|
* To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes. * 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-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 Tupperware 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 pie crust 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 into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. * If you have 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 area 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 better still, leave a lovely smell to the shine. * When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch 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. * If your VCR has a year setting on it, which most do, you will not be able to use the programmed recording feature after 12/31/99. Don't throw it away. Instead set it for the year 1972 as the days are the same as the year 2000. The manufacturers won't tell you. They want you to buy a newY2k VCR. Pass this along to all your friends. |