Food
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Tear chip bags open from the bottom or invert them to mix seasoning that has collected at the base.
Seasoning drops to the bottom during transport; opening from the bottom lets it fall through and coat the chips.
- Some people prefer the concentrated seasoning at the bottom.
- Some report no noticeable difference in flavor.
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- Turn the chip bag upside down or shake it before opening to spread out the seasoning.9
Use kitchen scissors to cut pizza.
Scissors are faster, easier, and better for pizzas with many ingredients than knives or cutters.
- Keep scissors clean and reserved for food prep only to avoid mechanical grease.
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Place a small ice cream carton inside a wide coffee mug to keep hands warm and improve grip.
Avoids cold fingers and prevents ice from melting onto clothes.
- Large containers like Ben & Jerry's may not fit in normal mugs.
- Adds an extra dish to wash.
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Use two tortillas for each taco—either by wrapping a hard shell in a soft one or using two soft shells—to help keep fillings inside.
Provides extra support.
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Check the fat percentage on the label and look for 15-20% by weight.
This ensures it is real ice cream rather than a frozen dessert.
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Pour warm milk into a nearly empty Nutella jar and shake it to create a hot chocolate mixture.
Pour snacks from their packaging into a bowl before eating.
Eating directly from the container obscures how much you are consuming and can lead to mindless eating; it also prevents the food from smelling like dirty hands.
- This approach may not work for ice cream; one person found they ate more when using a bowl but only a few bites when eating straight from the carton.
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Insert a fork between the cream layers of an Oreo before dunking it in milk to keep your hands dry.
This lets you dip the cookie without getting your fingers wet or cold.
- A standard fork may weaken the cohesion and cause regular Oreos to break apart; works best with Double Stuf.
- Some find using utensils less fun or unnecessary, preferring to use fingers.
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Pour warm milk into a nearly empty Nutella jar and shake it to create a hot chocolate mixture.
Hot liquids melt the remaining Nutella so it mixes in.
- Cold milk works if you are lazy, but hot milk works best.
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Run the spoon under warm or hot water before scooping to make the initial scoop easier.
It helps get the first scoop out.
- If using a single spoon, swirl it in warm water before every scoop.
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Drizzle chocolate syrup into the end of a cone or dip the tip in melted chocolate, then let it harden to create a seal.
Prevents leaking.
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Cut the two corners of a popsicle wrapper back at an angle to open it safely.
Avoids cuts that could leave scars.
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Shake a box of Junior Mints before purchasing to check if they have melted into a solid mass.
This ensures they are not melty and gross.
- Some people like them melty and gross.
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Crush the granola bar inside its wrapper and eat the resulting crumbs directly.
Your mouth will turn it into crumbs regardless.
- This method may cause coughing.
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Use chopsticks to eat messy snacks like Cheetos.
It prevents orange residue and grease from getting on your fingers.
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Do not overfill your taco to prevent ingredients from spilling out.
Solves problems caused by cramming too much food into one shell.
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Fold NY-style pizza with the toppings facing outward.
It keeps the bread less soggy.
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Stack leftover pizza slices face-to-face in the fridge to retain moisture.
This locks in moisture.
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Scoop only the amount you intend to eat into a bowl and return the rest to the freezer immediately.
Warming and refreezing causes heat shock that ruins taste and texture.
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Keep small dental floss containers provided by dentists in a handy place for cleaning teeth on the go.
Dental floss works best for this purpose.
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Consider ordering extra sauce on chain-restaurant pizzas if you plan to eat them cold or reheat them later.
The added moisture prevents the pizza from becoming dry.
- Some people do not like extra sauce.
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Mix granola with yogurt.
It makes it easier to eat without mess.
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Fold down the sides of a reclosable bag before pouring out crumbly contents.
This prevents crumbs from getting into the zip-seal.
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Do not bring unopened bags of chips when traveling up mountains.
The change in elevation can cause the bags to explode.
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- If transporting chips by air or to high elevations, poke a hole in the bag and place it in a container like Tupperware.1
Drink milk before consuming extremely spicy food to help reduce the heat.
Drinking milk beforehand helps a lot.
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Use a large chef's knife to cut straight down through pizza instead of using a rolling cutter.
Rolling cutters often mash the pizza rather than cutting it, causing cheese and toppings to fall off when pulling slices.
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Eat gummy-based sweets immediately after eating popcorn.
This helps remove kernels stuck in teeth.
- Gummy candy itself may get stuck in teeth.
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Pour milk into a shallow bowl instead of a tall glass when dunking cookies.
It provides a better surface area for dunking while allowing you to drink from a separate glass.
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Use a Victorinox chef's knife for cutting pizza.
It is affordable, easy to find online, and comes razor sharp.
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Place the flipped cereal bag back into the box immediately while it is still slender to prevent the box from becoming bulky.
Shaking or handling the bag too much before placing it back results in a frumpy sack that makes the box fat.
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Invert canned foods when storing them to improve the distribution of product and liquid.
Liquids rise to the top since canning and shipping; inverting the cans helps equalize this.
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Rinse the pizza cutter immediately under hot water after use.
This prevents food from hardening on the blade, saving time and effort later.
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Order pizza cut into squares for large crowds to reduce individual consumption.
Square slices are floppy and dripping without crust support, which discourages eating them.
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Transfer cereal to a larger, airtight, reusable container.
It allows you to mix the ingredients and avoids having multiple boxes on hand.
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Order Domino's Hawaiian pizza with single ham and triple pineapple.
This provides the best Hawaiian ratio at Domino's.
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Place a tortilla at the bottom of the plate before assembling nachos; once the nachos are eaten, fold the remaining toppings into the tortilla for a taco.
Prevents cheese from melting to the plate and creates a delicious taco from leftovers.
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- Place an empty tortilla or chips beneath your taco while eating to catch falling ingredients, creating a secondary snack.6
If making fresh cones, insert a marshmallow immediately after cooking so it melts slightly and fills gaps better.
The heat causes the marshmallow to melt slightly and fill in better.
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Empty chip bags into a bowl or Tupperware container before eating.
This reduces noise.
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Inspect every pitted olive, cherry, or similar food item for pits before biting.
Labels may be inaccurate, risking tooth damage.
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Freeze popsicles standing up rather than horizontally.
This makes them easier to open.
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Align ridged potato chips perpendicular to the dip surface when dipping.
This minimizes the chips' tendency to break.
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Open chip bags with the shower running, underwater, or buried under a pillow to muffle the sound.
The pillow blocks sound waves; the shower masks noise.
- Opening bags underwater may cause other problems.
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Play loud media to mask the sound of opening a chip bag.
So they can't hear the chip bag
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Reheat leftover pizza in a frying pan or skillet instead of a microwave.
This restores a crispy crust.
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Check if your microwave has a mute button to silence beeps when making late-night snacks.
Many microwaves have a sound button that mutes both the ending beep and the timer configuration sounds.
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Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of any leftover ice cream before closing the lid.
Let ice cream sit out for at least three minutes before serving to soften it.
Serving at freezer temps freezes taste buds; sitting out allows easy scooping.
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Buy ice cream in half-gallon or larger containers for a lower price per volume.
Larger sizes are much cheaper and ice cream is slow to perish.
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Keep ice cream tightly sealed to prevent dry air from pulling out moisture and causing freezer burn.
Dry air pulls moisture out of exposed ice cream, forming ice crystals known as freezer burn.
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Buy Turkey Hill All Natural ice cream if it is available in your area.
One person reported it was the best store-bought ice cream they had tried.
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Press the middle of an ice cream lid before buying; if it gives way, the product likely melted and refroze during transit.
Melting and refreezing causes a freezer burn effect.
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Ask for your favorite ice cream flavor first when ordering multiple scoops so it fills the bottom of the cone.
Servers typically place flavors in the order requested, meaning the first flavor occupies most of the cone volume.
- Some argue that choosing flavors based on how well they pair with the cone is a better consideration than prioritizing personal preference.
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Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of any leftover ice cream before closing the lid.
This stops air from contacting the exposed portion, preventing icy crystals and freezer burn.
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Mix leftover Nutella with ice cream to finish the jar.
Ice cream can freeze Nutella, making it difficult to scoop out.
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Choose ice cream with higher fat content to ensure it is made with actual cream rather than mostly whey powder.
Lower fat products are often mostly whey powder instead of actual cream.
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Use beeswax paper as a reusable alternative to plastic wrap for covering ice cream.
It is easier to reuse and does not get stuck together.
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Try Haagen Dazs Vanilla or Vanilla Bean for ice cream without gums.
These varieties contain no gums.
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Use an almost empty Nutella jar as a vessel for ice cream, eating it straight from the container.
- Cold ice cream does not mix well with the remaining Nutella because it hardens.
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Defrost your freezer when you see snow on the walls to reduce humidity buildup.
Humidity buildup causes ice crystal formation.
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Look for products labeled 'Ice Cream' rather than 'Frozen Dairy Dessert' to ensure higher quality.
Anything labeled 'Ice Cream' is considered good to go.
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Use pasteurized cream instead of ultra-pasteurized cream for better whipping results.
Ultra-pasteurization uses higher temperatures that structurally change the cream, preventing it from whipping as well.
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Eat ice cream from an insulated aluminum cup to keep a consistent frozen texture throughout consumption.
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