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Timeless Household Wisdom

By Queuebot in Food & Drinks, Home & Garden on Feb 6, 2009 at 2:56 pm


There’s a line in one of the Robocop movies, "Don’t forget what you already know," or something like that. I may be remembering that wrong BUT check out these very useful kitchen tips from the pages of history, as compiled by Tipnut. For example:

To keep cheese from getting hard, cut off enough for immediate use and spread the remaining portion with a thin film of butter or margarine. Put it in a cool place. This keeps out the air and prevents the cheese from drying out.

Sprinkle pantry shelves, window sills, and door sills with a mixture of red pepper and sage to rid them of ants.

A smooth shiny egg shell is a sign of old age. Fresh eggs have a chalky rough shell

To make peeling hard-cooked eggs easier, butter your thumbs.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by JKirchartz.


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COMMENT
  1. Edward
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    Héloise would be proud.

  2. Melissa
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    Especially with the tough economy and the renewed interest in environment, I see a lot more tips like these being used and shared. A lot of women of my generation (I turned 30 today), grew up in homes where how to make things last and how to get the most use of every single thing in the home wasn't necessarily a priority, so we missed out on some of these tidbits of wisdom. It wasn't fashionable, or even necessary really, in the boom economy to learn that stuff. But now, I can see it really making a comeback.

  3. Cori
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

    To keep out ants, put cloves wherever they were infesting.

  4. Courageous Grace
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

    I already do the one where you put the turkey stuffing in cheesecloth before putting it in the bird. I usually make more stuffing than will fit in the bird and will put what will fit inside, then when the turkey is done I mix the marinated stuffing with the rest and it's great (stuffing mixes don't have to be cooked in the bird, it just gives it flavor from the juices).

    Another trick my mother and grandmother taught me was to slip the turkey in a lightly greased (I use PAM) brown paper bag before baking, adding just a bit of salt and pepper to flavor. The bag soaks up the fat and makes the meat literally fall off of the bones. If you reach in to lift up a leg to see if it's done and you end up with just a leg bone in your hand, it's done. In our house, a turkey ain't done until it falls apart or is "ruined" according to my late grandfather. Truly an excellent feast.

  5. Frau
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    To make a glass of water more refreshing. Add an few ice cubes. :P

    I remember some of these things from home economics class. (I am in my mid thirties) But I also grew up conserving and recyling things.

    The "recipe" for getting rid of ants was a piece of drinking straw filled with peanut butter that was mixed with boric acid.

  6. snarkychef
    Feb 6th, 2009 at 10:57 pm

    I found an old Héloise book at a garage sale (where I also get my most interesting cook books), and I found a tip that I use at least once a week: When spraying a pan with Pam, open up the dishwasher and hold the pan over the inside of the door. All the excess spray will end up on the inside of the door instead of all over the floor or counters. And it washes off when you run the dishwasher.

  7. Wok
    Feb 7th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Are these for real? I don't know whether or not to try. I mean, I'll feel foolish if they're fake.

  8. andybaker
    Feb 10th, 2009 at 10:55 am

    None of these work for sugar ants: cloves, red pepper, sage, bay leaves

    What works for ants is borax powder mixed with sugar or really powerful and toxic ant poison.

    I have never found an earthy-friendly method of getting rid of ants that actually works and I have tried dozens and dozens of things.

  9. Ethel Richardson
    May 10th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    The kind of ants that will not go for sugar or grease can be gotten rid of by putting baking soda on your cabinets and sprinkling a little over the ants.They will leave and never come back.

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