Do you have a secret trick?

Brie

Best line I ever heard was "always close the cutlery drawer before you slice the bread".  It is very helpful as it's a way to prevent breadcrumbs getting into the drawer meaning you need to clean it out often.  But I think of it too every time I look to see what's the most efficient way of doing things.  It's why I put garbage in the bin as I'm prepping dinner whereas the OH leaves what is referred to as debris everywhere.  He seems to think I find it endearing.  I don't!!

And duvet covers.....we've currently got a super king which magically I don't find too difficult to stuff in a cover.  BUT what I did find a problem was knowing which side of the duvet was supposed to go in first.  It's a problem when you have what is nearly a square but isn't quite.  The solution was to ensure when I pulled the  duvet out of a cover to leave it in the same position at the end of the bed.  That means that once I've got the clean cover ready to put on I don't have to try to figure which is the slightly longer/shorter side of the duvet.  OH still thinks I get it wrong but I know it's right so that's ok.  I'll let him think I'm being endearing.  

maman

When a recipe starts with 'soften an onion' , microwave the sliced onion for a minute or two with a splash of water first. It definitely speeds up the cooking/frying time.

For making stock from cubes, I measure the water in a plastic jug. Add a little of the water to a cup or microwave saucepan with the cube and ping it to dissolve. You can get on with your recipe while it's 'cooking' using the rest of the plain water and all you have to wash up is a cup not a dirty jug.

I've long since given up on the roux method for thickening sauces. Instead make a paste with the cornflour and a splash of cold water. Add that to your recipe. Never any lumpy gravy or sauces. 

-taff

I fold my bags for life in half, then half again so they're in quarters and then pull the handle over one side s they stay shut.

With the duvet, if you sew two buttons or use some coloured thread on the top two corners, you never have to think about it again.

nachtvlinders

I have a very tall washing line prop that I got custom cut from the timber yard from a 1.5 x 1.5 piece of wood. This can then extend the washing on the highest level, thus getting drier quicker. 

strawb_shortcake

For dire lighting I use cotton wool with a dab of vaseline. 

Not tried it but apparently the wax from babybels work well as a firelighter

cornishchick

YoungBlueEyes said:

Jeez that’s a good one. Have you tried it with something other than cabbage? Wondering if it’ll work for my lettuce… 

It works ok on the little gem types I buy. Current ones are from christmas. In a shallow jar and still going. I only take a few leaves off. The current one will be finished this week 

otb666

for cleaning the oven i remove the racks then use the grill tray with water at the bottom of the oven and fill with water then put it on 100 for 20mins Then i go in with a wire wool.  Occasionally i dismantle the rubber seal and glass door to clean but not on every clean.

Potternerd

Baking powder. I drink a lot of tea so I take a stainless steel Swell flask most places. It money saving and came in excellent condition from a charity shop. Recently it started tasting funny and was black inside. The trick is to soak a solution of baking powder and water inside overnight. Loads of big black chunks of gunk came out. The final stubborn marks came off after soaking the flask in boiling water. And cleaning with a bottle brush. Also doing OH’s 2 work flasks now. It takes a while but defo worth it, my flask looks as new and no longer smells. It might work for ovens 

YoungBlueEyes

So it steam cleans itself/loosens up a bit, that makes sense. I used a paste of washing soda and powder, left it all day while I defrosted and cleaned the f/f, then cleaned it out. The inside of the oven itself is clean, it's the innards I can't get to (itms?) A good steam will prolly do it for me. Why didn't I think of that?!  

I carefully pulled some outer leaves from my iceberg to create a stalk, it seems to be doing ok on it so far  

Longwalker

I remember years, Tupperware used to sell a lettuce crisper. It was basically a bowl, with a removable disk that had a bit of a spike on it at. You stuck the spike into the bottom of the lettuce , cabbage , cauliflower or broccoli , popped it all back into the bowl and put the lid on.  Dont know the exact science behind it, something about moisture content, but they did work