Travelling via any means is bonkers right now , so you may not be thinking about booking a trip anytime soon. Or maybe you are revenge travelling and booking all of the trips — either way, if you have e-credits or vouchers from trips that were cancelled during the pandemic, you should probably use them soon or find out how to save, extend, or get credit for them before they expire. As the Washington Post points out , travel companies were quick to hand out vouchers — rather than issue refunds, even when required to do so — for cancellations on the assumption that customers wouldn’t actually use them before they expired. And that’s exactly what’s happening. If you can’t use your vouchers or credits in the near future, here are a few ways to avoid losing them.

Check the status and policies for your vouchers

First, gather all the information. Log into your travel accounts and note what vouchers or credits you have, how much they’re worth, when they expire, and any policies or limitations for redemption.

Ask for a refund instead

Customers and company representatives who spoke to the Post reported that vouchers can often be redeemed for a full refund, which airlines, cruise lines, and other travel operators may be required to offer based on their terms and conditions if they cancelled your trip with no alternative. Of course, this may not apply if you cancelled. But it doesn’t hurt to ask — firmly.

Use only part of your expiring credit

If you have an e-credit for a certain dollar amount that’s set to expire, you may be able to keep it active by spending part of the money on a super cheap itinerary (like a one-way flight) and saving the rest for the future. Another hack: book travel using points or e-credits and cancel it within the 24-hour no-penalty window, which re-deposits the credit to your account and resets the expiration date. Note that there may be fees or restrictions for this.

Prevent general travel points from expiring

Another thing to check is whether the frequent flyer miles or travel points (and other benefits) you’ve accumulated over time are set to expire soon. Many rewards programs suspended mileage expiration and extended existing premium membership benefits, but those limitations are starting to kick in once again. For example, American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, meaning no earning or spending on your account. American paused mileage expiration during the pandemic but reinstated the rule on April 1. To keep your account alive , you only need to make one transaction, which could include a credit card charge, redemption for a cheap flight or other travel, or a cash/mileage donation to charity.

Plan that trip anyway

Depending on the type of voucher you have, you may get pretty good bang for your buck when booking right now. For example, a cruise line may charge less than the total of your original credit, so you can cover more of your cost. If you want to get away, feel safe doing so, and have some flexibility, this may be better than letting your money go to waste.

The post Don’t Let Your Pandemic Travel Credits Go to Waste appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

When the pandemic first hit and locked us in our homes, many of us were struck by the same bolt of inspiration (after we bought our toilet paper): We decided to bake bread. All that kneading, rising, and conjuring of the fresh bread smell in our homes was a thing we could focus on when life outside our front door felt too scary to navigate. Cooking and baking are good life skills to learn, but they can also serve to soothe and entertain when we need soothing and entertaining — which is why we should also share the experience with our kids.

Pulling out the flour and sugar to whip up some muffins with them is great. But we’ve all had a long year, so if what you really want is to curl up on the couch and watch someone else pull out the flour and sugar, your kids are probably going to be game for that, too. There some great cooking and baking shows out there for kids and families right now — and here are my favourites.

The Great British Baking Show

There will be many shows on this list that are specifically geared toward kids or feature kid contestants. This is not that show, but I’m starting here anyway, because The Great British Baking Show is some truly wholesome, wonderful, heartwarming programming.

We blew through its most recent full season (season 11) quickly in my home because it had everything we needed: contestants who were encouraging of each other, funny banter between hosts, and a slew of desserts with names we’d never even heard of. (Care for a slice of Battenberg, anyone?)

(There is also a Junior Bake Off , but the British are mostly keeping it to themselves for the moment, unless you have a streaming VPN that will help you bypass their geo-restrictions .)

Streaming on Netflix

Nailed It!

Nailed It! is fun for kids because it’s all about adults (home chefs) competing against each other to recreate culinary masterpieces and largely…failing miserably. It helps to dispel a bit of the social media perfectionism we all experience (one person’s winking emoji cookie is another person’s wild-eyed disaster).

It’s an endearing show because it’s a little bit of a hot mess (in a friendly, goofy, whimsical way), and we’re all a little bit of a hot mess right now.

Streaming on Netflix.

Nadiya’s Time to Eat

Does cooking sometimes feel like a chore? Oh hell yes, of course it does , and Nadiya has decided it’s time we all embrace the beauty of the shortcut — she’s all about dinnertime (and dessert-time) hacks, which is why we love her. As a bonus, since her recipes are so quick to make, she also has time to travel a bit and visit the places where ingredients are born, such as a mushroom producer, a salmon farm, and a Heinz factory.

Streaming on Netflix

Waffles + Mochi (With Michelle Obama)

I have to end not with a show that is already a favourite, but one I suspect will become a favourite. The former first lady, in keeping with her dedication to encourage kids to eat healthier, is launching a cooking show next month — with puppets. The Washington Post explains:

In addition to executive producing “Waffles + Mochi,” which debuts March 16, she’ll play the proprietor of a “whimsical supermarket” that employs the titular puppets, who are best friends and aspiring chefs. (One is an adorably small orb formed like the Japanese rice cake and the other a creature whose ears are shaped like the griddled breakfast treat.) “I’m excited for families and children everywhere to join us on our adventures as we discover, cook, and eat delicious food from all over the world,” she wrote in a tweet.

Streaming on Netflix starting March 16

Consider this list a starting point, as there are many other family-friendly cooking and baking shows out there worthy of a watch.

The post 4 Fun Shows to Get Your Kids Into Cooking appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

My first “serious” boyfriend did not like chocolate. But rather than explain that his choice of milkshake (strawberry) was a preference, he lied and told everyone (including me) that he was “allergic” to cocoa. When I found out the truth (only after we broke up), I felt a little betrayed — like I didn’t know him at all! And this was after he told me he was gay. (I’m happy to help anyone figure out their sexuality, but do not lie to me about your milkshakes!)

Loving someone means accepting their weird food preferences and idiosyncrasies. My current partner is a “ketchup guy,” if you can imagine, and I have accepted that there is no changing this. (I now buy him huge restaurant-sized pump bottles of Heinz , because they make him happy.) This is all to say that you don’t have to conform to societal norms when it comes to tokens of affection. Chocolate isn’t the only thing you can put in a heart-shaped box; you can fill one with meat just as easily.

I must confess this is not a Claire Lower Original Thought. All of my paramours since that first have been fans of chocolate, but one year Beth Skwarecki, Lifehacker’s senior health editor, found herself with a valentine (husband) who was not a fan of filled chocolates (and was also on a keto diet). So she did what any reasonable person would do: She bought a box of chocolates, ate the chocolates herself, and filled the empty box with cheeses and meats.

This is a brilliant idea — which makes sense, because Beth is known for her brilliance. And unlike elaborate meat bouquets that require a good bit of meat styling, filling little divots with charcuterie (henceforth known as “heartcuterie”) is a project that can be executed by someone without significant fine motors skills. (I am hysterically unskilled as a sculptor, but even I was able to roll prosciutto into rose-like shapes.)

There really isn’t much to it: Buy some chocolate — preferably some you like — eat it (or save it to eat later), then dust out any errant chocolate bits from the divots and fill them with meat, cheeses, nuts, olives, and any other accouterment you think your sweetie would enjoy. (If you do use olives, pickles, or anything that comes packed in brine, make sure to blot them with paper towels first.) Edit any labelling on the box as needed — change “Whitman’s Sampler” to “MEAT Sampler” for example — then close the box and give the heartcuterie to your meat- and/or cheese-loving beloved. Make sure to use the word “heartcuterie.” Puns are very sexy.

The post Give Your Meat-Loving Valentine Some ‘Heartcuterie’ appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

Whether you’re cooking a meal or phoning it in this Valentine’s Day, treating the evening like a dinner party for two will ensure you strike a special, thoughtful tone.

Basically, if it’s a move you’d bust out for a dinner party, you should bust it out for the dinner you serve on February 14th. Dinner parties are all about impressing people with how mature and considerate you are, which is a vibe that should be extended to your valentine, who is — more than likely — the person you have been around almost constantly for a full year. Attention to detail can be a love language, and can make an at-home meal feel different , even if you haven’t left that home in over 11 months.

Set the table

If you have “nice” dishes, use them. If you have children, banish them for the evening so you don’t have to worry about them breaking the nice plates (have them watch a movie or put them to bed early). Don’t, however, use plates that are so nice you can’t put them in the dishwasher, or plates that are so nice you feel anxious eating off of them. This is supposed to be fun, after all.

Once you’ve picked the plates, you can focus on the rest of the table. Place mats, cloth napkins, and — yes — candles are all things that make the meal feel more intentional and thoughtful. I also recommend place cards, even if there are only two places at the table. Write your Valentine’s name on a cute little card or — better yet — a clementine (get the kind with leaves still attached if you can), set it in front of their chair, and watch their face light up at the adorable, edible detail.

Warm your plates and chill your glasses

If you are going to go through the trouble to cook a beautiful medium-rare steak, or mix a perfectly chilled and diluted martini, you might as well take the extra step of serving them in or on a vessel that won’t negatively affect their temperature one way or other. For plates that will be graced with hot food, just set them in a low-temperature oven (the lowest it will go) on a baking sheet for a couple of minutes right before serving time. (This is also a good brunch move — few things ruin a hot egg like a cold plate.)

If you’ll be serving a salad, pop the salad plates in the fridge (for 20 minutes) of freezer (if you’re in a hurry) to help keep your greens cold and crisp. This may not be necessary, depending on how warm you keep your house, but it’s useful if your plates are fresh and warm from the dishwasher.

If you’ll be serving cocktails, white wine, or even Diet Coke, pop a few fancy glasses in the freezer while you prepare the meal. This is a particularly nice — some might say “crucial” — move if you’ll be sipping martinis, which are at their best when they are icy.

Learn a few fancy plating tricks

I did not expect artful plating to be one of the things I missed during this pandemic, but it is — I miss the stark white plates with their negative space and carefully placed garnishes. People truly do eat with their eyes first , and while sculpting mashed potatoes may feel silly in the moment, it feels thoughtful on the plate. If you’re uncomfortable with that amount of bourgeois decadence, at least finish your dish with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of good olive oil, or sprinkle on some fresh herbs and crunchy stuff ,.

Don’t forget the butter (and nice salt)

An ample supply of room-temperature butter is what separates my favourite bread-serving restaurants from the rest. If a waiter brings me butter that’s topped with some sort of flake salt, I’m theirs for the night, and will follow them into hell, or at least the more expensive pages of the wine menu. It’s a powerful move, is what I’m saying, and you can harness its power by setting out good butter (which is different from your everyday butter ), nice salt (Maldon or something similar), and a pepper mill full of whole peppercorns.

If your meal or your valentine requires any condiments, pickle, or sauce, make sure to set all that out before dinner is served so no one has to leave the table, and clean the bottles and lids of those condiments before setting them out. You can also transfer them to cute little bowls with cute little serving spoons, but cleaning the hot sauce bottle should suffice.

Discuss the division of labour beforehand

If you are presenting the meal as a “gift,” then cleaning up the mess you make in the kitchen should be part of it. One of the best things about going out for Valentine’s Day is not having to clean anything, so don’t foist an unexpected chore on your partner or spouse.

If the meal is a combined effort, divvy up the labour before February 14.

Decide who is making the main, who is making dessert, and who’s in charge of the drink program, mood music, and cleaning up ahead of time so you don’t end up bickering on an evening that is supposed to be romantic. Do this even if you’re getting takeout. Tossing the plastic takeout container in the dishwasher after dinner isn’t as big of an ask as cleaning grease out of a cast iron pan, but it is still an ask, and you might want to ask for other after-dinner activities instead.

The post Treat Valentine’s Day Like a Dinner Party for Two appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

Ever since I interviewed food journalist Alicia Kennedy about her daily eating habits , I have been longing for tomato toast, a decidedly summer treat that feels out of reach in the middle of February. Big, juicy tomatoes are not in season at the moment — but tiny tomatoes (such as cherry or grape) are juicy, sweet, and easy to find all year round and, lucky for me, they make a fantastic tomato toast.

Like its big-tomato brethren, tiny tomato toast is a bright, happy dish, perfect for injecting life into a cold, grey morning or rainy lunch hour. You can keep it simple — with grated tomatoes, olive oil, and flake salt — or you can grate the tomatoes atop of some sort of creamy substrate: cream cheese, labneh , whipped cottage cheese , or avocado. I like to keep the layer of creamy stuff pretty thin; you want just enough to form a hydrophobic layer in between the tomatoes and the toast to keep the juices of the former from seeping into the bread and making it soggy .

In terms of toppings, salt is usually plenty, but I’ve recently been wilding out with chilli oil , air-fried ginger , and scallions . Lemon zest, za’atar, sumac, everything bagel seasoning , your favourite vinegar, and very finely grated cheese are all viable options; just remember that the tomatoes are the star. Leave room for them to shine.

The only drawback to grating tiny tomatoes is that there is less to hold onto while you grate, but I — a very clumsy person — haven’t had any mishaps. Hold the fruit at one end of its oblong body (or grab the stem if it has one), then grate it over the toast, letting the seeds, gel, and juicy flesh fall until you are left with a little nub of smashed skin and flesh. Toss that on the toast as well. (Make sure to use a grater with large holes, not a microplane.) Add your seasonings and any finishing touches you desire, and chomp down.

The post You Should Make Tiny Tomato Toast appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

You know you’re stuck in the never-ending loop of pandemic life when you can no longer muster the enthusiasm to change your silly virtual Zoom background. I’ve been overusing Zoom’s default “space” image for some time — but imagine my surprise when I did go to switch it the other day and discovered the app now includes a bunch more virtual backgrounds and effects for everyone to try.

To access them, make sure you’ve updated Zoom to the latest version of the app. Doing so should be self-explanatory on your mobile devices. On desktop, click on your profile image in the upper-right corner of Zoom’s primary window and select Check for Updates under the menu.

(While there’s no guarantee that you’ll get extra features by updating to the latest version of Zoom, staying on top of your updates gives you the best possible chance. And it’s great for Zoom security, too. OK, back to the fun.)

Launch a zoom call and pull up the virtual backgrounds feature by clicking on the arrow next to your video toggle in the lower left corner. Select “ Choose Virtual Background ,” and you should now see a few new options — a lovely animated beach, as well as a simpler “background blur” feature. I can’t decide which I like more.

But we’re hardly done. Click on the small “ S tudio Effects” link in the lower-right corner, and you’ll get a pop-out sidebar that lets you assign yourself new eyebrows, a mustache and/or beard, and a lip colour. Lovely. Who doesn’t want a pair of Eugene Levy brows ?

Make sure you uncheck “Apply to all future meetings” so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to adjust these effects when switching from your friends-on-the-weekend hangouts to your next work chat.

Once you’re done messing around there, make sure you click on Zoom’s “Video Filters” option, located to the right of “Virtual Backgrounds.” There, you’ll find a whole host of different filters that you can slap on top of your image, from filters that adjust its colour to, well:

Don’t forget to turn off “Mirror my video” if you find that some of the effects are reversed.How else will your friends and colleagues know you’re confused by their presentation?

While you won’t find the aforementioned Studio Effects, nor the lovely animated beach, on the mobile versions of your Zoom app (as of this writing, at least), you should still be able to access filters from your virtual backgrounds menu.

The post Spice Up Your Zoom Chats With Filters appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

I am a bit of a grilled cheese purist. I like mine on white bread, slathered with butter ( not mayo ), and filled with gooey, processed American cheese. A good havarti is also acceptable if the mood dictates a touch of luxury, but harder, acidic cheeses like cheddar or parm are not allowed — unless you’re putting them on the outside of the sandwich.

The qualities that make parmesan, cheddar, and other hard cheeses like them so poorly suited for the inside of a grilled cheese are what make them so well suited for the outside . Because of their low-ish pH, these cheeses tend to grease out and congeal, rather than melt into a soft, creamy blob (which is what you want in between your bread). But when placed on the outside of a sandwich, the fat inside the cheese renders, frying the proteins and leaving behind a lacy network of crispy, salty, fried cheese. It’s frico , except it’s stuck to bread.

Basically, if you can make a cheese crisp with it, you can use it to create a crunchy crust on the outside of your sandwich. Cheddar works, shredded parmesan works, even the powdered shaker parm gets the job done. Throughout the course of my many serious sandwich experiments, I found that the powdered parm does the best job of sticking to the bread and releasing from the pan, but the shredded stuff has a better flavour. (Real Parmigiano-Reggiano would have the best flavour, obviously, but it’s the priciest option.)

Adding an external layer of cheese to your cheese sandwich is easy: Spread some soft butter on the outside of the bread (or dip it in melted butter ), then sprinkle half a tablespoon or so of your desired cheese on the buttered bread, pressing it down gently to help it stick. Place on a piece of bread, cheese side down, in a nonstick pan, layer your softer “filling” cheese inside, then cook over medium heat until the outside cheese forms a golden crust and the inside cheese melts completely. If you’re worried about it burning, use a plastic spatula or take out utensil to carefully lift up a corner and take a peek. Slide on to a plate, cut it in half diagonally, and devour.

The post Give Your Grilled Cheese Sandwich a Parmesan Crust appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

With the new coronavirus variants still hitting headlines, masking up is more important than ever. But which masks are best? Sadly there isn’t a rigorous ranking or standard to rely on, but we know a few things about different options. So let’s take a tour, starting with the best ones.

N95 masks

N95s are the gold standard for pandemic prevention, but they’re also not easy to find. If you do manage to snag some, check that they’re not counterfeit masks that have been relabelled or improperly sold.

N95 Equivalents

A lot of us still can’t get N95s — they remain in short supply, and are the type most needed by healthcare professionals. But other countries have their own standards that provide similar protection. Those would be KN95’s from China, KF94’s from South Korea, and FFP2’s from Europe . The catch: there are counterfeit models out there, so check the manufacturer and make sure you get what you’re paying for.

Also in this category are elastomeric masks, the rubbery ones you can buy at a hardware store that look sort of like a gas mask. Yes, they’re heavy and sweaty, but they give good protection and last a long time. These masks use replaceable filters, but you don’t have to change them as often as you would an N95.

Whichever you choose, make sure the mask fits well, with a good seal around all edges of the mask.

Double masking

Doubling up on masks enhances their ability to filter the particles (including aerosol droplets) that you would otherwise breathe in. One popular and affordable combo goes like this:

1. Put on a disposable (surgical-style) mask. Adjust the fit, making sure the metal piece at the top is fitted snugly around your nose.
2. Top that with a cloth mask. Again, it must fit well.

When you’re doubling up, it’s especially important to make sure you aren’t creating jets of warm air at the sides of your nose or the back of your cheeks. If that happens, it means air is going around your mask, not through it.

A properly constructed cloth mask

Reusable fabric masks have become pandemic wardrobe staples. If you can wear one over a disposable mask, great! If not, make sure you’re using a good mask that is properly constructed.

It should have multiple layers of fabric, and be tightly woven. A quick spot-check is to hold it up to the light. If you can see through it, it’s too flimsy to do much good. (It also won’t be acceptable for use while travelling .)

And beware masks with a built-in valve. Your breath comes straight out of those valves , spewing your germs all over whoever is around. Check to see if the valve can be clicked closed — some can — and if not, tape over it.

Bandanas and scarves

Now we come to the bottom of the barrel, the things that are technically “face coverings” but that don’t fit as snugly or provide as many layers of protection as a proper cloth mask. We don’t recommend these in place of more effective masks.

There was a study early in the pandemic that insinuated neck gaiters may be worse than no mask at all, but the evidence for that statement was never very strong . We do know, though, that those gaiters have several features that mean they don’t fit the definition of a good mask. Their fabric is thin, they tend to leak around the sides of the nose, and the threads that make up the fabric form fairly large holes. If you do wear a buff in place of a mask, at the very least double or triple the layers.

Likewise, bandanas and scarves are not snug-fitting enough to do the job, and they’re usually too thin as well. These coverings could go well over another mask, bringing us back to the double-masking category from a few slides back. Adding protection isn’t a bad idea. But don’t count on these on their own.

The post 5 Types of Masks and How to Use Them appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

I don’t think I have ever encountered a form of ginger I didn’t enjoy. Candied ginger, pickled ginger, fresh ginger — all ginger is good ginger. (I’m also a fan of gingers , but that’s not what this is about.) I lean hard on pickled ginger most of the time — particularly in dressings and drinks — but cold weather calls for a sweeter, warmer type of ginger root. Cold weather call for air-fried ginger.

Of course, it’s “not really fried,” but more “turbo-roasted.” (“The Turbo Roaster” would have been a more accurate name for the air fryer, I think, but what’s done is done.) Semantics aside, air-fried ginger is a delight for most, if not all of your senses. It has a caramelised, lightly candied quality, and is so soft you can tear it apart with your hands. It’s slightly less smoky than broiler-roasted ginger (which is how Bon App roasts theirs), but the real difference lies in your energy bill.

Instead of broiling a single chunk of ginger root in a large oven for 45 minutes to an hour, you can toss it, unpeeled, in a 400-degree air fryer basket for approximately 30 minutes. I say “approximately” because I let the ginger hang out in the basket while it preheats — which adds around three minutes to the overall time.

The ginger that comes out is soft, fragrant, and encased in a crinkly, blistered skin. The flavour is softer, quieter, and warmer, and the unpeeled, roasted root can be blended into sauces, dressings, smoothies, and cocktails. Last night I blended a two-inch piece of roasted ginger with some sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a little sugar to make a dipping sauce for some poached chicken. It was great, but I’ll probably use a neutral-tasting oil next time, as the toastiness of the sesame oil obscured the ginger’s more nuanced qualities, which are too beautiful to cover up.

So, to recap: All you have to do to avail yourself of tender, deeply sweet ginger is place a washed, unpeeled piece of the root in the basket of your air fryer, set the temperature to 400℉ and the time to 30 minutes, then walk away and let the air fryer do its thing, returning once to flip it over somewhere in near the middle. Remove from the air fryer, blend it into things, and repeat as needed.

The post Toss a Hunk of Ginger in Your Air Fryer appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .