Quick Tips Worth Remembering

I don't know about you but I am always looking for little tips that will make my life easier. Here is a quick list that can be printed off and stuck in one of your cookbooks for future reference.

Cooking Tips

• A lettuce leaf dropped into a pot of soup will absorb the grease.
• A chunk of potato added to anything that is over-salted will absorb the salt.
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• To prevent splattering when frying meats, sprinkle a little salt in the pan before adding the oil.
• Adding a half of an apple to hardened brown sugar will soften it.
• Chill cheese before grating and it will grate much easier.
• Use coffee filters in the microwave instead of paper towels when making bacon as they are more absorbent.
• To keep a roast or turkey from sticking in the pan, place stalks of celery in the pan before you put in the meat. They will act as a rack and flavor the roast also.
• To make gravy brown, stir in one teaspoon of brewed coffee. It will only affect the taste slightly but will make it a nice brown color.
• Powdered Sugar Substitute: Mix one cup granulated sugar with one tablespoon of cornstarch and blend in blender on high speed for a couple of minutes. Great for pancakes or sprinkling on cookies when you are out of powdered sugar.

Stain Removal

• Blood: Presoak in cold or warm water at least 30 minutes. If stain remains, soak in ammonia water; 3 tablespoons ammonia per gallon of water. Rinse.
• Chocolate: Presoak stain in cold or warm water. Wash in hot water with detergent. If stain remains, sponge with hydrogen peroxide.
• Coffee: Sponge or soak with cold water as soon as possible. Wash using detergent and bleach safe for your fabric.
• Crayon: Scrape with a dull blade. Wash in hottest water safe for your fabric with detergent and 1-2 cups baking soda/
• Grass: Presoak in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Pre-treat with detergent. Rinse. Wash using detergent, hot water, and bleach that is safe for your fabric.
• Grease and Oil: Use baby powder to absorb as much of the grease or oil as you can. Pre treat with detergent or liquid shampoo. Wash in hottest water safe for your fabric using plenty of detergent.
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• Oil-based Paint: Sponge with turpentine or paint remover. Pre-treat with detergent and was hottest water safe for your fabric.
• Water Based Paint: Scrape off paint with dull blade. Wash with detergent in water as hot as is safe for your fabric.
• Soft Drinks: Sponge immediately with cold water and alcohol. Heat and detergent may set stain

Cleaning Tips

• To make a new straw broom last longer: Dip the broom in a bucket of hot salt water. This will toughen the bristles.
• To make your own glass cleaner for pennies: Mix 2 cups non-sudsing ammonia with 2 cups rubbing alcohol and 2-3 drops of blue food coloring. Store in spray bottle.
• To deodorize and clean your refrigerator: Mix 3 tablespoons baking soda in 1 qt. hot water. Rinse well.
• To clean darkened aluminum pans: Boil 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar mixed in a quart of water for 10 minutes.
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• To clean copper and brass: Put table salt onto a damp sponge and clean off tarnish. Rinse and buff.
• When washing curtains, pull from the dryer while still damp and slide butter knives into the bottom hems before hanging to dry, the added weight will help to pull out the wrinkles, saving you from having to iron them.
• Cleaning your steam iron has never been so easy. Fill iron with water and two tablespoons of vinegar. Plug in iron and push steam button over your sink until all the water is gone. Vinegar will clean out the holes which the steam comes through and cleans out all hard water deposits.
• Clean your coffee pot with baking soda. Fill pot with water and add a handful of baking soda. Now run it through your coffee maker. Let the water cool and scrub with a nylon scrubber. You may have to do this a couple of times to get it nice, bright and shiny.