Way back in 2001, I received this e-mail. You can file this in your memory bank for future use. I can’t believe it is November already! Just seven weeks until Christmas! I hope these tips will be of some use to you. I found many to be quite informative. Some I already knew of.
-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 your hot griddle and you will get perfectly shaped pancakes. You can also make alphabet letters using the baster.
-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 the eggs.
–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 a fresh lemon, bring it to room temperature and roll it under your palm of your hand on the kitchen counter before you begin to squeeze out the juice.
-To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop of two of dish soap and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil on the stovetop.
-Spray your Tupperware with non-stick cooking spray before pouring in any tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains on your Tupperware.
-When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cke mix instead of plain flour and there won’t be any white mess on the outside of the baked cake. This must apply to a chocolate cake.
-If you accidentally over salt a dish while it is still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant fix-me-up.
-Wrap celery in a sheet of aluminum foil when placing it in you fridge’s crisper drawer. The celery will keep crisp for weeks. This really works! I have been doing this for years.
-Brush some beaten egg white over your pie crust before baking your two-crust pie. You will have a beautiful glossy finish to your pie. I sprinkle just a bit of sanding sugar over top of the egg glaze for sweet-filled pies.
-Place a slice of fresh apple into a bag of hardened brown sugar. It will help to soften the sugar.
-Whe boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to the water. It will help to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness. I do this too!
-To determine if 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.
-A cure for headaches: Take a lime and cut it in half. Rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
-Don’t throw out all that leftover wine, freeze it in ice cube trays for future use in casseroles and sauces.
-If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwahing gloves. They will give a non slip grip that makes opening the jar easier.
-Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub a raw potato on the stains and rinse with cold water.
-Top get rid of an itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the affected area and you will get instant relief.
-Ants, ants everywhere: Well they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get out your chalk and draw a line on the floor where ants tend to march. See this for yourself.
-Use an air freshener to clean your mirrors. It does a food job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
-When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers of a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
-See what you can do with Alka-Seltzer: Clean a toilet. Drop in 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets and wait 20 minutes, just brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action cleans vitreous China.
-Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets.
-Polish jewelry: Drop 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for 2 minutes.
-To clean a thermos bottle, drop in 4 Alka-Seltzer tablets and let it soak for an hour (longer if necessary.)
-To unclog a drain: Clear the sink drain by dropping 3 Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of plain white vinegar. Wait for a few minutes and then run the hot water.