It turns out those annoying little silica bead packets you may accidentally bite into while chowing down on some beef jerky have a purpose other than keeping food and supplements fresh.
TikToker and chef Marta Rivera Diaz (@senseandedibility), who shares delicious recipes, showed her followers how to use silica gel packets to prevent spice blends from clumping.
The scoop
Food just doesn't taste the same without spices, but improper storage or exposure to steam from cooking can make them clump faster, leaving you with a disappointing meal. To keep spices fresh and dry, Marta recommends saving leftover silica packs when you run out of vitamins, medicines, or foods that have them.
Simply grab a glass mason jar, put the silica pack in it, and pour your spice blend on top.
"I do this to keep my spice blends from clumping, to keep … candies like meringues or fudge or pralines or anything like that from absorbing too much moisture and becoming soft," she says in the video.
However, she warns only to use silica packets that come in supplements or something edible like beef jerky since the ones in products like shoes or bags can have toxic chemicals from the factories they're made in.
In Marta's case, she uses a silica pack from a Central Market brand supplement. Placing it in a small mason jar, she transfers a spice blend from another jar to the smaller one and seals it with a lid.
If you'd rather buy the silica packs in bulk, Marta suggests getting them from Amazon. But if you only need one or two at a time, you can reuse the ones in vitamins for free to ensure your spices don't get moldy or clump together.
"Tell your family to bring you their silica packs and store them in an airtight container or storage bag so you have a bunch," she captioned the video.
@senseandedibility Tell your family to bring you their silica packs and store them in an airtight container or storage bag so you have a bunch. #kitchenhacks #kitchentips #senseandedibility ♬ original sound - Marta Rivera Diaz
How it's helping
While many spices only cost a few dollars, some exotic or hand-harvested spices like saffron are quite expensive. Prolonging the life of your spices with silica packets will keep more money in your pocket and shorten your grocery store trips.
Plus, keeping your spices fresh helps reduce food waste, a significant problem in the U.S. and worldwide. On average, Americans waste $1,200 on uneaten food each year, so cutting food waste by just 5% could save you $60 annually.
It could also keep 15-16 pounds of food out of landfills per year, helping to cool the planet by reducing planet-warming pollution from decomposing food. In addition, holding on to your silica packets means less plastic packaging contaminating the environment and clogging landfills.
What everyone's saying
Commenters were impressed with the hack and couldn't wait to try it.
"I never would've thought of this. Game changer," one person said.
Another planned on using it for a certain medicinal herb, writing, "I'll use this for my special spice blend."
"However you need to use it, sis," the OP replied with a few laughing emojis.
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