3 Life Hacks for Home You Wish You Knew Already
Sh*t you should know by now: new tricks for old things.
Exciting as it is to start an entirely new-to-you endeavor, lately we’ve also gotten a kick out of finally claiming victory on some things we really ought to know by now. Maybe it’s the giant block of time we’ve had on our hands, or the recognition that we don’t want to spend the next 50 years slogging our way through something that should be easy. Things we used to shy from are suddenly squarely in our toolbox, so we thought why not share the fist pumps with you by assembling three a-ha moments for you to tackle.
A perfectly fried egg (hold the awkward flip).
With COVID curtailing access to our favorite breakfast sandwich, we had to master a fried egg on our own. Sure, it’s not exactly sourdough starter-level stuff, but past efforts have left us scarred by broken yolks and not-quiiiiiite-done whites. Determined to finally conquer our breakfast Everest, we tried the butter baste method. Easy as 1, 2, 3, below.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan (it should slowly melt and sizzle—not sputter).
Crack your egg into the pan and slightly increase heat. The white should be set on the bottom but still uncooked on top (you’ll know you’re there if the egg slides when you jiggle the pan slightly).
Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and begin to spoon it over the yolk. You’ll keep repeating this until the whites are set on top. To get the butter to pool, you will need to tilt the pan towards you, spoon it over and tilt again. This gets better with each successive try.
Pop some bubbly.
We’ve seen our fair share of champagne-worthy occasions devolve into hysteria when it comes to exactly who does the corking honors. Theatrical flourishes aside, you don’t actually want the cork to fly across the room, nor do you want your precious bubbles spilling all over like some championship locker room. We reached out to Tammy Coxen of Tammy’s Tastings to help us overcome our popping-bottle perplexion.
Make sure the bottle is well chilled. Chill the bottle standing up if possible so you're not agitating it by moving it from side to standing.
Remove the cage and the foil. Put a thin kitchen towel over the cork to catch it if things go awry.
Finally (and most importantly): Grasp the cork tightly through the towel and turn the bottle, not the cork.
Have leftovers or want to jazz up your bubbles? Make your own house champagne cocktail by adding 1/2 an ounce of a liqueur of your choice and garnishing with a citrus twist. Voilà (and cheers)!
Perfect your push-up.
We admit to previously sporting a push-up that looked sponsored by the letter “U,” our arms like chicken wings. Luckily, we have Jordan Couture to set us straight. He assures us that as exercises go, push-ups are simple—but not easy to execute. Here’s how.
First, as you start to build your form, you might want to think about elevating your hands. This can even be done with your hands against a wall or with your hands on a bench or couch. The more common modification, push-ups on your knees, still might be too difficult for you to keep your form. Keep modifying until you are confident about your ability to maintain proper form.
The biggest mistake Jordan sees is people curving their lower back. You will want to remove that pelvic tilt (the thing that is making your lower back curve). Imagine that your hips are a bucket of water, filled to the top. If your hips are tilted back that water would be spilled. Tuck your hips forward to remove that curve at your lower back.
Your magic cues: body in one straight line, pelvis tucked and screw your arms so the elbows are facing inward (remember the old righty tighty, lefty loosey). Lower your body as one unit and push back up, in a smooth motion. Push up, down pat.
