Happy Canada Day!! A day off and I am so excited. The weather has been somewhat damp over the last few days and honestly I think I could curl up in the bed for about 40 hours and be very happy. But as they say, no time for rest – keep that body going!
I was sitting talking with my mother-in-law about what to post as I was late getting home from work. I really just slapped together some dinner and got back to work on the computer. We came up with some kitchen tips that are super handy to know.
Over the last few weeks she has shared some really great kitchen tips that I never knew about. So I thought, well I better share these with you and see what you think.
5 Everyday Kitchen Tips
1. Use Bread with Hard Brown Sugar - Ever have a bag of brown sugar that gets very hard and compact in your cupboard. No need to throw it out ever again. Open the bag and place a piece of bread in the top of the bag and seal it up. Leave it for two days and then check your sugar. It will be soft and brand new. Once you are satisfied with the results – throw away the slice of bread.
2. Clean your pots with Baking Soda and Vinegar - Leave your sauce pot boil dry by accident as you were in the dining room enjoying your dinner? Not to worry. This clean up is a piece of cake with the combination of vinegar and baking soda. In the burnt pot, add some baking soda and vinegar in the bottom of the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. The reaction will start to remove the burnt texture on the pot. You can then add some hot water and give it a light scrub and you will be very pleased.
3. How to use Sour Milk - How often do you catch yourself throwing sour milk down the sink. There is no need to do that! Use it for baking. It will make a great batch of biscuits. So the next time you smell some funny milk – set it aside and whip out your Cooking apron and get baking.
4. Egg peeling off – Make a small hole in the egg by piercing with a pin before boiling it. You will be able to remove the shell very easily.
5. Revive your Lemon/Lime - If a lemon or lime is hard, put it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to squeeze and revitalize the juice.
Happy Canada Day for all that are celebrating and I hope you have a great Wednesday. Before you go, check out some more Cooking posts make sure you enter in my latest giveaway and try and win some POM Wonderful Juice.
Take care
zesty
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
These are great tips. I’ve been using baking soda and vinegar for a lot of general cleaning around the house lately and it’s really effective. You just have to get past the smell and then it works like a charm
I can’t wait to try baking soda and vinegar on my crusted macaroni and cheese crock pot. I have been scrubbing it for days to no avail! Thanks for the tip.
Awesome tips Cooking!
Happy Canada Day! Enjoy your day off.
I have heard the first 3, but 4 and 5 were new tips for me! Thanks.
Thanks for the tips and Happy Canada Day to you! It’s actually not raining here in Toronto which makes a change!
Wow…I have never heard of any of those! Thank you! I have been told that you can microwave brown sugar to revitalize it, but I have never tried it.
Nice tips Zest, but I will NOT be using sour milk in my kitchen!!
Great tips!! I’m wondering if the baking soda and vinegar would be harmful on Tephlon, any idea?
Great tips. I knew a couple of them and have used the brown sugar one several times, works like a charm
Happy Canada Day to you, too! I love using sour milk (and buttermilk) when I bake–I just love the taste of everything that uses it. In fact, I’ve got half a quart of whole milk in my fridge that should be souring any day now…
And instead of using a piece of bread in my brown sugar, I throw a damp half paper towel on top (sometimes using a small piece of plastic wrap between the sugar and paper towel–by morning, it’s like I just bought it! (And I still have all my bread.
My grandma used to put something in her cookie jar to keep the cookies soft… I’ve been trying to remember what it is, and I keep thinking it was a piece of bread or something; do you have any idea what it might have been?
Awesome tips! Thanks Cooking and Happy Canada Day!
Happy Canada Day Cooking! Hope the weather is at least a little nicer in PEI than it is here in NB!
I have TWO bags of rock hard brown sugar that are going to get the bread treatment now. Thanks for the tip!
Excellent tips! I love the bread in the brown sugar, I always wonder how I can unharden it!
Great tips!! Happy Canada Day
Wow, I never knew you could use sour milk to bake!! Sounds kinda gross, but I guess if it works then it’ll save a lot of milk from going to waste!
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!
You can also use Citrus Peel instead of bread to keep brown sugar (or cookies) soft.
Happy Canada Day!
I live in London (UK). Our son lives with his partner in Toronto – and I love Canada. We have also made visits to Montreal and Vancouver – and it’s a wonderful country. The produce is also superb. (The only thing I didn’t try was Poutine (?)!)
Kind regards, Shirley I.
I hope everyone had a Happy Canada Day, too!
Thanks for the tips! I use a terra cotta brown sugar saver, but I liked the tips about the boiled eggs, and the lemon/lime in warm water tip!
When my lemons or limes begin to get old, I juice them and put them in ice cube containers and freeze them, so if there is a way to get more juice, I’m all ears!
Cindy H
Brown Sugar
Good tips! I normally scrub a lot with the baking soda. An elbow greaseless way with vinegar sounds better.
I store my brown sugar in the freezer. It stays soft and only takes minutes to “thaw” when I need it.