Olive oil is one of those kitchen staples you end up reaching for without even thinking about it. A glug in the pan to start a pasta sauce, a drizzle over roasted veg, or a quick dressing when you can't be bothered with anything fancy - it just works.

It's simple, versatile, and somehow makes even basic ingredients taste like you've made more effort than you actually have.

But even though we use the cupboard staple on a daily basis, there's something people are only just learning about it.

A TikTok video has been taking the internet by storm ever since it showed what the small plastic tab on olive oil bottles is for. Apparently, it has a far greater function than most foodies realise.

If you're a home cookwho is tired of accidentally pouring too much oil into the pan, wasting money and making food oily, then listen up. Thanks to this great technique, those chaotic spillages could become history.

Many think the plastic tab beneath the cap is just a tamper-proof seal that you can throw away after opening the bottles of oil.

However, as TikTok user CookingCards illustrated in a video, this small piece of plastic can also be used to regulate the oil flow.

In the clip, they highlighted a problem numerous people can identify with: "Don't you hate it when you're pouring oil and it makes a mess everywhere? Well, I do. And trust me, try this hack and you will thank me later."

Rather than disposing of the tab, they extracted it, turned it upside down, and reinserted it into the bottle opening. When they poured the oil, it emerged in a controlled, smooth stream - preventing excessive spillages.

After successfully demonstrating the hack, they said: "Look at that pour." And it seems that social media users were equally as impressed.

One person commented: "Are you kidding me? I've been wasting oil my whole life!"

Another wrote: "That's genius! Manufacturers should tell us this. Meanwhile, a third said: "Mind blown. I'm trying this ASAP."

So the next time you crack open a fresh bottle, think twice before discarding that small plastic tab - it could well be the solution to wasting oil for good!