Storage bags can be messy and hard to hold when filling. So line a tall drinking glass with a storage bag. Fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass. Now your hands are free to fill.

Instead of parboiling tomatoes to remove the skins, rub the tomato all over with the back of a knife. The skin peels right off.

To easily butter corn on the cob, spread an extra thick layer of butter on a slice of bread, wrap it around a hot ear of corn and rub. You also have a nicely buttered slice of bread.

When using tomato paste, cut open both ends of the can with a can opener. Remove one end and carefully push the other end down through the can.

For a different side dish, shred freshly peeled potatoes and pack them into a hot waffle iron that has been coated with a nonstick cooking spray. In just a short time you will have crispy golden hash browns in the shape of a waffle.

Here's an easy way to remove the shells from hard-to-peel shrimp. Put the shrimp into a bowl of white vinegar and soak for 20 to 30 minutes. The shells soften and come right off. Once peeled, rinse the shrimp well. They won't pick up any vinegar flavor and are ready to use in any recipe.

Save bacon grease in a container in the fridge. When making fried chicken, add a tablespoon or so of bacon grease to the oil. This gives the chicken a great flavor.

To get moist, ballpark style hotdogs, put mustard, relish, and the hotdog in the bun and wrap in waxed paper and microwave on high until heated through.

To cook rice, measure the rice first and pour it into the inverted lid of a pot you'll be using. Then measure the water in the same measuring cup and pour it into the pot. When the water boils, just pour the rice from the lid into the water. This saves the trouble of drying the measuring cup to measure the rice after you've measured the water.

Keep a small rubber spatuala in the silverware cup of the dish drainer. When you need to scrape a dirty bowl or plate, the spatula is right at your finger tips. Then wash it with all the dishes.

When making meatballs for spaghetti, first boil them in water until they rise to the top of the pan. Drain and add them to the sauce to finish cooking. This eliminates the mess of frying and cuts some grease from the meat.

Leftover slices from a turkey or ham can be frozen in individually wrapped slices instead of frozen in one large stack. This makes it very easy to pull out the amount you need for sanwiches and other dishes.

Use a cheese slicer with a wire blade to cut chilled rolled cookie dough. The dough cuts easily and the cookies keep their round shape.

When decorating cookies or cupcakes with sugars or candies, avoid the mess and cut down on waste by sprinkling them over a bowl. No topping ends up on the floor, and you can pour leftovers back into the containers for use at another time.

To clean seeds and pulp from a pumpkin, squash, or canteloupe, scrap the inside with the round center of a two-piece canning jar lid. It fits the contours of the produce and it is much more efficient than scraping with a spoon.