While it might be difficult to change habits of a lifetime, when it comes to preparing, cooking and eating food, there are some things that are worth the change. These are the mealtime mistakes you're making every day, and how you can fix them.

Do as monkeys do and peel from the bottom, not the top, of the fruit. Gently squeeze the opposite end to the stem and the fruit comes out while the skin will stay in one piece because the stem holds it together.

Fried mushrooms should be browned and slightly chewy to taste, never slimy. The way to achieve this is to get a mix of butter and oil very hot in a frying pan and add a single layer of mushrooms, stirring to coat them and keeping them apart and flat.

To do as Italians do use a fork against the bottom of a plate to wind spaghetti up and don’t ever cut the pasta with a knife.

If your sushi lunch turns to mush it’s because you’re not following a certain order: first, only lightly dip the topping (such as shrimp or fish) into the soy sauce – not the rice - then add a small scraping of wasabi. Slithers of ginger should be eaten in between bites as a palate cleanser. And fingers are perfectly acceptable – chopsticks aren’t obligatory.

There’s no need to suffer from sticky fingers. Take the fries to the ketchup, not the ketchup to the fries – ketchup sachets are essentially a tiny bowl to dip fries into.

It’s fine to eat an apple core – all you need to spit out are the seeds.

Slicing off the hairy skin of a kiwi fruit loses a lot of the flesh. The more efficient way to it is to slice the fruit widthways into coin shapes then pick off the skin; it comes away easily.

It’s generally thought that veg is better for us if consumed raw. But here’s why you should cook carrots before eating – researchers at the University of Arkansas found that cooking them increases the beta carotene content, which the body converts to Vitamin A, by up to a third. Also, tinned tomatoes contain more cancer-fighting lycopene than raw.

Why use a fork to remove juicy mussels after cooking when nature’s given you the tools – the shell itself. This can be used like tongs to pick out the meat.

Cutting tomatoes individually is time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to do is put the tomatoes on a plate, place another plate the same size on top and press gently but firmly down. Then, using a sharp knife, slice through the tomatoes between the plates.

Many of us like to hoard canned soup in our cupboards for winter days, sick days, or for just for rations. But little do we know, those tins of tomato, mushroom or chicken soup don’t stay fresh forever. They have a shelf life of up to five years, but start to deteriorate after two.

Sausages will cook quicker and more evenly if you cut them into spirals before cooking them. Watch this tutorial to find out how.

It’s regarded as bad table manners to use a fork to unsteadily shovel peas into one’s mouth. Instead, spear the peas with the fork’s prongs and eat less at a time. It’s also acceptable to balance the peas on top of other food on your fork.

If you use a knife to peel ginger, the knobbly nature of this root means you lose a lot of ginger. A way to prevent this is to scrape the skin off using the back of a teaspoon – it’s surprisingly easy and prevents waste.

There's no need to throw away stale bread when you can savor the crusty loaf while keeping it moist too. Just soak the bread in water, only until the doughy part of the bread gets slightly wet, then pop it in the oven for a few minutes on a high heat and voila, you have fresh bread again!

It's a mistake we all make, but something we can easily fix. Taking steak from the fridge and putting it straight in the pan places more risk on under-cooked steak with a gray exterior. Instead, take your steak out of the fridge about an hour earlier so it can rest to room temperature before it hits the pan.

The same applies for chicken. If chicken is cooked immediately after being removed from the fridge, you might end up with a tasty browned outside, but a pink, under-cooked interior. Leaving it on the side for no longer than 15 minutes to let it warm up will help ensure it cooks more evenly.

It might be something you've been doing for years, but it's not necessary to add any milk, cream or water to your eggs. Eggs and added liquid will separate during cooking to form wet, overcooked eggs rather than a soft and fluffy addition to your toast.

To create the ultimate no-mess and top-tasting peanut butter and jelly sandwich follow this order: spread peanut butter on the bread, add extra peanut butter around the edges of the bread and spoon the jelly into the middle.

While apple slices are a great lunchbox snack for kids and adults alike, it doesn’t take much to turn them brown. Keep your apple slices fresh by putting them back into the shape of an apple again and tying it together with a rubber band.

A truly authentic paella does not contain chorizo and should not be stirred regularly throughout as it releases starch and makes the rice become too sticky.

Leftover guacamole from last night's chili? Don't throw it away. You can easily freeze dips like guacamole and hummus in ice cube trays, or a muffin tray, so they are ready to go when you need them (just don't forget to take them out the night before).

One of the biggest mistakes home cooks make is not using the right knife for the job. For example, a serrated (bread) knife doesn’t just cut bread, it’s good for slicing soft produce such as tomatoes and strawberries but also useful for sawing through larger, tougher items such as celeriac. Paring knives don’t just slice fruit and veg either – they’re ideal for fiddly jobs such as peeling, removing seeds and de-veining shrimp.

Most of us use the shelves in the fridge door for easy-to-reach liquids such as milk and wine but this is a warmer part of the appliance so items will not get as cold and spoil quicker. Use this section for the likes of condiments, water and pasteurized juices and place food and drink that needs to be colder in the body of the fridge.

The best way to eat chicken wings isn’t gnawing around the bone but taking the bone out altogether. According to Foodbeast, you can turn your messy chicken wing into a chicken nugget for an easier way to eat. Just tear off the protruding cartilage and wiggle the bone until you remove it completely.

Surprisingly, mayonnaise doesn’t have much of a shelf life either, and should only be kept for two months if it’s stored in the pantry or three months in the fridge. Due to its egg and vinegar content, it’s likely to start developing an off odor and alter its appearance after this.

If you’re making stock or eating soup, avoid tongue burn by taking advantage of the laws of physics; taste from the side of the pan or bowl – the liquid is cooler on the edges than in the center.

The perfect crockery for eating your Chinese takeout isn’t found in your cupboard – it is the box it comes in. Break down the box and flatten it out before you tuck in.

Leave the dumplings where they are when they come to the table. We repeat: do not remove the dumplings or stab the dumplings with a chopstick, as this will cause the liquid to seep out. Remove the paper gently from the dumpling and use your spoon to scoop up the dumpling with the knot facing upwards. Then bite off the knot and slurp the broth out.

According to Italian pizza experts, the correct way to eat a Neapolitan-style pizza is by folding it into a wallet shape. Holding a pizza by the crust causes the cheese and tomato to slide down the pizza and all the toppings to mash into one mess

The core of a pineapple is high in bromelain (‘nature’s aspirin’) which reduces pain and inflammation. There’s also plenty of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. The core can be a bit hard and unappetizing so you can stick it in a blender for a smoothie or boil it to reduce it to stock to consume its goodness.

Instead of holding the kebab like a corn-on-the-cob and chomping down, the best way to enjoy a kebab is by holding the skewer upright and pulling off the meat and vegetables.

It’s a popular dish all over the world. Because of this, Italians claim it has become corrupted and doesn’t remotely resemble the original dish anymore. Apparently instead of using spaghetti, we should really be using tagliatelle. Who would’ve thought it? Tagliatelle Bolognese just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Joining the line-up of corrupted pasta dishes is carbonara. Yet another internationally-loved dish, but one that has changed a lot over the years. Italians have famously criticized the French for ‘ruining’ the dish, after a video went viral of pasta being boiled in the same pan as lardons before onions, crème fraiche and raw egg were added. The original recipe is made with spaghetti, bacon, eggs, pecorino cheese and freshly ground pepper.

Temperatures in the fridge cause damage to the membranes of tomatoes causing them to become watery and mealy. The best way to keep tomatoes is on a counter or worktop. If you find you have too many of the fruit, you can put them in cans or roast them. And if you grow your own and find you have too many… give them to a neighbor!

The main mistake we’re making with pancakes is whisking too much. By ferociously whisking away at the batter, it adds too much air, which produces tough and chewy pancakes. Love your lumps.

You’ve probably been throwing any old potatoes into your mash for years and not thought twice about it. A potato is a potato, right? But apparently not. The key to quality mash is simple: quality potatoes. For example, russet potatoes are much better than waxy red or white ones. You should also be gentle when mashing them; mashing too much releases starch and can make your spuds really pasty.

According to watermelon company Mello, the blank seeds inside the watermelon that we all spit out are actually full of nutrition. Once seeds have been sprouted, dried and shelled, 100 grams of seeds give you 34g of protein as well as magnesium and help strengthen your bones. The rind of watermelon can be used to improve blood flow because it is high in citrulline.

The leafy green tops of celery sticks are a goldmine for health benefits. They are low in fat and calories but high in vitamins (K, C, B6 and A), minerals and fiber. The leaves are good for your liver, can help control blood pressure, reduce inflammation and help prevent ulcers.