Tips for a Lifetime

wenwilder · #1 (**permalink**) 12-13-2003, 10:38 PM

1. Stuff a minature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baser to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Perfect shaped pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatos.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispie treats in the pan. The marshmallow won't stick to your fingers.

6. To get the most juice ou of a fresh lemon, bring them to room temperature and rol them under your palm and a hard surface before squeezing.

7. To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil on the stove-top - the skillet will be much easier to clean.

8. Spray your Tupperware (plastic storage containers) with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces - no more stains.

9. When a cake recipes calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dray cake mix instead - no white mess on the outside of the cake.

10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it is still cooking, drop in a peeled potato - it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up"

11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator - it will keep for weeks.

12. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

14. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

15. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh - if it rise to the surface, throw it away.

Leisa · #2 (**permalink**) 12-13-2003, 11:54 PM

Ooh, great idea.

Also, and I just had to do this after making chili this week...

-To get off the cooked-on stuff in a crock-pot, fill it with soapy water (uh, remove the food first please) and turn it on for an hour or so. The nasties slide right off.

minstrel · #3 (**permalink**) 12-14-2003, 12:31 AM

1. Old telephone directories make ideal personal address books. Simply cross out the names and address of people you don't know.

2. When reading a book, try tearing out the pages as you read them. This saves the expense of buying a bookmark, and the pages can later be used for shopping lists.

3. Fool other drivers into thinking you have an expensive car phone by holding an old TV or video remote control up to your ear and occasionally swerving across the road and mounting the curb.

4. Drill a one inch diameter hole in your refrigerator door. This will allow you to check that the light goes off when the door is closed.

5. Smell gas? Locate the suspected leak by striking an ordinary match in every room in the house until a loud explosion reveals the source of the escaping gas.

6. Avoid parking tickets by leaving your windshield wipers turned to 'fast wipe' whenever you leave your car parked illegally.

7. Take your trash can to the supermarket with you so that you can see which items you have recently run out of.

8. No time for a bath? Wrap yourself in masking tape and remove the dirt by simply peeling it off.

9. Expensive hair gels are a con. Marmalade is a much cheaper alternative, but beware of bees in the summer.

10. Avoid cutting yourself while clumsily slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

wenwilder · #4 (**permalink**) 12-14-2003, 12:42 AM

16 - Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing might go away.

17 - Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

18 - If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

19 - Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

20 - To get rid of itch from mosquito bite, try applying soap on the area.

21 - 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.

22 - Use air-freshener to clean mirrors, sometimes it does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

23 - 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, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

minstrel · #5 (**permalink**) 12-14-2003, 01:29 AM

LOL... gotta love the way Wen can step over my top 10 nonsense hints and carry on without missing a beat ;-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wenwilder

16 - Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing might go away.

If not, throw lime in some vodka, add a little tonic and an ice cube or two, and use mixture to lavage your gums and tonsils.

Quote:

17 - Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

"leftover wine"? what's that?

Quote:

18 - If you have a problem opening jars

Buy it in cans... if that's not possible, keep a hammer under your toaster to smack off the top...

Quote:

20 - To get rid of itch from mosquito bite, try applying soap on the area.

If that's not effective, chase after the mosquito and rub soap on the insect.

Quote:

21 - 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.

A better solution is to step on one of the ants and draw a chalk circle around the body. Duplicate the circle a few times in the same area. Leave as a warning to other ants.

Quote:

22 - Use air-freshener to clean mirrors, sometimes it does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

If out of air-freshener, try baby powder fresh roll-on or stick deodorant for a similar but foggier effect.

Quote:

23 - When you get a splinter reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle.

I think what Wen meant to say here was, "When you get a splinter reach for the scotch."

wenwilder · #6 (**permalink**) 12-14-2003, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by minstrel

LOL... gotta love the way Wen can step over my top 10 nonsense hints and carry on without missing a beat ;-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wenwilder

16 - Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing might go away.

If not, throw lime in some vodka, add a little tonic and an ice cube or two, and use mixture to lavage your gums and tonsils.

I'll meet you half way Minstrel - Lime Jello Shots!!! :)

minstrel · #7 (**permalink**) 12-14-2003, 02:04 AM

Mental note: The woman seems positively obsessed with Jello... curious. Need to investigate origins of this - check old notes - something about a jello diet for a month seems to ring a bell... post-traumatic stress reaction, perhaps? flashbacks?