# Tip Of The Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885 "2015-06-30T18:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/21 "2015-07-02T06:56:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Put a pinch of sage in your boots, and all day long a spicy scent is your rewards. Similarly, put half a pound of butter in each boot, and that way, at the end of the day they will be so easy to remove. Lard, also workd a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/22 "2015-07-02T07:00:28Z")
Don’t get cancer. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/23 "2015-07-02T07:09:20Z")
Save money on expensive binoculars by standing closer to the thing you want to look at. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/24 "2015-07-02T09:56:11Z")
As a general rule: during normal operation bread makers should neither smoke nor catch fire. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/25 "2015-07-02T12:37:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Most of the time when customers write that and I ask them, they thank me. Every once in a while someone will get angry with me. “Are you really going to make me go run out to my car and get my ID?” … That’s because they’re idiots. > [@Isamu](#): > > Similarly, put half a pound of butter in each boot, and that way, at the end of the day they will be so easy to remove. Lard, also workd a treat. Add some flour, heat it up, then a quart of milk, _et voila!_ white sauce! > [@Gatopescado](#): > > Don’t get cancer. :smack: Too late! ---
**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:** [July 2, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/26 "2015-07-02T12:50:27Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Similarly, put half a pound of butter in each boot, and that way, at the end of the day they will be so easy to remove. Lard, also workd a treat. Alternately, for those who walk a lot, put a half gallon of whole milk in each boot. By the end of the day you’ll have butter. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/27 "2015-07-02T12:58:20Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Save money on expensive binoculars by standing closer to the thing you want to look at. Yeah, [I tried that once and got caught](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vXbmlOPPoQ). ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/28 "2015-07-02T17:38:20Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > When cooking or baking, line up all the ingredients before you start, and as you use them, put them away. That way, you don’t have to remember whether you added something. Or even better, measure everything out into bowls for easy dumping! I do this and have never thought to teach it to the kids I sometimes teach to bake. Geez. :smack: It’s on the list now. Thanks FCM! ---
**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:** [July 2, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/29 "2015-07-02T17:42:05Z")
It’s been so long since I found out about this I may have it all wrong, but here goes anyway: If you have a can of lanolin hand cleaner that seems to be dried out with a little puddle of water on top you won’t get anywhere by trying to stir in more water. It’s actually over-hydrated and if you pour out that puddle of water, stir it up and pour off any more water that forms it will soften up again. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/30 "2015-07-02T17:44:50Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > … When cooking or baking, line up all the ingredients before you start, and as you use them, put them away. That way, you don’t have to remember whether you added something. Or even better, measure everything out into bowls for easy dumping! > [@carnut](#): > > I do this and have never thought to teach it to the kids I sometimes teach to bake. Geez. :smack: It’s on the list now. Thanks FCM! … and if you want to sound all fancy-pants and European about it, tell them it’s the _mise en place_ method. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/31 "2015-07-02T18:52:24Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Reminds me of a tip George Carlin offered once: Instead of antiperspirant, put a bay leaf under each arm. It won’t keep you dry, but you’ll smell like soup! > > 😃 > > When cooking or baking, line up all the ingredients before you start, and as you use them, put them away. That way, you don’t have to remember whether you added something. Or even better, measure everything out into bowls for easy dumping! The only time I really do anything like that is when I’m _baking_ and I worry about losing my count. I mean, if it’s an extra tablespoon of oregano in the pasta sauce or a few extra potatoes in the stew I don’t care, I mostly just toss stuff in when I’m cooking anyway, the recipe is just a guide, but if I’m baking and don’t know if I just put in the 4th or 5th cup of flour, then I need to start over…and if everything else is already in the bowl, sometimes that means tossing it all first. Also, sometimes I’ll crack each egg into a bowl or ramekin or measuring cup or whatever is nearby and then dump it in (either one at a time or all into the bowl first). It’s a lot easier to scoop some shell out of that then the big mixing bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/32 "2015-07-02T19:22:01Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > … and if you want to sound all fancy-pants and European about it, tell them it’s the _mise en place_ method. When my son was little and helping me cook, he’d say, “Let’s play cooking show!” because that’s how they always do on TV. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/33 "2015-07-02T20:06:35Z")
Just buy the damn metal garbage cans to start with. Because the plastic ones will be chewed through. Repeatedly. Yes, even the Rubbermaid ones! Spare yourself the aggravation, frustration, all the garbage clean up, and the save yourself some money by just buying the metal garbage cans, first time around! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/34 "2015-07-02T20:19:09Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Just buy the damn metal garbage cans to start with. > > Because the plastic ones will be chewed through. Repeatedly. Yes, even the Rubbermaid ones! > > Spare yourself the aggravation, frustration, all the garbage clean up, and the save yourself some money by just buying the metal garbage cans, first time around! Wow, you’re allowed to pick out your own trash cans?!! Lucky bastard. 😛 Around here, in order to get trash piked up by the city, we have to have a specific model od trash container that can be picked up by the hoists of the city trash trucks. If you have trash picked up by a private vendoer, you generally need to use one of their dumpsters or cans that mate with their trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/35 "2015-07-02T21:17:55Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > As a general rule: during normal operation bread makers should neither smoke nor catch fire. Strangely, the same can be said about lawn mowers. And cordless drills. I’m sure we could get a longer list going, if we tried. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/36 "2015-07-02T21:25:23Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Alternately, for those who walk a lot, put a half gallon of whole milk in each boot. By the end of the day you’ll have butter. Actually, you need unhomogenized milk for that. Faster to just use cream. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/37 "2015-07-02T22:42:38Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Alternately, for those who walk a lot, put a half gallon of whole milk in each boot. By the end of the day you’ll have butter. Actually, you have to keep milk cool to make butter. Your way at the end of the day you’d have yogurt. Footstink yogurt with toenail clipspings. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/38 "2015-07-02T22:58:25Z")
Plus lots of flaked off skin for roughage. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/39 "2015-07-03T00:46:42Z")
> [@](#): > > As a general rule: during normal operation bread makers should neither smoke nor catch fire. When I first read this I was thinking that catching fire was of course bad but why couldn’t bakers smoke. How much could the baker being a smoker really affect that eventual bread? Why not just tell them to smoke outside and not in the kitchen so it didn’t affect the flavor of the bread?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885/40 "2015-07-03T02:16:38Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Similarly, put half a pound of butter in each boot, and that way, at the end of the day they will be so easy to remove. Lard, also workd a treat. As a bonus, your feet will be soft as a baby’s! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tip-of-the-day/723885.md?page=3)