Household Hints and Tips

Tap to Read ➤ Rita Putatunda

Faster, easier, and better! That's how we want everything to be done. Peeling garlic faster, making ice quicker, and finding a better way to make vegetables and fruits last longer, learn tricks to do all this and much more.

Here are a few nifty household tips that you will find useful and interesting. Store this file on your laptop or take a print-out and stick it up somewhere in your kitchen or some other corner of the house, to glance over whenever you need a tip to fix a glitch around the house.

Use Rubber Bands For Your Eggs

Don't eggs have a habit of rolling off the counter and splotching on the floor? Well, just use a thick rubber band to nest them on the counter.

Hazelnut Peeling Made Easy

You can make hazelnut peeling less of a chore by toasting them in an oven, heated to 350 degrees, for 10 minutes or so.

Then, after cooling them, put them in a mesh bag, the type you buy your oranges or onions in. Then, securing the bag, just rub the nuts with your hands, making sure to do it over the trash, or you'll end up with a mess you will have to clean.

Make Ice Cubes In A Jiff

If sudden guests are coming over and you find that you are falling short of ice cubes, here is a real nifty thing you can do. Just fill the ice tray with hot water, and not cold, and you'll get your ice in a jiff.

Unstick Stuck Photographs

Are those photos that you clicked on the cruise abroad a few years back stuck together? Well, don't try to yank them apart you'll just tear away the surface. Use a hair dryer to heat them for a couple of seconds or so, and they will get unstuck nice and easy.

Are Your Eggs Still Fresh?

To find that out, all you need to do is immerse them in a bowl of salted, cool water. If the eggs rise to the surface, they are not fresh, if they sink, go ahead and devil them up.

Make Your Veggies Last Longer

If you want your vegetables and fruits in the crisper drawer in your fridge to last longer, all you need to do is line the drawer with paper towels. They absorb the moisture.

Has Your Brown Sugar Gotten Rock Hard?

It happens to all of us sometimes, we accidentally leave open the bag of brown sugar, only to find it has turned into a brown piece of rock. To soften it back again, just put a slice of bread in it.

Faster Ways To Ripen Fruits

If you want to ripen fruits like bananas, avocados, and tomatoes, just put them in a brown paper bag along with an apple for two or three days. The ripening process speeds up by the nitrogen gas that is given off by the apple.

Don't Throw Away Old Bread

Got a loaf of leftover bread? Don't throw it away. Instead, store it in the freezer. You can use it later in soups or other recipes that need breading. It's a good idea to slice it up before storing so that you can take just the amount you need without needing to defrost the whole loaf.

For Juicier Lemons

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. To extract the most juice from your fresh lemons, just roll them on the kitchen counter with your hand before you squeeze them. You could also insert a fork into the lemon and twist it while squeezing.

Garlic Peeling Made Easy

There is nothing like fresh garlic to enhance the aroma of food... as long as you can first peel it, of course. Just zap the cloves of garlic in the microwave for fifteen seconds - the skin will just slide off.

Egg Peeling Made Easy

If you hate eating those gritty bits of eggshells, just stick a small needle into the eggs before you hard-boil them. Also, to prevent the shells from cracking when boiling them, add a pinch of salt into the water.

Has Your Meringue Gone Soft On You?

Well, all you need to do is put it right back in the oven, on low heat, and it will come out nice and crispy.

Keeping Left Over Ice Cream Fresh

If you have ice cream left over, before shutting the container, press a plastic wrap firmly down on the ice cream. This does not allow the air to come in contact with the ice cream, which is what causes the ice crystals and gumming.

Oops... Too much salt in the soup?

Yeah, it happens so many times, forgetting that you had already put salt in your soup or stew, putting in an extra dash, and ending up with an unpalatable dish that is too salty. Well, don't fret. Just add in a raw, peeled potato cut in halves, and it will absorb all the extra salt up.