I could kick myself! I have posted previously with tips on how to make sure to keep your dry goods insect free. Oh if only I had followed my own advice! I have never had any issues in my current home and have gotten lazy with this rule. I had both my rice and instant mashed potato flakes invaded by potato bugs! YUCK! I cannot stress enough how important it is to take steps towards preserving your food stores, no matter how busy or time constrained you might be at the time, it is so worth the extra effort!
Preserving food:
- For best results, store your dry goods in a cannister with a screw-on lid.
- If you use containers that don’t have screw-on lids then put a bay leaf into containers of pasta, flour, rice and dry mixes to keep bugs away.
- To prevent mold from growing on cheese wrap it tightly with a sugar cube and store it in the refrigerator.
- To keep brown sugar soft, store it in a glass jar in your refrigerator or in a plastic bag with a piece of bread or apple inside.
- To keep granulated sugar from getting lumpy place several saltine crackers in the container and cover it tightly.
- To keep a fresh fruit salad from turning brown, sprinkle the sliced fruit with lemon juice.
- To avoid your pasta from sticking together add salt or oil to noodles while the water is boiling.
- Do a weekly check of all the expiration dates in your refrigerator and move older items to the front.
Rescuing food:
- To rescue mayonnaise that has separated or curdled, mix 1 teaspoon mustard and 1 tablespoon curdled mayonnaise in a bowl, beat it with a wire whisk until it is creamy. Then add the rest of the mayonnaise slowly until well blended.
- To rescue a block of cheese that has dried out, store it in the freezer. Then you can grate it for a recipe, or slice it thinly, without thawing. Also, frozen cheese crumbles easily which makes it perfect for making macaroni and cheese.
- Don’t throw out a stale loaf of bread!Instead you can sprinkle it with water or milk and wrap it in aluminum foil and then bake it at 350 degrees for about 7-10 minutes to soften it.
- For day old donuts or rolls, put them in the microwave with a glass of water for about 10-20 seconds.
- If your rice sticks together just rinse it thoroughly with warm water to wash out the excess starch. This will cause the grains to easily separate.
- If you added too much salt to a recipe just add a little vinegar and sugar and then taste.
- If you find that you added too much sugar for your taste add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar.
