Olive oil pull tab serves a crucial purpose that has left many people stunned

A little-known hack for using olive oil has left people feeling ‘genius’ after they realised the secret lies in the cap – and it couldn’t be simpler

Olive oil pull tab serves a crucial purpose that has left many people stunned(Image: TGI/Tetra Images via Getty Images)

It’s that kitchen essential we grab every day when rustling up dinner, but folks are only just cottoning on to a genius hack for using olive oil – and the answer’s been hiding in the cap all along.

If you’re forever reaching for the olive oil bottle while cooking, chances are you’ve cursed after accidentally glugging far too much into your frying pan.

But this all-too-familiar pouring blunder can be swerved with ease, thanks to a little-known trick that fans are calling a “life changer”. Over on TikTok, @cookingcards has posted a clip showing exactly how to dodge olive oil disasters and nail perfect portion control, simply by getting smart with the lid.

When you crack open a new bottle of olive oil, you’ll pull off a ring tab to get at the good stuff, but rather than chucking this bit in the bin, you should actually give it a second life.

A genius video has shown that the tab on olive oil bottles serves a crucial purpose(Image: WHPics via Getty Images)

The viral tip recommends that instead of ditching the ring tab, you flip it over and pop it back into the bottle’s opening. The tab then shields the wide spout at the top, leaving just a small channel around the sides for the oil to trickle through.

So when you tip your olive oil, it comes out far more gradually, letting you nail exactly how much lands in your pan, slashing waste big time whilst you’re cooking.

In the comments section, fellow TikTok users chimed in with their reactions to this hack – many were gobsmacked they hadn’t discovered it earlier.

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@zachariamiller posted: “Omg, how did I not know this. @shakeupcocktailclasses remarked: “This is genius!” @josh469 chimed in: “Brilliant, I just used this. It’s life-changing.

“The culinary gurus at Tasting Table also endorse the trick, stating that it’s the ideal substitute for covering the bottle’s mouth with your thumb without getting your hands oily.

However, it’s worth noting that the method has its drawbacks ― it may not work for glass bottles lacking the “teeth” inside their lid, for example, as the ring pull will have nothing to grip onto.

In such instances, you might want to opt for something like a cruet, a specially designed glass container, for the perfect pour.