Who doesn't love a good trick? Sometimes life can get a little too hectic, and simplifying everyday things might leave you with some much-needed time on your hands. Nowadays, people come up with some of the most inventive hacks that sincerely work wonders – however, with the number of ideas skyrocketing online, sometimes it's hard to tell whether any are worth trying at all. 

Many of us find prepping meals a tad bit too time-consuming, and we're constantly on the lookout to make this whole process more manageable. We're willing to try out those "genius" hacks that promise to make kitchen time much less stressful – yet, let's face it, most of them either overcomplicate things or are downright pointless.  

"What cooking 'hack' do you hate?" – this netizen turned to Reddit's r/Cooking community to start an open discussion. They revealed their most dreaded cooking tricks; for instance, store-bought herb pastes, anything that’s supposed to make peeling boiled eggs easier, and any microwaveable recipes, such as mug cakes. The post has managed to garner over 5K upvotes and 3.1K comments discussing so-called life-changing kitchen hacks that, in reality, don’t work. 

More info: Reddit

#1 Leveling Up Instant Ramen

"Level-up your instant ramen" by cooking an entire f*****g meal from scratch and then incorporating the noodles.

This isn't a hack. This is just cooking.

Image credits: HeyItsMau

#2 One-Sheet-Pan Dinner Recipes

My pet peeve is the 'one sheet pan dinner' recipe videos where they spread everything out on the pan, THEN add oil and seasonings AS UNEVENLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE and just shuffle around poorly with their hands.

just toss it all in a big bowl beforehand, goddamn

Image credits: mah_ree

#3 Any Hack That Appears On Tiktok

Any hack that appears on TikTok gets an instant NO from me. I swear that place makes everything more complicated than it should be, or validates some people's horrific food ideas.

Chopping board, chef's knife, peeler, mixing bowl, frying pan, saucepan/stockpot- 90%+ of kitchen jobs can be solved with these. Good quality ones - you use them every day, so invest in them.

Source: ex-chef from a 2 Michelin star kitchen.

Image credits: Lt_Forks

#4 Cutting Cake With Wine Glasses

Those tiktok people who think cutting cake with a wineglass is somehow easier or convenient.

Image credits: BridgetteBane

#5 Cooking Things In The Dishwasher

Cooking things in the dishwasher. That started in the 70s, now it's a tik tok thing, but it's always stupid.

Image credits: TheLadyEve

#6 Using A Plastic Water Bottle To Separate Egg Yolks

Using a plastic water bottle to separate egg yolks. And by extension, using any tool to separate yolks. Just use your hands.

Image credits: Ok_Chapter8131

#7 Using Mayo Instead Of Butter On A Grilled Cheese

For me it's people saying to use mayo instead of butter on their grilled cheese. Mayo just doesn't provide the flavor or crunch I want. Butter is the way

Image credits: waitthissucks

#8 Random Hummus Hacks

Not that I hate them, but I've tried loads for hummus that don't work.

Blend with ice, blend when chickpeas are hot, used dried/ canned chickpeas, cook them more, take all the skins off, blend the tahini and lemon juice on its own first, soak with baking soda, etc.

Just blend everything together, and make sure there's enough liquid in the blender that it blends properly to get it smooth. Then add salt until it tastes really good

Image credits: Rabaga5t

#9 Creating Frozen Slices Of Peanut Butter To Make PB&J Sandwiches easier

It's not really "cooking" but I saw one that made peanut butter sandwiches 'easier'. It involved creating frozen slices of peanut butter between two small sheets of selophane, which could then be taken out of the freezer and put between bread, and would then melt creating a peanut butter sandwich.

I have no idea how that was less time and effort than just making them the normal way, and it doesn't really extend the shelf life of peanut butter in any meaningful way, and with the added drawback that you can't eat them right away since the peanut butter needs to melt.

Blew my mind for all the wrong reasons.

Image credits: gazhole

#10 5-Minute Crafts Food Hacks

Food hacks that show up on 5 Minutes Crafts

Image credits: Educational-Fan-8475

#11 The Hole In The Center Of The Spaghetti Spoon Is A Single Serving

That the hole in the center of the spaghetti spoon is a single serving. If I wanna eat a whole box I will.

Image credits: Ass2DRegMan

#12 Putting Olive Oil In Pasta While It's Boiling

Putting olive oil in when the pasta is boiling so it doesn't stick. Give that pasta a stir when you put it in the pot and once every few minutes and save your olive oil for salad dressing. If you don't stir the pasta when you drop it in, no amount of olive oil will keep it from sticking anyway.

Image credits: the_nomads

#13 Using A Straw To De-Stem Strawberries

Using a straw to de-stem strawberries by poking a hole through the bottom of the berry.


Just rip it off

Image credits: QQcumber

#14 Peeling Ginger With A Spoon

Peeling ginger with a spoon. I just use a knife and square it off. I’m okay with losing a little bit of it if it means not grabbing a spoon and spending twice as much time prepping it.

Also, a new one I’ve seen is using a cooling rack to dice avocado, mango, egg, etc. whoever came up with that has either never cleaned a cooling rack or doesn’t own a knife.

Agree with the veggie scraps one.

Image credits: gustriandos

#15 Useless Kitchen Gadgets

I hate any gadget that a decent knife and a modicum of coordination can replace. I cook multiple times most days but my wife couldn’t make a wish sandwich if you stacked to pieces of bread on a plate for her. So she always shows me videos of kitchen gadgets she thinks I need. 99 times out of a hundred you can do the same thing with a knife in less time and don’t have an extra hard to clean gadget.

Image credits: Match_Specialist

#16 Breaking Eggs With One Hand

Breaking eggs with one hand. Get out of here with that black magic b******t

Image credits: Snorlax_Sprinkles

#17 Peeling Garlic By Shaking It In A Container

Peeling garlic by shaking it in a container, doesn't work for me. Slicing cherry tomatoes in half by placing a plate on top.

Image credits: Competitive_Dress671

#18 Making Milk Froth For Coffee In An Empty Foaming Hand Soap Bottle

Making milk froth for coffee in an empty foaming hand soap bottle. Just BUY A MILK FROTHER they are like $10 at target

Image credits: PM_ME_SERATONIN

#19 Pulling Stems Of Cilantro Through A Hole To Get The Leaves Off

Pulling stems of cilantro through a hole (in a microplane, grater, colander, etc) to get the leaves off. Has never worked for me. It's much faster for me to just pull the leaves off by hand.

Image credits: okokimup

#20 Microwave Plate Or Tray That's Supposed To Cook An Item Better

Any microwave plate or tray that is supposed to "cook" an item better. Anyone remember the "Bacon Wave" that came out in the 80's? It was a tray that was supposed to cook bacon crisp in the microwave and drain the fat at the same time. Problem was that it splattered grease all over your microwave and took about the same time as it does to pan fry it.

I've seen these for every type of egg dish, bacon, coffee, ramen noodles, steaks, and just about anything else. A pointless waste of money.

And Foreman Grill types of presses. It's an over glorified sandwich press and only good if you have no other cooking options. (I admit I had one when I lived in the barracks and had no access to a kitchen.)

Image credits: atombomb1945

#21 Dumping Dry Pasta, Slices Of Cheese And Milk In A Casserole Dish

Those dumb videos where people dumb dry pasta and slices of cheese and milk in a casserole dish and cook it all at once.

Image credits: FearlessFreak69

#22 Putting Cream In Risotto

Putting cream in risotto

Image credits: NorthernAphid

#23 Using A Garlic Press For Ginger

"Use your garlic press to quickly press ginger as well"

Would not recommend.

Image credits: MrReynevan2

#24 Cooking In The Microwave

Cooking in the microwave. I just don't do it. The microwave for me is for reheating or defrosting only.

Image credits: Ineffable7980x

#25 Saving Veggie Scraps For Broth

I'll go first. I hate saving veggie scraps for broth. I don't like the room it takes up in my freezer, and I don't think the broth tastes as good as it does when you use whole, fresh vegetables.

Honorable mentions:

Store-bought herb pastes. They just don't have the same oomph.

Anything that's supposed to make peeling boiled eggs easier. Everybody has a different one--baking soda, ice bath, there are a hundred different tricks. They don't work.

Microwave anything (mug cakes, etc). The texture is always way off.

Image credits: secret-snakes

#26 Premade Marinades

premade marinades almost always suck. My only exception to date is Soy Vay veri teriyaki.

Image credits: SueBeee

#27 Slicing Mushrooms With An Egg Slicer

Somebody once told me to try using one of those wire egg-slicers to slice mushrooms. I gave it a shot and ruined my parents' egg slicer. Would not recommend.

Image credits: Haephestus

#28 Using Baking Soda When Cooking Shrimp

Ok Kenji, I’ll concede brining shrimp in baking soda makes a difference, but this m**********r be putting baking soda in *everything*

Image credits: Citoyen_Riqueti

#29 Making Pesto With A Hydraulic Press

Making pesto with a hydraulic press

Image credits: nattiecakes

#30 Using Cooked Chicken Bones In Broth

In the same vein as your example of using veggie scraps for broth/stock, I also think that using cooked chicken carcasses (looking at you, rotisserie chicken) always makes an inferior broth/stock when compared to that made with raw chicken carcasses.

Image credits: 96dpi