From herbs to club soda, here are food hints
From Herbs to Club Soda
Dear Readers: Here are some favorite food hints from Heloise Central:
? Store herbs on a revolving shelf and alphabetize them so they are easy to locate. Don’t store spices above the stove or dishwasher. The heat and steam can cause them to deteriorate quickly.
? Save large shaker containers (like Parmesan cheese) to put sugar, flour or powdered sugar in.
? Want a healthy snack? Toast a piece of whole-wheat bread, spread just a little peanut butter on, and grate some Granny Smith or other tart apple over the top.
? Add a slice of bread to a package or container of cookies to keep them from getting hard or to help soften them up.
? Can’t remember if you salted the water for pasta? Add a few grains of black pepper (just enough to see) when you salt the water.
? Substitute club soda for water when making a German chocolate cake. The cake will end up moist and delicious! — Heloise
CAKE DONE?
Dear Readers: When you run out of toothpicks and need to check the doneness of a cake, use a piece of uncooked spaghetti. This works just as well as toothpicks — no batter on the spaghetti means the cake is done. — Heloise
CLOUDY GLASSES
Dear Readers: The all-time most-often-asked question? What to do about cloudy drinking glasses. Don’t have the problem now? You may in the future. Clip this column and put it in a safe place in case you need it.
Soak the glasses in warmed (not boiling) household vinegar for about an hour. Then use a nylon-net scrubbie to get rid of any leftover cloudiness. My Heloise’s Fantabulous Vinegar Hints and More pamphlet contains many money-saving hints. To receive it, mail $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (64 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. An easy way to clean plastic miniblinds is to use a solution of half white vinegar and half water. This will cut right through grit and grime. — Heloise
NICE SMELL
Dear Readers: There are many things that you can put down a disposal to make it smell better. Some examples:
? Lime, orange or lemon rinds.
? Mint leaves left over from iced tea.
? Vinegar from cleaning the coffee maker.
— Heloise
CONE STOPPER
Dear Readers: This is a great hint to keep ice cream from dripping out of the bottom on your ice-cream cone. Put several small marshmallows in the bottom of the cone before putting the ice cream in. — Heloise
SHORTENING HINT
Dear Readers: If you still grease cake pans the old-fashioned way, with solid shortening, here’s a tip to make it a little less messy: Put your hand in a plastic sandwich bag, then spread the shortening all over the pan. Just throw away the bag when done.
Easy cleanup! — Heloise
(c)2011 by King Features Syndicate Inc.