# One Weird Trick... That actually works? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996 "2016-08-16T15:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/21 "2016-08-19T02:15:20Z")
A lot of those Life Hack lists suggest you peel a banana “upside down” i.e. not from the stem but by pinching the bottom and I am here to tell you that works and is how I peel bananas now. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/22 "2016-08-19T13:17:31Z")
Tired of your bananas ripening too fast? As they ripen they give off a gas (I forget the name). AND the presence of that gas speeds ripening as well. So you kinda have a feedback loop there. Well, when you have them in a bunch, they are interconnected to each other and more sealed up, so the gas is more “trapped”. Cut each banana from the bunch. Now they are no longer connected and the gas can escape through the stem. Probably helps to make the cut stem shorter as well. Or at at least I recall it working when I tried it awhile back. Never actually did a scientific comparision… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/23 "2016-08-19T14:00:18Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’m no cook, so I’ve not tried this myself. But I understand that peeling onions under water in the sink will eliminate the “crying” or tears effect. Keep your knives really sharp and it won’t be too much of an issue with most onions anyway. Every now and then you’ll get an super pungent onion, but for probably 19/20 a good and sharp knife will do the trick, and keep your eyes from watering even if you’re cutting up 2-3 onions at a time. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/24 "2016-08-19T17:12:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Parking: Swing wide, so the corner of your car is really close to the car in the next space, then swing inward again. (I ought to draw a picture…) Instead of trying to head directly in to the space, you head “across” the space, to the far side. When you straighten out from this, you’re in the center of the space, and aligned with it. Good advice. Most people driving a car are only aware of the part of their car in front of them, forgetting that there is a whole lot more behind them. The guide the front wheels to the destination, which doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/25 "2016-08-19T17:18:24Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Tired of your bananas ripening too fast? > > As they ripen they give off a gas (I forget the name). Ethylene. Many fruits emit ethylene as they ripen, and in turn the ethylene speeds the ripening process. So put ripe bananas next to the green ones. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/26 "2016-08-19T17:30:20Z")
Using waxed dental floss for getting a stuck ring off your finger. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/27 "2016-08-19T18:53:29Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Using waxed dental floss for getting a stuck ring off your finger. How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/28 "2016-08-19T18:56:15Z")
> [@bump](#): > > How does that work? You compress the skin in front of the ring by wrapping it tightly in dental floss and then unwinding it as the ring moves forward. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rQ2HO1loieA/hqdefault.jpg "Remove A Ring Stuck On A Sore Swollen Finger With Dental Floss") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ2HO1loieA) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/29 "2016-08-19T19:05:43Z")
Put bananas in the fridge. The skin will still blacken, but the fruit will be fine. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/30 "2016-08-22T18:16:51Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Put bananas in the fridge. The skin will still blacken, but the fruit will be fine. There’s a caveat though; you only put them in when they’re as ripe as you want them to be; the ripening process is pretty much wrecked by the cold, so even if you take them back out, they probably won’t continue to ripen. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/31 "2016-08-22T19:30:39Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > Terry Moore did a [three minute TED talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA) where he describes a superior way to tie shoelaces. The problem arose when his pair of shoes with slick laces refused to stay tied. > > It’s a small trick but it’s a stronger form of the traditional knot. Am I the only person for whom this doesn’t work? A square knot may be more secure than a granny knot (between macrame & tatting, I know the difference), but my shoelaces still end up untying themselves. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/32 "2016-08-22T20:03:42Z")
If you have a stack of coffee filters (of the “basket” type, not the cone-shaped ones), turn the whole stack inside out, then back again. This makes it _much_ easier to pick one filter off the stack. (Just like bending or fanning a ream of paper before putting it into a copier/printer) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/33 "2016-08-22T20:05:55Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Am I the only person for whom this doesn’t work? A square knot may be more secure than a granny knot (between macrame & tatting, I know the difference), but my shoelaces still end up untying themselves. Same here, I watched the video hoping for a fix, and found that I’ve already been doing it the “correct” way. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/34 "2016-08-22T20:09:03Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Keep your knives really sharp and it won’t be too much of an issue with most onions anyway. Every now and then you’ll get an super pungent onion, but for probably 19/20 a good and sharp knife will do the trick, and keep your eyes from watering even if you’re cutting up 2-3 onions at a time. Another way to reduce the tears is to dice the onion properly. Most people peel the skin off, then slice the onion up, then dice the slices. This exposes you to large areas of onion. A proper dice (for me) is done by slicing off the ends and peeling of the first layer, of course. Then set the onion on its end and with a sharp knife, slice the onion most of the way through in the desired width, proceeding across the entire onion. Then rotate the onion 90 degrees and do the same. This creates an _in situ_ dice. Then turn the onion on its side and rapidly cut across your previous slicing to produce the dice you want. Videos I’ve seen want you to cut the onion in half first, but it seems more likely that you can cut yourself doing it that way, as it requires you to do horizontal cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/35 "2016-08-22T21:15:12Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I’m just amazed that it is always MY town where these brilliant people have figured this stuff out. I must live in the Eureka of the Deep South. > > Heating lemons in a the microwave for a bit does seem to help in getting the juice out. > > I had to work with some epoxy the other day. Invariably I got some on me. My usual go to for getting gunk like that off is mineral spirits or gasoline or acetone or whatever other nasty solvent is handy. Often with on so so results. > > I recently read somewhere that white vinegar worked. Well damn if it didn’t remove that stuff better than most things I’ve used before. And its dirt cheap a gallon at a time too. Will try that from now on for most nasty expoxies, glues, and paints from now on first. Vegetable oil is great for cleaning up paints and stains. I don’t know if it works on epoxy. I’d recommend the cheaper corn oil, not the extra virgin olive oil. 🙂 I’ve never tried vinegar, though. Would that work on paint? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/36 "2016-08-23T14:43:44Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Another way to reduce the tears is to dice the onion properly. Most people peel the skin off, then slice the onion up, then dice the slices. This exposes you to large areas of onion. > > A proper dice (for me) is done by slicing off the ends and peeling of the first layer, of course. Then set the onion on its end and with a sharp knife, slice the onion most of the way through in the desired width, proceeding across the entire onion. Then rotate the onion 90 degrees and do the same. This creates an _in situ_ dice. Then turn the onion on its side and rapidly cut across your previous slicing to produce the dice you want. Videos I’ve seen want you to cut the onion in half first, but it seems more likely that you can cut yourself doing it that way, as it requires you to do horizontal cuts. Unless you’re really set on having exactly square dice, I’ve always found it best to cut the onion in half, take off the skin, cut off the non-root end, lay the onion half on the cutting board, cut side down, and start making radial cuts with your knife point toward the root end (leave the root end on- it holds the onion together as you cut). Then, once you’ve made as many radial cuts as you want, turn the onion 90 degrees sideways and cut down across those radial cuts, making not-quite-square or exactly even dice, but with no horizontal cutting step. [Radial cuts](http://eatthinkbemerry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/onion-cuts-1024x1024.jpg) vs. [vertical/horizontal cuts](http://www.injennieskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/6a010536c5c2f4970c0120a5920236970b-320wi.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/37 "2016-08-23T15:41:42Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Unless you’re really set on having exactly square dice, I’ve always found it best to cut the onion in half, take off the skin, cut off the non-root end, lay the onion half on the cutting board, cut side down, and start making radial cuts with your knife point toward the root end (leave the root end on- it holds the onion together as you cut). Then, once you’ve made as many radial cuts as you want, turn the onion 90 degrees sideways and cut down across those radial cuts, making not-quite-square or exactly even dice, but with no horizontal cutting step. > > [Radial cuts](http://eatthinkbemerry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/onion-cuts-1024x1024.jpg) vs. [vertical/horizontal cuts](http://www.injennieskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/6a010536c5c2f4970c0120a5920236970b-320wi.jpg). Same idea, certainly, and probably less dangerous than my method since the onion can’t roll on you. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/38 "2016-08-23T16:52:14Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Same here, I watched the video hoping for a fix, and found that I’ve already been doing it the “correct” way. I can say with complete confidence that in the three years or so that I have been doing it, it has not failed me, even once. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/39 "2016-08-23T16:59:19Z")
If you need to get rust off of old chrome, tinfoil dipped in water works like a miracle. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/40 "2016-08-23T20:16:34Z")
There’s a soft version of Bar Keeper’s Friend that is multi-purpose and it is by far the best thing I’ve ever found for getting off soap scum that no other product makes a dent on. I recommend it to absolutely everyone who has a problem with that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996.md?page=3)