o Save your China - You can protect a delicate cup from cracking when you pour in hot coffee or tea by placing a spoon inside first to absorb some of the heat.
o No More Greasy Mess - Stop bacon from spattering all over your stove by punching several holes in an aluminum pie pan and placing it upside-down over the skillet—it will let the steam out and keep grease in.
o Fix Your Fridge - If the slide-out racks or trays in your refrigerator are sticking, try rubbing a little petroleum jelly on the edges to make them glide like new.
o Too Salty - For soup and stew, add cut raw potatoes and discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt. Another remedy for salty soup and stew is to add a teaspoon each of cider vinegar and sugar or simply add sugar by itself.
o Too Sweet - Add salt, or if it’s a main dish or vegetable, add a teaspoon of cider vinegar.
o Pale Gravy - Color with a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet. To avoid the problem in the first place, brown the flour well before adding the liquid. This also helps prevent lumpy gravy. A different way of browning flour is to put some flour into a custard cup and place beside meat in the oven. Once the meat is done the flour will be nice and brown, ready to make a rich, brown gravy.
o Thin Gravy - Mix water and flour or cornstarch into a smooth paste. Add gradually, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil or try instant potato flakes instead of flour.
o Saving those Dishes - To prevent scratches on your plates or frying pans when pulling them out (if stacked) try separating each with a disposable paper plate, longer lasting foam plates, or even extra strong paper towels.
o Strong Glasses - Drinking glasses make wonderful storage containers (for everything from recipes and napkins to utensils and packaged spices). But they can also break easily. To prevent breakage, place each glass into a pot of water with a little salt in it. Boil the water very, very slowly, and the glasses will become stronger.
o Safe China - To prevent your good china from breaking (since it is not used very often), let it sit out for an hour before using it. This will prevent it from being damaged by extremely hot or cold food or drink. In fact, you might not want to store your china away at all, as china actually gets stronger the more you use it.
AUTHOR: Joan Yuhas McGowan
MORE INFO: Excerpted from "HOUSEHOLD TIPS: Saving Time, Effort, and Money"
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