# Funny little kitchen tips & tricks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051 "2011-04-28T16:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/21 "2011-04-29T20:35:16Z")
Aww geez Mom, you never let me have any fun šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/22 "2011-04-29T20:54:12Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Ha! That reminds me of one Iā€™ve seen somewhere - maybe Heloise. Use an old piece of stale bread as a spoon rest. Then, when the meal is ready, give the sauce-coated bread to the dog. > > When I have a dog, I plan to do this. šŸ˜ƒ My grandparents used to pour the hamburger grease over dog kibble, and give that to the dogs. The dogs loved it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/23 "2011-04-29T20:55:26Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Aww geez Mom, you never let me have any fun šŸ™‚ Oh, you wanted to have fun? Of course itā€™s fun! You know what else is fun? Mopping the floor. Have at it, boyo! :dubious: šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/24 "2011-04-29T21:22:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Aww geez Mom, you never let me have any fun šŸ™‚ Yep, Iā€™ll tell you the same thing I tell the kids I gave birth to: ā€œI know; I suckā€. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/25 "2011-04-29T22:35:05Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > as a bachelor, I keep a spray bottle of very diluted dishwashing soap in a spray bottle at the sink. To wash the 1 or 2 breakfast or lunch dishes. some hot water, and spritz from the spray bottle, a brush, and voila, clean dishes w/o filling up the sink with a lot of hot water. I find that the dishwashing soap bottle quickly develops a crust of gummy soap on the top. When I need to just wash a few single items, I pop the dish washing brush down on top of the dishwashing soap bottle. It picks up a few crumbs of gummy soap, just enough to wash the few items under running hot water. No need to fill a sink! Youā€™re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/26 "2011-04-29T22:51:59Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > Speaking of scissors, I use them to cut up cooked spaghetti. I hate having noodles dangling down my chin like Cthulu, tradition be damned. This is only in the privacy of our own home, mind you. I just break the bundle in half before it goes into the pot. But do it sloooooowly, over a bowl or dish youā€™re going to eat off of, so little bits donā€™t go flying all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/27 "2011-04-29T22:55:50Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > My grandparents used to pour the hamburger grease over dog kibble, and give that to the dogs. The dogs loved it. My parents used to do the same with bacon grease. Pour over while still hot, allow to cool, give to dog. Dog considered it The Best Day Ever. Keeps their coats shiny, donchaknow. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/28 "2011-04-29T23:00:12Z")
Hell, we donā€™t give the bacon grease to the animals. The grandparents (all four of them) considered this to be the best cooking grease available for certain foods. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/29 "2011-04-30T04:40:10Z")
You all are making me sound gross, but I donā€™t generally bother cleaning my cast irons or tongs that have been soaked a bit in boiling water. Just ask olā€™ Jack Burton is my motto. Checkā€™s in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/30 "2011-04-30T05:04:38Z")
> [@Soliloquy](#): > > I like my bananas kind of green. When they start getting too ripe, I peel them, cut them up, and freeze them in freezer bags to blend into protein shakes instead of a bunch of ice. Adds flavor, makes the shake less watery, and you donā€™t waste the bananas. Bananas are disgusting, so I donā€™t have them, but being in the produce industry, Iā€™ve picked up some tricks along the way. When it comes to bananas, toss them in the fridge when the get to your preferred ripeness. After a while theyā€™ll get a slightly gray tinge to them (this may or may not take a ā€˜trained eyeā€™ to notice, I know I can spot it). At that point you can leave them in or take them out and put them back on your counter. Either way, theyā€™ll never ripen any further. Iā€™d imagine after a while they might rot, but they wonā€™t ripen any more. You know how once in a while you buy some green bananas from the store and two weeks later theyā€™re still bright green, typically that means somewhere along the line they were improperly handled, either not gassed correctly or chilled. Sometimes it meant they were shipped on a reefer truck and not properly protected, could mean they spent too long outside in winter or even that a moron with a pallet jack stuck them in the cooler for a few hours before someone noticed. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/31 "2011-04-30T16:25:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Bananas are disgusting, so I donā€™t have them, but being in the produce industry, Iā€™ve picked up some tricks along the way. When it comes to bananas, toss them in the fridge when the get to your preferred ripeness. After a while theyā€™ll get a slightly gray tinge to them (this may or may not take a ā€˜trained eyeā€™ to notice, I know I can spot it). At that point you can leave them in or take them out and put them back on your counter. Either way, theyā€™ll never ripen any further. Iā€™d imagine after a while they might rot, but they wonā€™t ripen any more. Roughly how long in the fridge are we talking? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/32 "2011-04-30T17:03:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Roughly how long in the fridge are we talking? Honestly, I never timed it. I think most people just leave them in there. The skin will turn ugly, but they inside should stay fine. Try it with one next time and see if it works. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/33 "2011-04-30T17:20:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Honestly, I never timed it. I think most people just leave them in there. The skin will turn ugly, but they inside should stay fine. > > Try it with one next time and see if it works. OK. My mother used to keep bananas in the fridge when I was a kid, but I really prefer to eat them at room temp, so I would want to take them out as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/34 "2011-04-30T17:26:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > OK. > > My mother used to keep bananas in the fridge when I was a kid, but I really prefer to eat them at room temp, so I would want to take them out as soon as possible. You could certainly take them out an hour or two before you wanted them. Iā€™m fairly certain you could stick them in there for a few hours and then take them back out, but as a non-banana eater, itā€™s not something Iā€™ve experimented with. As a producer seller, itā€™s just something Iā€™ve run across in a ā€œShit, these bananas arenā€™t ripening, they must have been chilled somewhere along the lineā€ Usually it happens to an entire pallet of them and we end up having to throw them all out and attempt to get credit on them from our wholesaler if it wasnā€™t our fault. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/35 "2011-04-30T18:16:00Z")
If you use a sponge for cleaning dishes or the counter, stick it in the microwave after youā€™re done with it for ~30 seconds. (make sure itā€™s wet and all the soap is rinsed off.) This kills the germs that are in there and it will last a lot longer before it gets that stinky, old-sponge, smell. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/36 "2011-04-30T18:20:42Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > If you use a sponge for cleaning dishes or the counter, stick it in the microwave after youā€™re done with it for ~30 seconds. (make sure itā€™s wet and all the soap is rinsed off.) This kills the germs that are in there and it will last a lot longer before it gets that stinky, old-sponge, smell. I wonder if that works with old people? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/37 "2011-04-30T18:23:58Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I wonder if that works with old people? Youā€™d have to at least double the cooking time. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/38 "2011-04-30T18:25:48Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Youā€™d have to at least double the cooking time. Really? Theyā€™re pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/39 "2011-04-30T19:17:04Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > In case you donā€™t have a pizza cutter, the most versatile blade in our knife drawer is an ulu. Using that rocking blade is perfect for chopping vegetables and herbs. A few friends from work and I took a cooking class together, and I brought an ulu to the class. Each one of them bought an ulu of their own after seeing mine at work. Iā€™d provide a link to one, but Iā€™m posting from an iPod and I donā€™t know how to do that. Itā€™s worth investigating! How do you keep the the food from skipping all around the cutting board? Weā€™ve got a rocking knife (itā€™s got two handles so you canā€™t use it one-handed :mad: ) and I stopped using it (and we basically only used it for nuts and chocolate chips) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051/40 "2011-04-30T19:49:46Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > How do you keep the the food from skipping all around the cutting board? Weā€™ve got a rocking knife (itā€™s got two handles so you canā€™t use it one-handed :mad: ) and I stopped using it (and we basically only used it for nuts and chocolate chips) I understand what you have, but having never heard of an ulu, I looked it up. It appears to used with [one hand.](http://www.savesucash.com/wholesale_ulu_chopping_tool.gif). From the looks of it, Iā€™d think your wrist would get tired very quickly and it seems like it be difficult to chop anything that offered any kind of resistance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-little-kitchen-tips-tricks/580051.md?page=3)