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    Posted: January 14 2006 at 7:16pm

Place an address sticker on all home electronic equipment. When taken in for repairs. Too many times they have lost, the information You provided. Now if it comes up missing your name is on it. Those techs get careless.

You can Get yourself either a ketsup or mustard squeeze bottle. Now use it to blow off your keyboard when dusty. Or you can use an electrostatic cloth. Designed to attact dust.

You can clean off your t. v. screen with a fabric softener sheet.Or use the electrostatic cloth. Your t. v. is like a magnet. Grabs everything.

When packing some small electronic device for a trip. Take the batteries out, and turn them around. Now it won't accidentally come on.

You can put 4 moth balls in your cleaner bag. Now vacuum your rugs. When you store the machine no fleas will come crawling out. That is if you had some in your carpets. The moth balls will kill them. Other wise when you vacuum, they'll just come crawling back out of your power nozzle. Waisted effort.

Spray a vegetable spray on your grater. Now cut cheese or whatever. Easy clean up.

When you mix up something in your blender. Use low - speed first. Then increase. If you having problems getting started use a little liquid. Depending on what your mixing up. Use a juice to go with it. Or water.

If your leaving home for any length of time. Unplug your garage door opener. Now lock the door. Thieves like to patrol the neighborhood. Trying to see if their opener will open your door. Some controllers do. After they find out it does, they'll sit on a corner watching for the right move. I was shocked to find out others have my same controller.

 

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gunnie71 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 16 2006 at 6:04am

Hi!

 Great helpful post!

 I like the vegetable spray on the grater before shredding cheese, cool!

Katie ;)
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 Would like to add some more. We purchased at Builder's Square a sliding bar. This is a fairly long black bar. You attach it to the side of your garage door. When you retire for the evening, slide it across the door. Now no one will be able to lift it.

You can also spray your measuring cups with a cooking oil. Next time you put in something like a honey, it will slide right out. Measuring spoons too.

You can spray the inside of a plastic bowl, then pour in a spaghetti sauce. No stains.

You can use the mesh bag onions come in for a pot scrubber.

You can blow up beach balls or inflateables with a turkey baster. Just remove the bulb from the baster. Now insert the small end into the toy. Blow into the large end.

You can water a christmas tree, with a turkey baster.

You can blow up a balloon and plop it into a paint can. This will keep a skin from forming on any unused paint.

You can make a funnel for liquids, by snipping one corner of a plastic bag.

Got dents in a carpet from moving furniture, put some ice cubes in them. Dents will come out as ice melts.

You can keep your small xmas cards you receive. Now next year use them as name tags.

Put a tennis ball in your dryer. It will pluff up your blankets when you wash them.

Get a dent out of a ping pong ball. Put it in hot salty water.

Easy plant watering. Give it a few ice cubes.

If your watering a hanging plant inside, put a shower cap on the bottom.

If you need to cure a squeaky floor, put dusting powder along the edges.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hair Goddess Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 17 2006 at 3:18pm

Great thread.

Here's my two cents.

For tough food stains and burns on the stove top, dampen the area and/or make a paste of baking soda with water and let it stand and wipe clean after I guess about 20 - 30 minutes.  I usually spinkle over the area after dinner and wipe clean before bedtime or the next day....I'm sorta lazy sometimes.

Oh, and my favorite because I'm a big green tea drinker...

To remove tea and coffee stains, etc..either

1/Add to your hot dishwater a small amount of bleach or a teaspoon of bleach to each coffee mug and fill it to the rim with water, let set overnight.

or for a more natural solution,

2/Soak overnight your coffee mugs with enough vinegar to cover the bottom of cup and fill to the rim with water.

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Cereal And fussy Kids

 

If kids  turn up their noses to hot cereals, than try these suggestions.:

Make the cereal with chocolate milk.

 

Stir in some canned chop fruit

 

Put 1 tbsp of jam in a bowl. Add little milk, Mush them up and then add cereal. You  can do this with hot or cold cereal.

 

You can put chocolate bits in oatmeal cereal. Think about those oatmeal cookies.

 

You can eat cold cereal with some eggnog, or malted milk.

 

You can add some ice cream to cereal.

 

If cold cereal is too soggy. Then pour it on a cookie sheet. Set the temp for 350 and bake 2 or 3 minutes. It will crisp back up.

 

If hot cereal is too lumpy, then the next time start with cold water, an
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 Useful Hints

 

Go to a  wall paper store and ask if they have any old catalogs.  They only toss these out.  Get the one that has pre pasted wall paper in it. Go home and check it out. Look for some that has prints appropriate for a baby’s room. Now cut these cute little pictures out. There now just wet the backs and put them on your babies wall. My friends use to put them around the changing table. Keeps your baby amused during the changing periods.

 

Also keep in mind, that you can glue fabric to a wall also.

 

 You can use sheets to make window curtains, and shower curtains.

 

If the top of the shower curtain rips out from the rings, just put a strip of duct tape in that area where the hole ripped out. Then take a punch and make a new hole. Volla!

 

Now if you get a spot on your carpet, and nothing seems to take it out. Well where’s your box of crayons. Buy the large box of assorted colors. Keep it handy just for this purpose. You can usually find a color in there to match your carpets. So doctor it.

 

Crayon marks on a wall will usually come off with W D 40.

 

Spray paint will come off with W D 40.

 

You know those little tiny stuffed bears. There about 2 ½ “ tall. Well you can tie a ribbon around their neck. Then glue a magnet on the back.. Or glue on two if heavy. Put him on the frig to hold messages.

 

You can hem leather jackets with rubber cement. Apply it to both pieces, and hold to bond until dry.

 

You can pin socks on a coat hanger, then hang it on the line. Fast removal.

 

You can set up 10 soda pop cans. Then let the kids throw a ball at them. ‘Bowling”

 

The kids can do the limbo, hop, or play volley ball through a sprinkler.

 

Now when tiling , and you have left overs. You could glue some felt on the bottom, for a trivet for hot foods. Or you could break them into tiny pieces, and glue them on a small table, a vase, or a counter.

Or pop one in the mic and place it in the bottom of a bread basket to keep bread or rolls hot. Or you could even paint them with some glass paint, and you decide what to do with it after that.

 

Kids can stick their hands in acrylic paint. Then press them onto a t  shirt.Make sure you put a cardboard on the inside of the t  shirt first. . Do a good job now. Then give them to grandparents for X mas.  Maybe write something like “ My grandchildren walk all over me. Let it dry good.

Or gather up 12 photos of your kids. Now take them to a photo shop. Tell them you want a calendar made with them. Give these as X mas gifts.

 

You can even use wall paper for book covers. Or to line your shelves.

 

Put a trash bag in the bottom of trash cans. Then when you take out the full one, just pull up the new one. I keep several in the bottoms of mine.

 

Here’s the Boo Boo Bunny Song to sing for all Boo Boo’s.

I’m the Boo Boo Bunny and I’m here to say, when you get a Boo Boo I’ll help it go away. We’ll just place a little ice upon the bump, and keep it there, until there’s no more lump.

I use to sing this to my kids, and still do my grandchildren. It helps to make the Boo Boo a little easier.

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Boiling – Crockpot- and Microwave Cooking.

 

Vegetables should always be placed in the water, after it starts boiling. The shorter the time in the water, the more nutrients that will be retained. Vit C is lost very fast.

Your water must boil for at least 2 minutes, to release a percentage of the oxygen, which will also cause a reduction in nutrients.

Leave those skins on, and the vegetables in as large a piece as possible. The more surface you expose the more nutrients will be lost.

 

Never put vegetables in a crock – pot for a prolonged cooking process. Most of the nutrients will be lost to the heat and the liquid.

 

Microwave usually results in short cooking times, which retain the nutrients. The water  content of the vegetables will determine just how well they will cook Microwave ovens should have a moveable turntable so that the food will not have “cold spots’ This could result in the food being under cooked.

Now if you want to brown foods in the microwave, be sure to use a special dish for that purpose. Preheat the dish first.No browning dish, then brush the meat with soy or teriyaki sauce, or the liking.

A steak will continue cooking after it is removed from the microwave, and it is best to slightly under cook it.

 

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 Chicken Facts

 

The safest method for thawing out poultry, is to place it in a bowl of cold water. If you add some salt to the water, it not only will provide some flavor, but will provide a measure of additional cleaning.

 

When stuffing your bird, the opening may be sealed with a piece of raw potato.

 

The dark meat on the bird is a result of using, the breast muscles more, providing them with a greater blood supply. 

 

Broiler/Fryers are 7 week old birds that weigh from 3 – 4 lbs.

 

Roasters are usually hens weighing 5 – 8 lbs. Have more fat than a broiler.

 

Stewing hens are a year old. Retired sort of speak. Tough old birds and need slow cooking. But they are flavorful.

 

Capons These are castrated roosters which are 10 weeks old Weigh 8 – 10 lbs.They usually have large white meat breast from making a lot of noise.

 

 When choosing meat in the grocery store, make sure there is no liquid residue either wet or frozen on the bottom of the package.  If there is it means that the food has been frozen and the cells have released a percentage of their fluids.

 

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Cooking Tips Of Long ago

 

If your food is boiling over, place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. Or rub some butter along the inside rim of your pot.

 

All methods of  cooking, will lower fat content, except frying in oil.

 

Depending on what type of metal your wok is made of, it will rust. So always wipe off the inner surface with vegetable oil after each use.

 

To prevent splattering, always wipe off foods before placing in hot oil.

 

Always cook a roast in a shallow pot. This will allow air to circulate more efficiently. Place some fresh celery stalks under the roast . It will also help.

 

Don’t try frying so much food at once. The food has a tendency to bubble over from the cold food, and hot oil. You should also lift the basket out of the oil a few times. This will prevent the food from sticking together. Then lower it and keep it in until food is done.

 

  

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Fish Facts

 

The skin on the fish should always have a shiny look to it, and when finger pressure is applied, it should easily spring back to it’s original shape. The meat should be firm to touch with no visible blemishes.

Never buy fish if the skin  has any dark discolorization.

 

When you look into the fishes eyes, they should be bulging and not sunken into the head, which is a sign of dried out.  Eyes should also be clear, not cloudy. If the fish winks at you, this is a very good sign.

 

The scales should not be falling off. If you notice loose scales don’t buy the fish. The scales should also be healthy, bright, and shinny.

 

The gills should look clean with no signs of slime. Their healthy color is reddish – pink. Gray gills are a sign of an old fish.

 

A fresh fish never smells  “FISHY” If it has an odor , it is probably from the flesh decomposing and releasing a chemical compound.

 

SEAFOOD NEEDS TO BE AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE. NO MORE THAN 2 OR 3 DAYS OUT OF THE WATER.

 

 

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Going fishing Need Worms

 

Just hook up the hot line of an A C power outlet to a copper rod. Now shove it into the ground and plug it in.  Stay off the ground while it is plugged in. Stand back and watch  for worms.

 

These suckers are so expensive in the bait stores. So collect your own.

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Insects and other pests

 

Fleas  can be eliminated by, vacuuming with a high powered vacuum cleaner such as Electrolux, with a good sealing bag. But remove bag after vacuuming immediately.

 

Citronella oil candles will rid your house of mosquitoes.

 

Next time you change the litter box, try sprinkling a small layer of baking soda on the bottom to absorb the odors.

 

Keep the cat in the house. If you want to remove a grease stain from your drive way, try rubbing kitty liter into the stain. Allow it to stand for 1- 2 hours before sweeping it up.

 

Hang small pieces of a deodorant soap, on trees to keep deer away. Especially  fruit trees.

Or use pieces of clothing. They don’t like the smell of humans.

 

Bugs love us. If you wear blue you will have thrips following you. If you wear yellow whiteflies will follow you. Forget those colors. Brown and Khaki you’re pretty safe with. You won’t look like flowers.

 

Most animals are usually afraid, of bright and shinny objects. So hang strips of foil on trees or shrubs.

 

Stop wasting money on bug zappers. Don’t work. Have no effect what so ever. Bugs seem to have a special sense that, keeps them away from electronic magnetic fields.

Citronella lamps will do the trick.

 

Mice love peanut butter, more than cheese. It works good  in traps.

 

If you have roaches,.fill a shallow  pie plate with alcohol, their favorite. Especially cheap wine. Goodbye roaches.

 

Flying insects. Get out your hairspray and immobilize them, if in the house.

 

RID YOUR PET OF FLEAS.-   CUT A STRIP OF CLOTH ABOUT AN INCH LARGER THAN YOUR PETS NECK. FOLD IT OVER SO THAT THERE IS AN OPENING IN THE CENTER.  SEW ONE END SHUT, AS WELL AS PLACING A SEAM DOWN THE STRIP.  USE A FUNNEL AND FILL THE OPENING WITH A COMBINATION OF 50/50 ROSEMARY AND OREGANO.  NOW SEW OR TAPE A PIECE OF VELCRO, TO CLOSE THE OPEN END ,AND ATTACH TO PET USING THE VELCRO CLOSURE.

 

  

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Kitchen Helpers

 

Store your flour in the freezer to prevent eggs from hatching.  Insects and bugs set up residence when the grain is warehoused, during transit., or even in your home.

 

Beware when purchasing rye bread. Really read that label. Most rye bread contains white flour. Very little rye. So make sure the label says Whole Rye Flour.

 

Good quality white bread will read unbleached flour, not flour, or white flour.

 

Never place hot pans next to each other. Hot air needs to circulate and not be blocked.

 

Never place yeast in a bowl, and pour water on it. The yeast is easily damaged and the weight of the falling water can harm too many of the yeasties.

 

Always store dry yeast in the refrigerator. But then allow it to warm to room temperature before using.

 

The best way of cooling hot bread, is to place it on a wire rack. This will allow air to circulate around the bread.

 

Before purchasing those little bread sticks, read the directions. They may contain up to 40% fat.

 

When making biscuits, never over work the dough. They will become tough

 

Try substituting buttermilk in a muffin recipe for the lightest muffins ever.

 

Now if you want soft biscuits, brush them with milk or melted unsalted butter.Place them in a pan so they touch each other.

 

When buying white bread look for the word enriched. This is the best. Many do not.

 

Never use compressed fresh yeast in a bread baking machine. Always dry yeast.

 

 

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 Let’s  Have fun painting Tips

 

If you have dark walls and you’d like a lighter color do this. Prime over the dark color, then you can paint your lighter color over the prime.

 

Now warm colors like blue, green , and violet remind you of an ocean, and relaxation. So figure out what room you want these colors in. Remember they go in  a room with no direct sun.

 

Then comes the cool colors. These look great in a sunny room. Reds, yellow, oranges.

Red would be nice in a sexy bedroom. Orange in a  family room, or child’s room.

Yellow I’d put in a hallway.

 

 Blue good for a bedroom also. Green in a livingroom.

 

Violet is good for a play area, or a child’s room. Kitchens are pretty in a sunny yellow, then do the cabinets and trim in chocolate brown.

 

Use semi - gloss on woodwork, cabinets, and doors.

 

Want the room to look bigger.  Use a light color, and one color scheme.

 

If the ceiling is low, paint it a bright white.

 

Dark walls and ceiling, will make the room look smaller.

 

If you have a long narrow room, and you want it to look wider, then paint both of the short walls a darker color, than the longer walls.

 

Remember what I said in another set of tips. Put the paint brush and roller, in a zip lock bag and into the freezer, when not in use. Or if the project hasn’t been completed in the color your using, at the end of the day.

 

Now let’s paint the trim in a room darker than the walls.

 

All door knobs cover with aluminum.

 

Keep a zip lock bag next to the phone when painting. If the phone rings, put the bag over your hand and answer the phone.

 

Put plastic bowl covers over your shoes. Remove them when finished painting.

 

Now when you purchase a can of paint, have them mix it up. I don’t care if it’s right off the shelf or not. They will mix it. Saves you time and arm work when you get home.

 

 

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Car

Before going on a vacation, check out your hoses for cracks, and bulges.  If More than two years old, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get them replaced.

 

Flush and refill your radiator every two years.

 

Check your antifreeze, when you check your oil.

 

Keep electrical and duct tape in your glove box. A friend of mine back into a stump in the woods. They were getting  a Christmas tree.. Their muffler came loose and they duck taped it till they got home. Held great. The tape was a life saver.

 

Remove rust spots on your car’s bumper, by crumpling up tin foil, and dipping into coke.

 

Use a paste of baking soda to clean away corrosion on car battery terminals without having to use a wire brush.

 

When you purchase a new car, Spray the upholstery and carpeting with Scotch Guard. Clean up later will be a snap.

 

Put and old shower curtain under a baby seat, to catch all crumbs when they eat.

 

You can clean out all hard to get to places with a q- tip.

 

Put a bag of kitty liter in your trunk in the winter time. Great traction to help you get out of the snow.

 

When going camping toss a plastic tub with a lid in the trunk. Then when you need to wash clothes toss in some laundry soap, water and your clothes. Drive around town. When you return your laundry should be done.

 

You can use coffee filters to wipe windows and mirrors. Their lint  free.

 

You can use a hair dryer on a bumper sticker, for a few minutes to remove them.

 

If you lock yourself out of your car, use a coat hanger to get in. Take an straighten a hanger, fashion a loop and work between the window and the door. Use the hoop to hook the door lock and pull it up.

 

You can coat a clean and dry car battery terminal, with petroleum jelly to prevent corrosion.

 

You can clean leather upholstery with cold cream. Put some on a rag and rub in then wipe.

 

Carpet stains you can use club soda.

Bugs on cars. You can use baking soda on a moist sponge. It stiffens them up.

 

Rust on the wheels. You can use an S . O. S. pad.

 

Car white  walls. You can use basin tub and tile cleaner. Rub good.

 

For interior car rugs, you can use plush rubber back bathroom rugs.

 

Lost gas cap. Usually the attendant will have it. Ask her.

 

Need gas fill up in the morning, before the hot sun comes out. You’ll get 5 % more. Gas expands later.

Use Rain X on the windows. You’ll be able to see anything a car splashes at you.

 

Need your car painted. Call the Tech school. They need the practice, much cheaper, and are supervised.

 

Frozen door locks, use W D 40.

 

You can use  a polish on your car, and you won’t have any white powder residue.

 

To stop your car from fading, wax it every 6 months. Wash it once a week.

 

Caught in traffic snack

1 graham cracker spread with peanut butter.

 

You can use a dust mop head to wash your car with.

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 Gardening Tips

 

 Years ago the only things available for mulching were straw and leaves. Now you can use grass clippings, cocoa bean hulls, black plastic, roofing paper, and newspapers. This will keep the soil in the garden from drying out, on hot days, and from washing away during a thunderstorm.

 

Have you noticed that right after a thunderstorm you’re your plants green up really fast? Well it’s  due to electrically charged oxygen, that is turned into nitrogen.

 

Before you plant anything, it would be wise to take a soil test. Then send it to your agricultural center. Maybe you want to plant a tree. Well the ph may not be suitable in that area for growing a tree. Maybe too much clay or sand..  Or not enough limestone, or sulfur etc. Trees can drown in a clay soil. Sandy soils are too dry, and they’ll drain to fast.

But the soil test will tell you what you need to add to your soil to plant your trees, or plants even. Soil tests are usually taken  at least every 3 years.

 

When planting a tree, make sure you dig the hole big enough. I’ve seen people try to squeeze a good size tree into a tiny hole. Then the roots get broken because they have no where to spread out, and then the tree dies.

Do not grab the trunk and try to force the root ball  out of the container. Just ask them at the nursery to cut the side of the container for you. Than wrap some twine around it, until you get home.  Then remove , and lift out the soil ball, not the trunk.

If you live in a windy area, it’s a good idea to stake your new young trees.

Now you can feed your tree with the drilling method, if you’d like.  Just drill holes down in the soil, around the tree. Now fill with some dry  fertilizer.

 It will dissolve slowly, and won’t need to do this again for a year.

 

Now when your lawn feeding with a liquid fertilizer. – take an put a golf ball in your hose spray bottle. This will distribute the fertilizer further, and evenly.

 

It’s a good idea to put on your golf shoes once in the while. Now hike across your lawn. This will aerate your lawn, so it will accept water and fertilizer better.

 

Water before 2 p.m.  But the best times are between 5 A. M. and 8 A. M.

 

All disease controls apply after 7 P. M.

 

Best time to mow is after 7 P.M.

 

Make sure your mower blade is sharp. Hose down you mower so it will keep working efficiently.

 

Impulse sprinklers are the best, if you need to rely on a hose .It’s faster, and delivers more water.

 

Don’t water at night, unless using insect spray, fungicides, or a bacterial soap and water solution.

 

Sew you seeds when the days are warm and evenings are cool. Loosen your soil, apply seed, sprinkle on a light layer of soil, and keep it moist.

 

In hot weather, if you need to seed a spot. First soak your seed in 1 cup dish soap, and 1 gallon of a weak tea water. Chill 48 hours. Then spread the seed out on a warm dry surface to dry. Now plant them.

 

Apply all liquid weed killer to weeds only. NOT THE WHOLE LAWN.

 

  Crabgrass and other annual weed seed plants should be killed with a pre – emerge crab grass control applied very early in spring.

 

Never mow wet grass.

 

Trim and edge before mowing. Don’t allow excess grass, to grow along side walks, driveways, or flowers beds. These are the areas insects and diseases like to take up residence.

 

Seeds go down late in the evenings.

 

Mow your lawn up until the season ends. Now your very last mowing, drop your blade down 1 notch.

 

Keep all your tool blades sharp with a bastard file.

 

Don’t toss out old hoses. Put some tiny holes in  and use it in a flower bed. Or take and cut off sections to slip over sharp tools. Just slit them and slide over the blades.

 

I also paint a bright color on the side of my tools. Then I can always find them in the grass. Also if the neighbor’s borrow them, you will know yours. Just go borrow them back, if not returned.

 

Don’t put your tools away dirty. Wash and dry them. Then squirt on some W D 40.

 

Wash all your containers with ammonia and soap before planting anything in them.

 

Treat all young seedlings with T L C, until time to move them out to the garden.

 

Catch rainwater for your hair. It’s fabulous.

 

 

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More Kitchen Helpers

 

Remove lumps from soups, and gravies  with a wire whisk.

 

To make your soup go further, just add some pasta, rice, or barley.

 

To change your stew a little.-  Just add a stack of cut long thin strips, of corn tortillas the last 15 mins.

 

The tannic acid in strong tea can, tenderize meat and reduce your cooking time. Just add ½ cup of strong tea to any stew.

 

An easy way of thickening stews, is to add a small amount of quick cooking oats, a grated potato,  or  onions.

 

When preparing vegetable soup, only pour enough water into the pot, to cover the vegetables by 2 inches. Too much water makes the soup to watery.

 

To help a semi – solid soup slide right out of the can easy. Try shaking it up first, than open the bottom.

 

If your stew meat gets tough, it could be that you used warm water. Always start with cold.

 

For best results, and keep flavors in tact never boil soups and stews. Only simmer.

 

Don’t use dark colored bones in cooking. They are probably too old, and have deteriorated.

 

Mashed potatoes allowed to sit out on a buffet, will lose up to 100 % of their nutrients after one hour. This loss is due to heat, lights, and mashing.

 

Brown areas on potatoes are due ,to the result of oxidation and Vitamin C losses.

 

When cooking vegetables, and you find your water decreasing- just add as hot of water that you can, to bring the level back up. When you add cold water it affects the cell wall, and causes the vegetables to become tough.

 

Best to purchase your potatoes out of a bin. It is too difficult to determine which ones are bruised in the bag. Oh you will know the rotten ones alright.

 

Watermelon can be placed, in a double brown paper bag for one hour, after it has been cooled. This is great if you need space.

 

If you need to dry out a head of lettuce – just place it in a pillow case, and swing it around.

Try placing a few sponges in, your vegetable drawers to absorb moisture.

 

There is a chemical group found in parsnips. This chemical causes cancer readily in laboratory animals. Parsnips should be peeled and cooked to eliminate these toxins.

 

Wrap all produce loosely. Air must be allowed to circulate around them to reduce spoilage.

 

Home canned vegetables should always be cooked before eating, since bacterial contamination is very common in these products.

 

If you have joint pain, best to leave these alone. Green potatoes, tomatoes, red and green peppers, eggplant, and paprika. These foods are high in Solanine,  and the  university says it’s associated with arthritis pain

 

Parsley contains a chemical that may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.

 

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SOME PLANTS HIGH IN OXALIC ACID SHOULD BE AVOIDED AS YOU APPROACH MIDDLE – AGE. AND BEYOND. ESPECIALLY WOMEN WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH MENOPAUSE. THESE INCLUDE SPINACH,RHUBARB,AND COCOA BEANS ( CHOCOLATE)

OXALIC ACID MAY INTERFERE WITH CALCIUM ABSORPTION AND CAUSE EXCESS CALCIUM TO BE EXCRETED IN THE URINE.

 

 

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More old Time Tipsters

 

The best juice to buy is is the juice that is squeezed and sold fresh in the markets. All commercially bottled juices are pasteurized and the natural enzymes are destroyed by the heat. Now frozen orange juice only loses about 2 % of its Vit C content over a 3 month period of home freezer storage.

 

 You can store cooked vegetables in a well – sealed plastic container in the frig. They will last 3 – 5 days. If you plan on freezing them, then put them in a an air – tight bag or container in which most of the air can be removed. They will be a bit soggy so use in soups and stews. They’ll last up to 12 months and still be edible.

 

Prunes are a good source of minerals and a natural laxative is better than a chemical remedy.

 

When you cook garlic the chemical that gives garlic its it’s unique flavor is partially destroyed. If garlic is allowed to sprout most of the chemical will enter new sprouts and your garlic will become milder.

 

Eat at least three servings of vegetables a day, and you can reduce your risk of stroke by 22 %.  Eight hundred men did, that participated in a heart study.

 

 

Listen carefully – E – Coli -----this deadly strain of bacteria is usually the result of fecal contamination of meats during slaughtering and processing. However this strain is now showing up on vegetables, and fruits. Four outbreaks have been reported in lettuce alone

Salmonella has been found on melons and tomatoes, and other dangerous bacteria has been found on cabbage and mushrooms.  In one instance more than 245 people became ill from cantaloupe in 30 states. Seventy percent of all produce is now being imported from third world countries. Just thought you’d like to know.

 

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More Tips Of Long ago

 

When you see water boiling rapidly, it is still boiling at 212 degrees F. That doesn’t change. There is a possibility it can be 1 degree off at times. But for the most it stays at 212.

 

You food will cook more evenly and retain more nutrients, if the water does not boil rapidly.

 

 Never salt  foods before  frying. Salt has a tendency to draw moisture out of the foods. It draws the moisture to the surface , and causes splattering, when you place the food into hot oil.

 

All oil have different smoking points. Canola is has one of the highest, and great for frying. It’s smoking point is 525 degrees F. Here are some others. Sesame oil has 420 degrees F ,and peanut has 440 degrees F. 

 

Your gas range at home will burn at 3000 degrees F. Electric ranges only go to 200 degrees F.

 

Now the best temperature to cook at turkey is 325 degrees F. A lower temperature will allow bacteria in the stuffing to multiply for too long a period. Higher temperatures can cause uncooked turkey. Forget that slow overnight cooking with dressing in the bird. It has been the cause of numerous cases of food poisoning.

 

Never put too much food into hot oil. It lowers the heating temperature, it causes over crowding , so food won’t cook evenly.

 

Always let your food stay out for a feel minutes, before placing it in the oil. If the food is too cold, the oil temp will drop down, causing greasy food. Then the oil may never get back up to a proper temp.

 

Forget cooking your food in a brown paper bag. Yes grandma did it years ago. Why, because the food tasted great, and it saved a lot of time. But you must remember the quality of the bags were different, than what you get in the supermarkets of today.

Today their produced from recycled paper. Plus they use a number of harmful chemicals. You don’t want to release these into your foods. They may produce free radicals.

 

Lets get that breading to stay on our foods. First make sure that the food you’re trying to bread is dry. Just use some paper towels. Also use room temperature eggs, and don’t over beat them. Just mix to combine. Now after you bread the food, place it in the frig, for at least an hour. Then take an leave it out for 20 mins. O.k. you can now fry it.

Homemade bread crumbs will hold better.

 

Now if you decide you want to add some wine to foods, instead of all water, just increase your cooking time by about 10 %. When any alcohol is added to your food, it will lower the boiling point until it evaporates. 

 

Never use plastic in a microwave. Stick with paper towels, paper plate, or wax paper. The plastic wrap has chemicals that may be released and migrate into the foods. It can even stick to the foods.

 

Gas ranges are the best. The temperatures can be changed quickly. Chefs prefer that instant heat control. Boilovers  are even easier controlled.

 

 

Quiche should be served right out of the oven .  If allowed to sit the crust will become soggy. This is due to the onions and mushrooms in them, with a high water content. If they sit then they lose a large amount of the moisture.

 

Never buy a frosted bag of vegetables. This means that the food has thawed either partially or completely. Then a percentage of moisture has already been lost. If one pkg of that product is damage, chances are  so is the balance of the shipment.

 

All salad bar item  that uses a dairy product as a dressing, should keep it cold. The best way is to place a larger bowl with ice or dry ice under the food dish. This will keep the temp cold enough so that bacteria should not be a problem, until refrigerated.

 

Unripe fruit place in a paper bag, and close it  tight. The ethylene gas it gives off will ripen the fruit faster.

 

The calories in vegetable chips, are the same as a potato chip. Both a re fried in oil.

No nutritional value.

 

 

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More tips We Can All Use

 

To protect your flashlight in the rain, maybe looking for fishing worms, put it in a plastic bag. Close the opening with a rubber band. You can turn it on and off as needed. It will provide a bright light right through the bag.

 

Freeze wet wash cloths in a plastic bag. Come in handy for cuts, bruises, teething, burns, or just plain cooling off.

 

Mix meat loaf ingredients in a zip lock bag. Knead and squish all together. There no messy dishes. Do meatballs, and bread dough the same way.

 

They say to keep down odors in the frig, just pop in an open box of soda. Well girls you can pop one in your freezer too. In the frig put it in the back.

 

Ring around the collar, use baby shampoo.

 

Now lets make some colored ice for a punch bowl. You can fill a clean balloon with tinted water or punch. Place this in a bowl and pop it into the freezer. Peel off the balloon when the liquid is frozen. The ice ball, is now ready for the punch bowl.

 

Lets blow up a balloon. Now plop it into your paint can. This will prevent a skin from forming on the top of your paint. Just use a balloon that’s big enough to cover.

 

When you drop an egg on the floor, get out that turkey baster and suck her up.

 

Now let’s blow up a beach ball, or some other inflatable toy. First remove the bulb from the turkey baster. Insert the small end into the toy and blow into the larger end. So much easier.

 

Turn your  baskets upside down to make cages, for small animals. Or put two milk crates together.

 

Add a capful of chlorine bleach to a dishwasher. It will make glasses sparkle and everyday silverware shine.

 

O.k. enough for now. Got a terrible storm coming in. The thunder and lightning is wicked.

 

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