If you’re ever in a pinch, look here and see if any of our ingenious problem-solvers apply to you!
-Use a meat baster to dollop your batter onto the hot griddle for uniform pancakes.
-To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
-To prevent egg shells from cracking when boiling, pierce the shell with a pin at the fatter end. As the water heats the egg the air bubbles out instead of expanding and cracking the shell.
-Spray a piece of baking parchment with Pam and use to press down on a pan of Rice Krispie treats so the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.
-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 corn’s natural sweetness. (Note: You could also use sugar & a little lemon juice, start the corn in cold water, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 10 minutes. The corn is delicious!)
-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 a 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, 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, leaves 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