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Toothpicks are a handy little tool to keep around the house, and not just for picking food out of your teeth! I always keep a small container of them in my kitchen cupboard to use for testing if cakes or cupcakes are cooked all the way through, but lately I’ve come across even more toothpick tricks that I just had to pass on to you!
If you have a clever use for toothpicks that isn’t listed here in this post, we’d love to hear it! Share it in the comments below the post, and your tip could be featured in a future blog post! :-)
10 Surprising Ways To Use Ordinary Toothpicks
1. Use a toothpick to test the moisture content of the soil of your potted plants. Insert a toothpick into the soil and remove it. If the toothpick comes out with wet dirt or mud attached to it, your plant is getting enough water. If it comes out clean and dry, give your plant a bit of extra water today!
2. You can use a toothpick to carefully clean out cracks and crevices in your smartphones and other electronic devices.
3. Use a toothpick as an applicator to apply glue or paint to small crafts and projects.
4. Use colored toothpicks to signify differences in foods. For instance, which brownies have nuts and which don’t, or which steaks are medium and which are rare.
5. Use toothpicks to serve finger foods. It minimizes messes and drips, and reduces the transfer of germs.
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6. Stick a toothpick between the top of a cooking pot of food and the lid. This will allow steam to escape, which will reduce the chance of it boiling over.
7. Make the perfect “baked” potato in your microwave by creating “stilts” with toothpicks. Stick several toothpicks into once side of your potato so that it balances evenly, and microwave the potato for 4-7 minutes (depending on the size of your potato). Delicious, and perfectly cooked on all sides!
8. Mark the end of your roll of tape by sticking a toothpick to it.
9. Use toothpicks to light candles! Toothpicks burn slowly, and are a bit longer than matches, giving you a bit of extra reach when you need it.
10. If your soup or marinade calls for cloves of garlic that will be removed later, stick a toothpick through each clove. This will make them MUCH easier to find and remove later!
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