When it's a hot summer day, the last thing you want to do is open your freezer and find a carton of ice cream that's been crystallizing. Who wants crunchy ice chunks in their ice cream? Many moons ago, back in college, I worked at an ice cream shop.  And there I learned a little trick that helps keep ice cream from crystallizing. Place a sheet of wax paper over the ice cream before you put the lid on and put in the freezer.  It will keep the ice cream from getting ice crystals on it and … [Read more...]

Candles are a beautiful way to add to your home's decor, but they can be expensive. Make candles last longer (and burn more slowly), by putting them in the freezer for a few hours before you use them.  This works especially well with taper and pillar candles.   You'll find you even get less drips.  Just make sure not to leave them in the freezer too long or it may crack the candle.  If you're worried about that happening, chilling candles in the refridgerator works, too. You'll also extend … [Read more...]

Today's cheap trick comes from reader Michelle T. She writes, "Most of us use hand sanitizer to be as germ-free as we can,  but did you know that you can use it to remove ink from your hands? Try it!" As you can see from my Minnesota-chapped hands in the photos above, it works!  I used a little bit of Purell Hand Sanitizer, and with a little bit of rubbing, it took the ink right off my hand. My guess is that it is the alcohol in the hand sanitizer that removes the ink.   I like this … [Read more...]

Got a few eggs left in the carton that are past their "best by" date? There's a simple test you can do to tell if an egg is fresh and still okay to eat. Just fill a bowl with cold water and place the egg in the bowl.  If the egg floats to the top, it's no longer safe to eat, so toss it.  If it's bumping the bottom, it's still okay, and if it's laying on the bottom, it's still fresh. I remember this by thinking of the deadman's float.  If the egg floats, don't eat it! Check out our … [Read more...]