The Shrimp Peeling Hack You've Been Missing Your Whole Life

Though shrimp is a perfect summer (or any season) protein either on the the grill, or in a number of other preparations, there's one thing that stands in the way of people using it as often as they would like, which is the difficulty that comes with peeling the shrimp. Trying to devein shrimp with you hands is messy and time consuming. The shells are liable to break into small pieces and the ordeal takes way longer than it seems like it should. 

Luckily there's an easier way out there. In a video compilation of various cooking hacks posted to Twitter, a cook uses the prong of a fork, inserts it just above the tail of the shrimp and is able to take the whole shell and all of the legs off in one fell swoop. It just takes a quick turn of the wrist and the shell pops right off.

Just note that the shrimp section of the video is quick, just a few seconds long. Blink and you might miss it (via Heart).

As with many cooking hacks (we're looking at you onion peeling hack) some may actually work better on camera than in in real users' kitchens. So your mileage may vary when you take a fork to your shrimp.

If you are successful, using the fork method aids in the deveining process, which many feel is even more time consuming (and gross) than taking the shells off. The vein of the shrimp is something of a misnomer, though. It's not part of the circulatory system at all and instead is the animal's digestive tract (via The Kitchn). Removing this part of the shrimp is an optional step in preparing them, although it has more to do with aesthetics than taste or it being harmful. According to the Texas Shrimp Marketing Program, "Whether or not to devein shrimp is a matter of personal preference. In general, small and medium shrimp do not need deveining except for cosmetic purposes" (via The Takeout).