The Life Hack You Never Knew You Needed For Opening A New Coffee Creamer

Sometimes the hardest part of making your coffee in the morning is cracking open the creamer and ripping off that foil seal. There's nothing worse than being dead tired, in need of caffeine, and ready to put the finishing touch on your cup, only for the seal to not budge — or worse, it lacks that little tab that helps you pull it back. Instead of struggling fruitlessly, examine your bottle to see if it has a built-in solution. An easy TikTok hack demonstrated by user @dishingwithamanda will have you sipping your coffee in satisfaction ASAP.

@dishingitwithamanda

Very about this #lifehack for my coffee creamer! 🌟 #kitchenhacks #thingsilearnedfromtiktok #learnontiktok

♬ original sound – dishing it with amanda

With certain brands of creamer, you can screw off the lid, flip it open, and use the top part as a sort of hole punch to break through the foil seal. This hack works only if the top part of the lid has a raised center, which is meant to cover the spout of the bottle. Unfortunately, this trick will only work on lids that have this two-part, easy-pour design; simple bottles with screw-on lids are out. On social media, International Delight and Silk are the most popular brands used to demonstrate this trick. 

If you can't use this hack, it's best to just carefully peel off the seal using your fingers — staying calm and patient will make the task easier. Or, you could even make 3-ingredient coffee creamer yourself, with no seal needed.

Once you finally have your creamer open, you want to make the most of it and not waste any. One of the best ways to stretch the shelf life is to freeze it, either in individual servings or all in one container. Because most creamer bottles are plastic, it's not recommended to just put them in the freezer. The expansion that occurs when liquid freezes could cause the plastic to break, creating a sticky mess. 

If you want to save your coffee creamer in individual portions, use an ice cube tray. Freeze the creamer in the tray until it's solid, then pop the cubes out and store them in an airtight, freezer-safe plastic bag. Alternatively, pour all the creamer into a freezer-safe bag, seal it, and freeze it. Either way, the creamer should last up to six months. 

If you go the cube route, you could defrost the creamer before use, but you could also simply add the cubes to coffee and let them melt. This is especially great for iced drinks. Use the creamer in conjunction with coffee ice cubes to avoid watery lattes, or even to elevate a nice, cold espresso martini. To thaw a bigger bag of creamer, simply place the bag in a bowl in the fridge.