How many times have you reach for that bag of flour, sugar, or potato chips and when you pulled it from the shelf, it started spilling all over the counter top or floor because the chip clip fell off? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to store that bag of sugar, flour, potato chips or anything else that comes in a bag without having to transfer it to another container. If your family is like most families, flour, sugar and other things like chips will be gone long before they can deteriorate in the original container. A convenient way to store these items in their original bag is to use hair bands. That’s right, the band you use to hold a ponytail. Hair bands can be used to securely hold bags closed long before the ingredients have an opportunity to go bad. Elastic hair bands work better than large rubber bands because the material on the outside is designed not to catch or pull hair. If you use large rubber bands, it’s more difficult to slide them over the bag. Elastic hair bands are inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes to fit every size bag in your kitchen. Plus as you remove ingredients from the bag, and it shrinks in size, you can simply wrap the hair band twice around the bag to ensure a tight seal. We are not talking about fancy hair scrunchies with glitter here. We’re talking about the least expensive elastic hair bands on the market. So the next time you are out shopping at a department store, pick up some hair bands and say goodbye to those loose fitting chip clips or bag clips.

How much salt to add to boiling pasta water.

Use one tablespoon of table salt or two tablespoons of kosher salt per 4 quarts of water. Salt is needed for flavor. Adding such a small amount of salt does not help boil the water faster like Grandma told you. Sorry Grandma, we still love you. The salt should be added to the water after the water has come to a full boil. Adding the salt too early can cause white spots to appear on the bottom of the pan and may cause pitting of the pot.

When to add the pasta.

When boiling water for pasta, watch the surface of the water. When you see large bubbles breaking through the surface, it is about 212 degrees and time to add the pasta. If you see small bubbles at the bottom it is not ready yet and adding the pasta too early will only slow the process down. Relax, have another sip of wine...

Stained Tupperware.

To keep your plastic containers from getting stained from tomato based foods, rub the inside with vegetable oil before placing the food in the container.
Carol A., Richland, WA

Hard water.

To remove hard-water and lime build-up in a teapot or kettle, pour in two cups of vinegar and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then rinse well.
Christine F., Elk Grove, CA

Leftover wine.

Freeze leftover wine into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Randy K., Sandy Creek, NY

Stains.

Rub a slice of potato on your hands and fingers to remove stains.
Brenda L., Methuen, MA