Household Hints From Me To You
Having children means juggling many different tasks at once. That's why I am always looking for new tips, tricks and hints to save me time. Here are some that I thought I would share with you. Hope they help.
*If you have a problem with opening lids on jars, like I do, try wearing a latex dish glove. It helps you grip it and makes opening the jar much easier.
*When scooping ice cream I keep a bowl of hot water next to me and dip my scoop in the water between scoops. It saves me a lot of pain. :)
*To prevent boil overs when I am cooking rice or pasta I grease the top 2 inches of the inside of the pan. It really works!
*To clean my microwave I squeeze lemon juice into a bowl of water and boil it for 5 minutes. When it is done I remove the bowl and wipe down the inside of the microwave with ease.
*When I want to save a jar but it has a label that will not completely peel off, I briskly rub mayonnaise on the label and soak the jar in warm water for about 20 minutes. The label comes off much easier.
*Potatoes and lemons will take the stains off of your fingers. When my fingers are stained I grab either a raw potato or a lemon, slice it in half and rub it onto the stains until the stains are gone.
*To absorb smoke odor after you have burned something or if your husband leaves the flue closed on the fireplace accidentally (like my husband has) put a few bowls of vinegar water in the smelly area to absorb the odor. Repeat if needed. :)
*I use a liquid baster to make perfect sized pancakes every time. If you want huge pancakes this trick wouldn't work for you.
*If I accidentally put too much salt in a dish while I am cooking it I peel a potato and drop it in, the potato absorbs a lot of the salt and saves my meal.
*If you dry or dehydrate apples, to prevent discoloring drop them in some pineapple juice first.
*When I make fresh lemonade I take the lemons out of the refrigerator about an hour before, then I roll the lemons on the counter until they are a little squishy. This makes juicing much easier, and you get more juice this way!
*When I make mashed potatoes I use hot milk. It makes the potatoes lighter and fluffier than using cold milk.
*To butter corn on the cob with ease my mother taught me to butter a piece of bread and roll the corn around until it is coated. You can use the same bread for multiple ears or you can serve the corn on the bread. I serve the corn on the piece of bread and after our corn is gone, we eat the bread. Yummy!
*Save and freeze citrus peels to use in recipes when the fruit is out of season.
*To make your ground beef less greasy add a little water to the pan when frying it. The grease will come out into the water instead of cooking into the meat. Then just pour out the water/grease mixture.
*If you want to know whether an egg is fresh put it in a bowl of cool water. If the egg sinks it is fresh. If it is standing up but still touching the bottom of the bowl, it is still good, but not as fresh. If it floats......throw that thing away. :)
Hope these tips will help you save time and effort in your household like they have in mine. I have many more to share so be sure to look out for part 2. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please comment if you have any tips to share.