Buying food is a tricky task, don’t you think? You cannot really rely on how the food items look from the outside, thanks to the weird things the food industry does to make them look good. So many food items are injected with colours to make them look vibrant and fresh while some just have super harmful chemicals in them. While you may not be able to detect these frauds during the time of purchase, you can still check if they’re harmful or safe for consumption once you bring them home. And how is that possible? Through some really easy tricks that hardly take a minute. Read on to find out about them.

1. Mayonnaise

Take some mayonnaise in a plate, add a few drops of iodine in it and mix it up. If the colour of the mayonnaise turns purple then it has starch in it, which is harmful for consumption. But if the mayonnaise turns light yellowish in colour, then it is natural and safe to eat.

2. Apples

Shops buy apples that are covered in wax. Wax keeps apples shiny and saves their marketable condition. All you need to do is wash the wax off apples under lukewarm water to make it safe for consumption. Easy right?

3. Muffins

A lot of store-bought muffins actually have synthetic fibres in them. You can check if the one you purchased also contains synthetic fibres in it quite easily. All you have to do is take rest the muffin in a strainer and crumble it under running tap water. The muffin will then dissolve with the water and leave behind a thread-like, sticky substance. That’s the synthetic fibre in your hand.

4. Honey

If you want to make sure the honey you bought is all natural, you can find it out with one simple trick. Pour a tablespoon of honey in a bowl and add a cup of cold water to it. Then, hold the bowl in your hands and keep swirling it anti-clockwise. If you spot the honey slightly dissolving in the water, it means it has added sugar syrup in it. But if the honey is natural, then instead of dissolving, it will turn into a honeycomb-like pattern. That’s the genetic memory of honey.

5. Butter

Pour some hot water into a glass, add a cube of butter in it and stir it well. If the butter dissolves in the warm water then that is natural butter and safe to consume. But if it becomes all lumpy and doesn’t dissolve, then it isn’t really natural butter. It is margarine, which is made from palm oil. That’s why it doesn’t melt in the water!

Which of these hacks surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.

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