to empty somewhere else (assuming you recycle!) instead of simply emptying the board directly into the bin/food bin :)
I've done the sucking air out trick to keep baked goods fresh and as long as you don't spittle in the bag it's way easier to not use the straw
Another way to get air out of a zip-lock bag is to place it in water. Leave the partial open zip above the water. Then use the straw.
Cork popping is always about heating the gas, not the Cork. The gas expansion is doing the work.
I’ve done this straw hack it was probably wasn’t food handling ohs correct but I used to have $125au budget for a fortnight for 6 clients in a disability house ( yep it’s a ridiculous budget) this included all meals so I used to but snack zip lock bags and bought large packets of chips /crisps , it saved my budget so much money
The poached eggs in cupcake cases are best done with silicone cases. That's how I do mine, they don't distort like paper ones 🙂
I was very surprised they used paper ones. Silikon cases are amazing for so many different uses! 😃
lol the straw bag hack has been around for ever
I've done the straw in the zip bag for years 😊
you two are hilarious
Have been doing the straw hack with ziplock bags for ever.
Been doing the straw hack the 70's... Damn I'm old... Going away now...😂
The silicon cupcake holders would probably work great for the egg hack.
I have been doing that ziplock hack for as long as I can remember. I even remember it was printed on the box of ziplock bags
I miss my air fryer..I wore it out. Loved it
Mrs's B's look at the egg rant was like i wish i could fastforward IRL
My mum used to make meals for the freezer and had all her kids sucking the air out with straws. I use that hack today. My grandkids think it's fun to do.
I’ve done that straw hack for the longest it’s fast and convenient
You can vacuum pack by putting the bag in water to squeeze out the air and then seal it, just seal it most of the way, put it in a bowl/sink of water until the air is expelled and seal it, only issue is, I wouldn’t have the amazing still picture that I have right now of you and Mrs B as I paused the video to comment ❤ Personally, I use a vacuum pack system with bags and containers and it totally extends the life of products, but, I did check what can be vacuum packed and ways of preserving the stuff that can’t to make salad stuff last longer. ❤
I've done the hack with the straw to get the air out of bags before. I did it when I froze vegetables after parboiling
family has used the straw trick for over 50yrs on the farm before freezing .. fresh peas, snap beans....
My grandma used a straw to remove air from freezer bags when I was a kid (I'm 46 now) If I'm not mistaking, they used to sell the bags with straws too. Not sure.
Alton Brown has been doing this for years.
If you have lots of hardboiled eggs, try peeling them and putting them in dill pickle(gerkin) brine. Leave them for at least a week before eating. I have also put them in pickled beets brine. The straw trick is an old one.
I’ve been doing the straw in a bag hack for years. I’ll pass on the poached eggs though 😂
Using a bowl of water to vacuum seal is so much easier and will cause an actual vacuum. The moment you stop sucking on the straw, air is flowing back in, no matter how quickly you seal it off.
Only for Barry and his family I am willing to wait till all the adverts finish! Some are really dreadful. But it is always worth it.
Recommendation for the cupcake cases, foil or silicone ones would be awesome to try
The vacuum seal (bayeeya) on the ziplock.....I've been doing that for years, but you don't even need a straw!
Wonderful, although none are of any use in my household, got a plastic waste caddy, if you open cheese it will all be gone in an hour, I have an egg poaching insert for my frying pan (6 eggs) and the pancake one I have already seen that debunked. Fun to chuckle along with you both though :)
When the bottle fell I jumped and tried to catch it 😂
I have some silicone cake cases and am going to try to do my poached eggs in them .
I have tried “poaching” eggs in silicone moulds and was amazed that with the paper moulds the eggs did not stick to the paper. The silicone case has ridges and the egg whites stick, maybe you could line the silicone ones with the paper!
That was good comedy... the human cheese vacuum. 😂
Love the look on Mrs B's face as you describe what you're going to do. A mix of doubt, fear, and 'are you barmy?'
Maybe silicone cupcake holders will work better?
100% they would!
We were doing the straw in the ziploc bags at home when i was about 12 years old. I'm 50 now
the egg one.. would the silicon cupcake liners be perfect for that? aka much stiffer then paper?
yep
For the pancake one, you can clearly see where it's touched a pan on the top pancake in the 'hack.' If it had really been done in an air fryer, the color would be a slow fade like the ones you got.