Obvious tips

tesuhoha

Fresh ginger is nice for cooking but most of it ends up on the grater and it also goes mouldy quickly if you store it at room temperature.

Buy two or three large pieces of ginger and cut them into inch portions. Pop them into a small plastic food bag, seal and pop into the freezer. (Takes about a minute).

When you want to use the ginger in your cooking remove a piece from the freezer bag and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin of the frozen ginger. Then carry on peeling until all the ginger is in thin slices. (Takes about a minute). You have lovely fresh moist ginger and it breaks up in the cooking. You can grate it but I find this very fiddly.

Raksha

Steve059 wrote: »

Put a pet ID tube, with your mobile telephone number (NOT your address!) on the slip of paper inside, on your keyring.

My ex-wife left her keys in a local Post Office, and they rang her before she realised that she'd lost her keys.

I use a dog tag with the details engraved

Eenymeeny

Steve059 wrote: »

Put a pet ID tube, with your mobile telephone number (NOT your address!) on the slip of paper inside, on your keyring.

My ex-wife left her keys in a local Post Office, and they rang her before she realised that she'd lost her keys.

Good idea. I used to have one of those attached to my son's reins (unfortunately never seen these days) when he was a toddler, just in case!:eek: I now keep one attached to each suitcase. I reckon that genuine people who want to return it have a way of contacting me. (I also attach a more visible luggage tag showing the flight number, with the return flight number on the other side.changing it over for the return trip)

Steve059

How to chop an onion quickly, safely and so that it doesn’t make you cry.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1059/chopping-an-onion

However, a friend, who works in a kitchen and has chopped more than a few onions, says that the horizontal cuts are not required, because the onion is in layers anyway.

She's right, it works.

Raksha

Steve059 wrote: »

How to chop an onion quickly, safely and so that it doesn’t make you cry.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1059/chopping-an-onion

However, a friend, who works in a kitchen and has chopped more than a few onions, says that the horizontal cuts are not required, because the onion is in layers anyway.

She's right, it works.

Yep, use the root to hold it all together till the last moment. The root holds the majority of the juice which is where the irritant is, the less you disturb this bit, the less you will cry.

Steve059

I suspect that many of you, like me, use a laptop PC with the mains power supply unit (PSU) plugged in and switched on.

Firstly, this is a very good way to 'kill' a lithium-ion battery. They should be 'exercised' by being drained and charged.

Secondly, the PSU is using electricity not only keeping the battery fully charged but also producing waste heat.

So, set up the low and critical battery alarms. Tick the box to have the power meter icon shown in the system tray.

Then use the battery until the alarm activates. Then use the PSU until the battery is fully charged. Then switch it off and use the battery ...

frosty

Corelli wrote: »

When you take of your duvet cover, pull it so it turns inside out. After it is washed it is easier to put on the duvet again if inside out. Put your hands into the two corners furthest away from the opening, grasp two corners of the duvet throught the cover and flip inside out. an idea I've seen but not tried is to sew lengths of ribbon into the corners of the cover and on the duvet. When they are tied together the duvet will stay inplace inside the cover very well and the flipping bit is easier too.

I iron the cover,sheet and pillow cases,and when neatly folded place it inside one of the pillow cases.It means complete bed sets are kept together and they stack nicely in the cupboard.No more hunting for odd pillow cases.

building_with_lego

CupOfChai wrote: »

...

And if it's a bag you cut open, e.g. frozen peas, just cut a strip along the full length of the edge to open it, then use the strip to tie it up.

My mum always cuts the tiniest corner off the peas, sweetcorn etc, and it bugged me as a teenager. She explained that if you drop the bag en route to the worktop you'll only spill a few. It wasn't until I'd dropped a bag (which I'd opened, so most of the top open) that I saw her wisdom . Much as l like that idea ^^ if I took the whole top off I'd have peas everywhere!:o

BAGGY

With frozen peas I cut a diagonal slit in one corner. Then use the half corners (IYKWIM) to tie together.
Frozen ginger can be peeled with a teaspoon. I never peel mine, freezing breaks down the tough skin, just grate/chop from frozen.

joedenise

I don't peel frozen ginger at all, just grate it and the skin stays on the grater and just washes off.

Denise