Odors
Vinegar is a natural odor absorber.
An open bowl in your kitchen while cooking will soak
up your smells and smoke. |
Shiny Kitchen Chrome
Parts made out of chrome can be polished with something
you'll find in any household: flour. Yes! Pour some flour on a dry
cloth and a bright shine will be the result. |
 Polishing
Silver - Alternative
Fill a plastic dishpan with hot water, a liberal dose of table
salt and a tablespoon of baking soda. Let your silver soak for fifteen
minutes and then rinse in tepid water and dry. |
Soggy Chips?
Make soggy or stale potato chips crisp again by microwaving them
on high for 30 to 60 seconds. Let them cool and they're ready to
eat. |
Produce Preserver
Place a few damp sponges in the bottom of your produce
bins, the added moisture helps keep fruits and veggies fresher longer. |
 Tomato
Paste Tip
Cut open both ends of a can of tomato paste and push
all the contents out. You'll have no waste and leftovers can go
in a plastic freezer bag. |
Punch
A pot juice or punch is easily diluted by using ice
cubes for cooling. Simply fill the ice cubes in a plastic bag and
put the bag inside your beverage. |
Windowsills
After washing windowsills, cover them with a thin
coating of floor wax. It protects the painted surface, prevents
dirt from adhering and makes cleaning as easy as a wipe with a damp
cloth. |
Scorched
Pans?
To clean burned pans, sprinkle charred areas liberally with baking
soda, adding just enough water to moisten. Let paste stand for several
hours and you'll be able to lift the burnt portion right out of the
pot. |
Removing Labels
First peel off as much of the label as much as you
can. Then saturate what's left with vegetable or mineral oil, dabbing
it on with your finger. Let it soak in for several hours or overnight.
After the label has softened, use a nylon-net scrubbie or old toothbrush
to remove what remains of label or glue. Wash the container in hot
soapy water to get rid of the oily residue. Now you have a great
gift jar. |
Pie Crusts
Pie crust soggy? Try sprinkling it with granulated sugar before
putting that cream filling in. Then bake as usual. |
Odor Buster Hints
1. If you have plastic bowls or dishes that smell simply make
of paste of baking soda and water and rub all over the surface.
Let set overnight then rinse well.
2. If the sink in your kitchen or bathroom smells, give this
a try: put in 1/2 cup baking soda and then follow with 1 cup
of cheap household vinegar. Let it foam and bubble, then follow
by running cold water for at least 30 seconds or longer. If
there is a sink that is seldom used, pour in some plain old
vinegar to kill the bacteria that causes the bad smell.
3. If your cutting board smells from onions, garlic or even
fish, pour on a little vinegar, wipe, rinse, and the odor should
be gone. If your hands have also absorbed the odor, rub them
together with vinegar and rinse. You can also use mouthwash
or toothpaste as deodorizer.
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 Fresh
Eggs?
To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it
in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but
if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
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Corn On The Cob
When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar
to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
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Ice-Cream Cones
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a
sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
|
Leftover Wine
Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into
ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
|
 Over-Salted?
If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's
still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the
excess salt for an instant "fix meup."
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Tupperware
Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray
before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains. |
Perfect Pancakes?
Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake
batter onto the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes
everytime. |
Thermos Bottles
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water,
drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour or
longer, if necessary.
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Potatoes
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in
the bag with the potatoes.
|
 Celery
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator
and it will keep for weeks. |
- To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to
the water before hard-boiling
- Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies
treats in the pan and the marshmallow won't stick to your fingers.
- To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room
temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen
counter before squeezing.
- To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add
a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of
pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.
- When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a
bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess
on the outside of the cake.
- Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
- Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take
a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of
having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally
decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box
of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that
the scissors get sharpened this way!
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- If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing
gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
- Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers.
Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
- Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase
or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
- Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of
water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
- Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to
yield a beautiful glossy finish.
- Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.
- Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Well, I have
found a
way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging a jar
of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I simply
reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts
to the size of the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off
pops the lid!
- When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a
bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess
on the outside of the cake.
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