# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [September 9, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/81 "2016-09-09T22:56:17Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Can somebody else help me out here? Is this a king-sized whoosh? I’m really having trouble believing it, but I honestly don’t know enough about baking to know. > > I am not trying it myself! I have not done it but I see no reason it wouldn’t work. **Do not do this in the microwave.** There is this ideal among chefs to make the 160°F egg, or whatever temperatures. The chemistry is that what matters is the temperature, not how long you cook it. If you bake an egg in a highly stable, well-calibrated oven at that lower-than-boiling temperature you will get an egg with a nice creamy texture. You could do the same thing in water if you monitor the temperature like a hawk. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/82 "2016-09-09T23:22:27Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > It got 3.5 stars on [allrecipes](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/232024/hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-oven/) so there must be something to it. Holy Hannah! **TRC4941** , I apologize! I thought sure you were pulling a leg. 350 degrees? I would have thought you’d bake the stuff permanently all over the inside of your oven. (I’m still not going to do this!) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/83 "2016-09-09T23:33:55Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > The easiest way ever for hard “boiled” eggs - Place eggs in a muffin/cupcake pan. Put in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Immerse in cold water after baking. Seems like an incredible waste of energy – you heat the whole oven up to 350º just to get a few eggs up to 212º? Can’t see how thgat would be easier or faster than just heating a small pot of water to boiling and putting the eggs in that. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/84 "2016-09-10T02:45:00Z")
Ever get in a fender-bender and only got a little paint transfer? That is, you got some of their paint on your car, but underneath, your paintjob is still ok? Get a kleenex or paper napkin, pop the hood and dab the napkin in the power brakes resovoir, and buff away the scuff with the brake fluid (you’ll only need a few drops, and buff the area ABSOLUTELY CLEAN). ---
**Author:** ![USNSPARKS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9fc348/32.png) [@USNSPARKS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USNSPARKS)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/85 "2016-09-12T02:19:19Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > The easiest way ever for hard “boiled” eggs - Place eggs in a muffin/cupcake pan. Put in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Immerse in cold water after baking. I make them in my electric pressure cooker. I set 6 on a rack I’ve put inside, add 1 cup water and set the time for 5 minutes. Takes roughly 7 mins to get up to pressure + 5 mins to cook, then I let them set for 5 more minutes. Release any left over pressure and pop the top. Put the eggs in a bowl of ice water using tongs. Is about half the time and a lot easier. Course it only works with a pressure cooker. I assume it will work on a pressure cooker you use on a stove top but I don’t know if you can even buy them any more. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/86 "2016-09-12T16:22:11Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > I’ve started tying my shoelaces with a [Shoelace Surgeon’s Knot](http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/surgeonknot.htm) rather than a regular shoelace knot and I’ve never had them come untied since. I swear by [Ian’s Secure Shoelace Knot](http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm) from that same site. It has never let me down. I taught it to my daughter when she was learning to tie her shoes after one day of her having to retie her laces over and over again. No more having to tell her that her shoelaces are undone for the 3rd time in 5 minutes! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/87 "2016-09-12T17:52:52Z")
Traces from permanent markers inadvertently used on a white-board can be removed by retracing over them (a few inches at a time) with a dry-wipe marker, then erasing. That’s it, that is the sum total of my wisdom gained on this planet. ---
**Author:** ![TheseGoToEleven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@TheseGoToEleven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheseGoToEleven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/88 "2016-09-12T18:13:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Cooking/shucking corn. Leave the husk and silk intact. Grill or nuke the corn. When it’s hot, cut off the thick end of the cob, squeeze from the silk end until the ear pops out from the cut end. Throw away the silk and husk in one chunk. Worked like a charm - even better than I expected! Maybe two stray silk strands left behind, which I’d say is less than the usual count on corn shucked the the old-fashioned way. And way less mess! Just be sure to cut off enough of the bottom, and wear an oven mitt or use a towel when performing the squeeze. That corn is HOT, and the bare-handed approach is quickly deprecated in practice… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/89 "2016-09-12T20:02:30Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > Ever get in a fender-bender and only got a little paint transfer? > > That is, you got some of their paint on your car, but underneath, your paintjob is still ok? > > Get a kleenex or paper napkin, pop the hood and dab the napkin in the power brakes resovoir, and buff away the scuff with the brake fluid (you’ll only need a few drops, and buff the area ABSOLUTELY CLEAN). What happens to my paint underneath? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/90 "2016-09-13T17:27:44Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > What happens to my paint underneath? It’s brake fluid - it knows when to stop. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/91 "2016-09-14T08:07:23Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Well, now, that’s the trick then, isn’t it? I’ve always found that smacking it on the base of your palm works just as well. You just have to pound it. Learn your own pain tolerance. Once should be enough. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/92 "2016-09-15T16:37:13Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > It’s brake fluid - it knows when to stop. 😉 \ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/93 "2016-09-15T17:23:13Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > I’ve always found that smacking it on the base of your palm works just as well. You just have to pound it. Learn your own pain tolerance. Once should be enough. I’m not following your quote link to figure out what you’re replying to: it’s funnier that way 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/94 "2016-09-15T18:19:12Z")
> [@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. I’ve been tying my shoes Moore’s way for more than 70 years. How did my mother know so much? My shoes never come untied unless the laces are too long and I step on the ends. What he described is basically a Granny with loops, and by reversing the overhandedness of one of the steps, it become the square knot it is supposed to be, with loops. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/95 "2016-09-15T18:22:32Z")
> [@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. Just keep them in the fridge. No tears when peeling or cutting cold onions. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/96 "2016-09-16T01:32:02Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > I watched that a few years ago and implemented it. Previously, my laces would untie fairly often. Since my change per his instruction, it hasn’t happened once. I still haven’t told my parents though. About 8 years ago, I was having problems with my shoes coming untied. Google to the rescue! What I learned that day matched the TED talk video. The problem was that I was already tying my laces the correct way. (The correct way is to tie them as if you were making a square knot – right over left, left over right.) Then I began to realize that if there is insufficient tension at the bottom of the knot, the knot can come undone on its own. Snugging up the laces before you start tying the knot helps, but I still have to pull the starting knot tight before completing the bows, else I will find myself retying my shoes. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/97 "2016-09-16T04:03:32Z")
If you get rust stains from your washing machine on your clothes, soak them in lemon juice - from real lemons or a bottle of concentrate - and lay them out in the sun on a bright sunny day. The stains magically disappear. Only seems to work on rust, though. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/98 "2016-09-16T12:40:49Z")
Or stuff the clothing in a pan of water and rusty nails until the color is uniform. New shirt! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996/99 "2016-09-22T15:52:38Z")
This isn’t so much a “trick” as a thing I didn’t know was possible until recently. There’s a kind of knot called a bowline on a bight. I’ve known about it since Boy Scout days, but I thought it of dubious utility because I knew of no way to tie it without passing the entire length of the rope through the knot. Imagine my surprise then to stumble across a way to [tie it in the middle of a rope without having to work with the free ends](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline_on_a_bight). :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-weird-trick-that-actually-works/762996.md?page=4)