Buzz
For some odd reason, I’ve accumulated a tin branded with Moon Pie, packed to the brim with old wine corks I’ve gathered over time. I’m not sure what I’m holding onto them for; they only serve as a reminder of how much I’ve spent on moderately priced wines, yet I can’t seem to part with them. (It might cross your mind that I’m saving them for some sort of DIY wine mom project, but that’s not the case; I don’t even own a glue gun.)
However, thanks to TikTok, I’ve found a solid excuse to justify my cork-hoarding tendencies: I can use them to protect my fragile fingers.
In this video, TikTok user Andrew from @abouttoeat demonstrated a tip he picked up while filming the show Worth It: Instead of grabbing the hot metal lid of a saucepan or stock pot with a kitchen towel or pot holder, he slides a champagne cork under the handle. The cork serves as an insulator, letting Andrew lift the lid without burning his fingers.
I tried out this clever trick with a variety of corks—as I’ve mentioned, I’ve got plenty—and found that Champagne and sparkling wine corks work much better than the regular straight-edged ones. Non-sparkling corks were too thin, making them slide around and not stay firmly wedged under the handle. (They just kept rolling, which made it tough to lift the lid without touching it.)
From the comments, it seems this trick isn’t new, particularly in the former USSR, where countless Balkan grandmothers have been using it for generations. Many also pointed out that it’s ridiculous and suggested “just make the handle out of cork,” but that seems like a hassle to clean and something beyond Andrew’s control. Until that’s fixed, we’ll have to keep using corks. (Thank goodness I saved so many.)
