DEAR HELOISE: I'm wondering if you have a cleaning hint for the ice/water dispenser on my refrigerator. I love the convenience, but am concerned how to clean the dispenser and keep it sanitary, particularly the tip of the dispenser.
-- Jan H. in San Antonio
DEAR READER: Check the manual (or go online for help) for your refrigerator model before doing anything. Then, grab one of my all-time favorite products -- vinegar. Heat some white or apple-cider vinegar until warm (not boiling) and wipe down the outer ice/ water dispenser surface.
Next, clean the dispenser water tip by using a small brush and vinegar to poke up in there, and wipe inside and outside.
For deeper cleaning, turn off the water and disconnect the water supply line. Pour a couple of cups of vinegar (unheated) into the line and let the vinegar flow through the system. Then flush with water several times, and throw out the first couple of batches of ice until the vinegar smell is gone.
DEAR READERS: More people are trying to eat healthfully. There are some key words to look for on labels to help you do this. Many foods contain empty calories. What does that really mean? It means that food or drink has calories that come from added sugars and/or solid fats.
Sugars and fats add calories, but the food or drink really contains very little or no nutrients.
You can make a simple change here and there to avoid unwanted calories. For example: Instead of sugar-sweetened cereal with whole milk, try unsweetened cereal with fat-free, 1 percent or 2 percent milk. Ditch high-fat and -calorie mayonnaise or salad dressing for a still-tasty yet lower-calorie type. I eat corn rather than flour tortillas with my Mexican food.
DEAR HELOISE: I love paninis, but cannot afford an expensive machine. I make them by cooking in a pan using my heavy, small cast-iron pan as a press on top. Granted, I don't get the beautiful grill marks, but the sandwiches are just as great-tasting.
-- Eva W. in Nevada
DEAR HELOISE: To encourage and remind your kids to use a cover in the microwave for whatever they are warming, I keep a paper plate inside the microwave. They see the paper plate and use it to keep splatters to a minimum.
-- Nancy K. in Indiana
DEAR HELOISE: Purchase a weekly supply of bananas when they are partly green and turning yellow. Leave the amount of bananas you will eat in three days out on the counter and put the rest in the refrigerator. The remaining bananas should keep for six to seven days. The skin may turn dark, but the inside is perfect.
-- Merle N., Florence, Miss.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Food on 10/01/2014