In journalism, we call it a man-bites-dog story. It's something unexpected. Something unusual.

I just saw a man-bites-dog video on the internet. Not a video, obviously, of a man biting a dog — although knowing the internet, there are probably lots of those available, too.

This was a man-bites-dog video because it showed a woman sharing kitchen tips that were actually clever and helpful.

I know. I couldn't believe it either.

Typically, when you see similar videos, they begin "I learned this from a chef" and then it shows something no chef would ever do, such as pour a box of Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix into a slow cooker and mix it with a can of root beer before topping it with instant pudding and then cooking it.

That stomach-churning example, incidentally, is from the same people that made the video with the worthwhile tips. Which proves that even a broken clock catches the worm, or something like that.

The website is a Facebook page called Home Hacks & Easy Snacks, and the video I am talking about is Genius Cooking Tips Part 2. I couldn't find Part 1 because I stopped looking after I saw their method for cooking a chicken breast. They dip it in a big bowl of ranch dressing (making the rest of the dressing unfit for consumption), roll it in crushed potato chips and fry it.

But I came to praise the cooking tips, not to bury them.

To skin raw fish, for instance, they place the fillet skin-side-up on a metal rack over a bowl of ice. The cover it with a kitchen towel and pour boiling water over the towel and the fish. The towel captures steam from the ice and the heat from the water cooks the skin just enough to make it easy to peel away.

They dice a red onion, more or less, by cutting wedges longitudinally and then turning the onion on its side and slicing it all the way across with a downward motion. The onion falls apart into small pieces of roughly even size.

For one hack, they crack eggs into a hot, greased skillet. They then pour water over them and cover the pan to steam them. The result is a combination of fried eggs and poached.

To toast several pieces of bread at once, they place a metal rack over a baking sheet and stand the bread up between the crossbars. They pop it into the oven and then, presumably four to five minutes later, the slices are all perfectly toasted.

And if for some reason you want to freeze bacon, they show how to space several pieces on a sheet of parchment paper, roll it up and then cut between the slices. Place the rolled-up slices in a plastic bag before storing it in the freezer for when you're cravin' bacon.

Admittedly — and unsurprisingly — not all of the hacks are winners.

The very first tip recommends rubbing butter around the rim of a pot of boiling water. I have no idea why, and they don't offer an explanation. I guess it's supposed to be obvious.

Another tip — "I learned this from a chef" — begins by placing a small bowl upside down inside a larger bowl and then filling the larger bowl with rice. They cover that bowl with a plate and flip it over so the plate is on the table. Remove the top bowl and then the inside bowl and you are left with a bowl made out of rice that you can fill with food of your choice.

Or you could save yourself all that work and make a well in the middle of a mound of rice. Same effect, half the time.

They suggest cooking pasta in a plastic tub with some water in the microwave, which can hardly be considered a hack, though I would never do it. And then they show some long, involved instructions on how to fold and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit perfectly inside a pan instead of just cramming the sheet in there like everyone else does.

And they also suggest using an electric mixer to mash potatoes, which would save time but result in gummy, gluey potatoes. When a commenter pointed out that an electric mixer makes the potatoes slimy, the content makers asked what would happen if they added cream instead of water.

They don't use milk or cream in their mashed potatoes? That's dog-bite-man worthy in itself, but not in a good way.

©2026 STLtoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.