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Slice a Bazillion Cherry Tomatoes in Half (and Other Amazing Food Hacks)
By Lynn Andriani
<div class="article-content-container"> <div class="top-content"> <div class="addthis_share"> <span class="addthis_share_button at-svc-facebook" data-service="facebook"></span> <span class="addthis_share_button at-svc-twitter" data-service="twitter"></span> <span class="addthis_share_button at-svc-pinterest_share" data-service="pinterest" data-description="Slice a Bazillion Cherry Tomatoes in Half (and Other Amazing Food Hacks)" data-media=""></span> </div> <div class="article-body"> <div class="article-listview-wrapper"> <div class="article-text-content"> <h3><b>Safely Slice in a Matter of Seconds</b></h3> <br> Slicing a cup or more of grapes, or cherry or grape tomatoes, can be a painstaking task, but whole ones just won't do for a Waldorf chicken salad or other dish you're serving to guests. This hack, which we spotted on <a href="https://food52.com/blog/4179-a-hack-for-slicing-cherry-tomatoes" target="_blank">Food52</a> and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/25/cutting-grapes-in-half_n_5528891.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>, has you place the grapes or tomatoes on a plate or the lid of a plastic container, then cover them with another plate or lid. Using a serrated knife, cut horizontally, between the plates/lids, as you hold down the top lid, going right through the produce. </div> </div> <div class="article-listview-wrapper"> <div class="article-text-content"> <h3><b>Peel 40 Cloves of Garlic in Less Than 40 Seconds</b></h3> <br> <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic-recipe.html" target="_blank">Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic</a> is a magnificent example of how good lots and lots (and lots!) of garlic can taste. Sounds like a lot of work, but peeling all those cloves was never a chore after we watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3oc24fD-c" target="_blank">this brilliant video from <i>Saveur</i></a>. Two big food-prep bowls are all you need; put the separated cloves inside one and lay the other on top like a dome, then hold them together tightly and shake. The jouncing and friction removes the peels in a flash. </div> </div> <div class="article-listview-wrapper"> <div class="article-text-content"> <h3><b>Use Science to Make Every Slice of Cake as Fresh as the First One</b></h3> <br> Cutting a slice of a round cake in the traditional way (i.e., into a wedge) yields a perfectly edible dessert, but as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBU9N35ZHIw" target="_blank">this eye-opening video from mathematics expert Alex Bellos</a> points out, if you store the leftover cake in the refrigerator overnight, a slice the next day will be dry and often tasteless on the side that was exposed to air. You can avoid that by making the first slice through the center of the cake (it'll be long and narrow instead of wedge-shaped). Then push the two sides together, secure with a rubber band (you can cover it with plastic wrap first, if you prefer), and the next day, the area that would've been dry will instead be just as moist as it was the day before. </div> </div> <div class="article-listview-wrapper"> <div class="article-text-content"> <h3><b>Cube a Watermelon Without Breaking a Sweat</b></h3> <br> It can be difficult to turn this refreshing fruit into perfect cubes for skewers or salads. Yet <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/31/how-to-cut-watermelon_n_5637639.html" target="_blank">this technique we spotted on Huffington Post</a> makes it ridiculously simple. The key is to use the rind to your advantage; the peel actually ends up doing a lot of the work for you if you keep it largely in tact while you cube the fruit inside. Seeing this move in action is the best way to understand it, but the general idea is to make two long slices down each side of the melon without cutting all the way through. Then, as you would do when eating a halved grapefruit, use a knife to separate the flesh from the rind. Make crisscross cuts through the entire center, tip the melon and perfect cubes will fall right out. </div> </div> <div class="article-listview-wrapper"> <div class="article-text-content"> <h3><b>Take Hot Dogs to a New Level</b></h3> <br> Throwing a dog on a grill is not exactly rocket science, but there is a simple way to make the classic taste even better (and look even more appealing), resulting in a straight dog that won't curve and lays flat, thus charring all over and fitting nicely into a bun. All you need, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyieI2bxyIk" target="_blank">as this Chow video shows</a>, is a skewer and a knife. You thread the stick all the way through the hot dog, cut spirals all the way around, and cook it on a grill or even in a pan on the stove. Thanks to the cuts, the dog has more surface area than an uncut one would, so more of its skin gets crispy; plus, the slices form perfect nooks and crannies for condiments. (This fun trick works with sausages, too.) </div> </div> <div class="publicgood_wrapper"></div> <div class="article-text-byline">Published <span class="feedID_pagedate">01/20/2015</span></div> <div class="outbrain_wrapper"> <div class="OUTBRAIN" data-ob-template="Oprah"></div> <div class="article_next"> <img class='next_thumb' src="https://static.oprah.com/images/o2/201311-orig-skillet-burger-949x534.jpg"> <p>NEXT STORY</p> <img alt="Next Story" src="https://static.oprah.com/css/OWN_2/content_stream/gfc_nextstory_arrow.png"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article-right related-articles"> <div id="main_ad" class="content_ad"> <p class="section_ad__text"></p> <div data-adunit="true" data-adunit-size="300x250,300x256" data-adunit-size-mobile="300x250,300x50,300x256" data-adunit-position="main"></div> </div> <div id="main2_ad" class="content_ad"> <p class="section_ad__text"></p> <div data-adunit="true" data-adunit-size="300x250,300x257,300x600,300x1050" data-adunit-size-mobile="300x250,300x50,300x257" data-adunit-position="main2"></div> </div> <div class="subscribe-widget--narrow"><form class="subscribe-widget" method="post"> <input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe" /> <input type="hidden" name="sg_name" value="food" /> <div class="subscribe-widget__row"> <span class="subscribe-widget__icon"></span> <span class="subscribe-widget__heading" role="heading">Subscribe to the <span>food</span> newsletter</span> <span class="subscribe-widget__heading--ocom">Sign up for the oprah.com food newsletter</span> <div class="subscribe-widget__email_consent">By entering your email address, you agree to our <a href="/terms_and_conditions.html" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a> and acknowledge the <a href="/privacy_policy.html" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a>. 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