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by Mark
Lamendola
These tips will help you with assorted
problems around the house, using materials you already have on hand or that do
not cost much to acquire. Some of these are good simply because they are
low-cost, others are good because they easily solve problems that you may run
into.
Courtesy, Jeffrey Houpt
- Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream
drips
- Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot
griddle--perfectly shaped pancakes every time.
- To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
- To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before
hard-boiling.
- Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies into a pan; 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 stove-top--skillet will be
much easier to clean now.
- Spray your plastic-ware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based
sauces--no more stains.
- When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix
instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake.
- . If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled
potato--it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."
- . Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator-it will keep for weeks.
- Brush beaten egg-white over piecrust before baking, to yield a beautiful glossy
finish.
- Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.
- When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corns
natural sweetness.
- To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water.
If it sinks, it is fresh--if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
- Cure for headaches. Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead.
The throbbing will go away.
- Don't throw out all that leftover wine; freeze it into ice cubes for future use
in casseroles and sauces.
- 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.
- To get rid of itch from mosquito bite, try applying soap on the bite for instant
relief.
- Ants, ants, ants everywhere.... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line.
So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march--see
for yourself.
- Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and leaves a lovely smell
to the shine.
- When you get a splinter, reach for the cellophane tape before resorting to
tweezers or a needle. Simply put the tape over the splinter, and then pull it
off
Cellophane tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
- Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:
- Clean a toilet. Drop in two
Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and
effervescent action clean vitreous china.
- 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.
- 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).
- Unclog a drain.
Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a
cup of white vinegar, wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.
Keep your domicile in ship shape with these House Supplies |
