Odors
Vinegar is a natural odor absorber.
An open bowl in your kitchen while
cooking will soak up your smells and smoke.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Produce
Preserver
Place a few damp sponges in the
bottom of your produce bins, the added moisture
helps keep fruits and veggies fresher longer.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Pie
Crusts
Pie crust soggy? Try sprinkling it with granulated
sugar before putting that cream filling in.
Then bake as usual.
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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.
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Leftover
Wine
Don't throw out all that leftover
wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use
in casseroles and sauces.
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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.
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Perfect
Pancakes?
Use a meat baster to "squeeze"
your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and
you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes everytime.
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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.
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Celery
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when
putting in the refrigerator and it will keep
for weeks.
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