Kitchen tips, tricks and remedies.
I totally love kitchen tricks. Especially the long lost, old school type. Of course I have to share them with everyone here.
Feel free to share your own tips!
Alphabetical order
B
Bee Sting ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
The is the BEST cure. It has gone unrivaled and surpassed any other remedy I have tried or bought over the counter. I don’t remember where I learned this, but back in the day when I worked with kids I used it with great success. Crying kids would be back on the playground in a matter of minutes with nothing more than a tiny red dot. Basically the cornstarch sucks the poison out of the sting.
All you need is Corn Starch and tap water. Note CORN and note potato etc. It reacts to water differently creating a special type of viscosity.
In a cup or whatever receptacle you have available slowly add water to approx. 2 TBS corn starch. The consistency is key. You don’t want it to be too watery and run off the sting and you don’t want it too dry so it crumbles off. When you poke the mixture with your finger it should initially feel hard on the surface then slowly relax so that your finger sinks in. Trickle a good amount on the sting, so it forms a thick paste, and let it sit for 5 min. or so. When you remove it the swelling should be gone along with the pain.
Smaller kids can rebel against the idea of having some strange white paste put on their sting. And they may keep crying even after the pain has actually subsided. It’s once they see the result that they calm down, wipe their tears and run back to play. I always kept a baggy of cornstarch and a bottle of water with me on the playground or out hiking etc.
Of course if there is a history of bee sting allergy this is not the cure!
Bottled Milk and Bedtime ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
A lot of people don’t know this and unintentionally cause their children a lot of suffering. The wall between the ear and the mouth is not completely developed at birth. It takes several years until it is completely developed. This means what goes in the mouth can easily leak into the ear canal, in particular in the laying position. Giving your child a bottle with milk or juice when they go to bed significantly increases the frequency of two things.
Ear Infection
As the baby lays with the bottle in it’s mouth the liquid leaks into the ear canal and gets stuck there. Thus the milk, juice begins to rot and ferment causing guess what ear infections, which is very painful and in the long run will keep you up at night longer and more frequently than teaching your child to go to bed without the bottle.
If your child does get an ear infection you can help relieve the pain having them lay the infected ear on a warm surface like a heating pad on very low heat or wheat pillow.
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay for obvious reasons. The health of children’s baby teeth will have a direct influence on their adult teeth. So, if you want to avoid a child in pain and future dental bills skip the bedtime bottle.
Burnt Pan Bottom ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
This works more often than not and is a very quick and pain free way of getting the burned mess on the bottom of your pan to disappear. I found this in one of my Swedish 1950’s house wife books.
All you need is a handful of sugar cubes.
Basically lightly moisten the bottom of the pan with water then take a sugar cube and rub it over the burned area. There is something with the chemistry of sugar and its abrasive qualities that lifts the burned material away. AND it does it without scratching your pans. You can use lose sugar, but it works less effectively.
If you really have cremated the bottom of your pan then you might have to do it several times. You might even need to soak the pan with a layer of sugar to break the layer.
C
COOKIES–keeping fresh ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I think most people know this, but I am going to say it anyway. You can keep your cookies fresh and soft by adding a bread slice to the jar. The cookies will suck the moisture out of the bread. Replace the bread slice as needed.
Cheese ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Goat Cheese-Cutting
Cutting Goat cheese with a knife is a hassle. Instead use an arms length of dental floss or a thin wire thread. Wrap it around the goat cheese so the thread crosses itself and then keep pulling until you cut through the cheese. This makes it really easy to make thin, even, clean slices.
You can even attach the ends of the wire to pieces of wood for ex. or similar to make handles thus less irritating to the fingers.
Grating cheese not your fingers.
You don’t sew? Well those thimbles will come in handy here. One on the thumb and one on your pointer finger and you will not get the skin grated off.
H
Honey ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Children
Honey should not be given to children under 3 years old. It has slight traces of botulism that a small child’s digestion is unable to handle.
Uses
Honey is a good substitute for sugar when baking. It’s more natural than processed cane sugar thus better for you. You can basically use equal amounts of honey as is required of sugar. I also use it to sweeten red pasta sauces.
R
Rolling Pin ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Wondering why you can’t get your new rolling pin to work?
The key to a good rolling pin is not washing it with soap, just lightly wipe it down with a wet cloth. The fat is the key to a non-stick rolling pin. Thus, if you have a new rolling pin oil it in with a light layer of cooking oil.
S
Stinging Nettles ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Hate those stinging nettles? Well here is your revenge. Eat those suckers. Stinging Nettles are filled with all manner of nutrients superior to spinach. For ex. freeze dried nettles are well documented for being superior at relieving allergy symptoms than prescription drugs. However, it must be freeze dried. Something in the process brings out the healing properties.
Nettles are really yummy and are a great substitute for spinach. I use it in all manner of recipes.
Preparing for consumption
After putting on my kitchen gloves (don’t want to get stung) I collect my nettles from the surrounding area, focusing on the young plants that preferably aren’t sprouting on a dog path. (You know why.)
All you have to do now is blanch them for about 30 seconds. (blanch=boil) The blanching neutralizes their poison. Remove the leaves from the stems. The leaves are now ready to be used in soup, omelets, stir fry… use your imagination. They have a nice gentle flavor.
The Sting
If you get stung and there is no mug-wort to be found growing near it. Then pour undiluted vinegar over the affected area as soon as possible.
Mug-wort is the natural antidote to stinging nettles. You just rub a leaf over the stung area.