As we progress through life, we learn a lot of things ... some are good, some are bad... some are helpful and some don't help a bit..
I have listed some of the things that I have found helpful and useful to me and thought I would share them with others.
Please feel free to jump right in with your tips..
John
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* Tired of microwave popcorn not popping all the kernels ?
Before placing it in the microwave, unfold the bag and then fold the flaps backwards..
and "massage" the corn kernels and butter inside the bag.
This coats the kernels with the butter/oil and allows more of them to reach the popping temperature..
Careful.... Don't massage too hard or you will rip a hole in the bag.
* Did you buy fresh corn from the Farmer's Market this year ?
Next year buy a dozen extra ears and blanch them in boiling water that has just a small pinch of salt in it..
Not too much salt now.... Just about one "Pinch" of salt to each gallon of water... because when you get ready to eat it later, you will probably sprinkle salt and butter on it.
* Like sausage or bacon in the morning, but hate to smell up the RV or house with that greasy smell and have to clean up grease splatters every morning..?
Buy 3 or 5 pounds of bacon of sausage and cook it all at one time.... Then freeze it is baggies..
And next time you want some, just remove what you want from the baggie, wrap it in a paper towel and "Nuke" it .
This way you only smell up the house and have to clean up grease splatters once every two or three months, depending on how long your amount of meat last your family.
* Like the flavor of baked potatoes but hate the time and heat from the oven when baking them ?
Make "Twice-Baked" potatoes...
next time you decide to bake some potatoes, why not bake about six extras and turn them into "twice bakes"..
The recipe is very simple and easy to prepare.
After preparing them, place them into baggies and freeze... then when bake potatoes are on the menu next time... just "Nuke" them or place them in the little toaster oven..
No more long wait for baking or having all that heat from the oven to make the air conditioner work overtime..
* Did not use that entire bag of potatoes and now they are getting old, wrinkled and stating to smell ?
Clean them up your regular way and then cube, blanch in "slightly" salted water and freeze in baggies.
When the need for boiled potatoes arises again, remove what you need from the baggie and prepare them for whatever dish calls for boiled potatoes..
Potato Salad, Casseroles, Hash Browns, etc....
* Have left over chicken from the fast food place tonight ?
Why not strip off the meat, skin and all ... and freeze it in baggies... ... it will keep for months in the freezer and will make fantastic chicken salad spread or chicken soup, chicken casserole..
And my favorite, ... mix it into a tossed salad with that half of a tomato you discover in the fridge and that little dab of onion you don't know what to do with...
* Burlap Bags ?.....
Next time you shop, ask the produce guy for a couple of burlap bags, like potatoes or onions come in..
Make sure that you ask for "Real Burlap" bags, not those plastic imitations..
Burlap bags make the greatest "Cleaning Rag" for lots of things like ...
the BBQ grill, that cast iron frying pan, the Dutch Oven, bugs on the front of the RV, the oven walls, ...etc.
* Bubble Wrap the windows
Bubble wrap is great for insulating your windows against the cold winter temperatures..
Just tape it over your windows, using either masking tape or cellophane tape.. It lets in the light, but helps keep out the cold air.
* Tired of paying money for "Stick-On" air fresheners ?
But don't like spraying air freshener because it get on everything, like food, computer, television, etc.. creating more work to wipe it off.. ?
Cut a little piece of flannel or other thick cloth into pieces about 4" square.. A piece of an old rug works great..
Sew or glue a "Dot" of Velcro on it and place the other half of the Velcro dot on the underside of your window valances.... out of sight.
Now spray your favorite smelling room deodorant on the little piece of cloth and hang it from the Velcro dot under the window valance..
Presto... you have solved two problems... no more buying the "Stick-Ups" that only last a month and have to be thrown away and no more having to cover up everything in the room before using an aerosol spray room deodorant.
* Professional kitchen sanitizer/cleaner..?
Believe it or not, many restaurants keep their food preparation areas clean and sanitized with just plain liquid bleach.. I did it in restaurants for over thirty years.
No need to buy some expensive solution with a fancy name only to find out when you read the list of ingredients, it's just bleach with a little coloring and perfume mixed in..
And the "Wipe Rag" that the waitress or bus person uses to wipe off the tables and counters in a restaurant is nothing but a cloth that's been wet with a bleach water solution...
usually it's about a 10% to 25% mixture.
So save your money on those "Special" cleaners for the kitchen and dining area...and bring out the liquid bleach..
But remember that once bleach is mixed with water or exposed to the air... it's shelf life or "Potency" only last for a short time... about an hour or so at the most.
So only "Mix" up the amount of bleach water needed for that day's cleaning rampage...
* Aerosol Spray -vs- Spray bottle
Aerosol spray cleaners and sanitizers are convenient but can be expensive as well as wasteful.
One of the best bathroom cleaners, sanitizers and deodorants is "LYSOL"... or the store brand equivalent...
But compare the price of a bottle of Lysol liquid to the price of an aerosol spray can of it..
WOW !! What a difference in price per ounce...
For many years I have used the liquid, "Store Brand" of Lysol, in a 50%/50% solution..in a spray bottle.
I clean almost everything except the kitchen food prep and eating areas with it....
By everything, I mean... the toilet, the bathroom sink and shower, the bathroom floor, the door knobs ....
and especially all of the heat and air conditioner registers in the floor and ceiling....
because if there is a "Flu Bug" floating around, the forced air coming from the vents/registers will spread the germs every time they blow out air..
Does it help prevent germs from spreading by cleaning the vents with a Lysol solution ?
I don't know... but it makes me feel better..
OK folks... lets hear your tips and suggestions...
Remember....
"A day without learning something new is like a day in the grave".
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