DEAR HELOISE: When a recipe calls for butter, does it mean real butter, or can you use margarine? Will it make a difference? I always associated "butter" with margarine, but I know they are not the same.
-- C.Z.
DEAR READER: Butter and margarine are very different: One is from animals, and the other is man-made. They taste different, too. However, when cooking and baking most items, stick margarine usually can be interchanged with butter. But if you are substituting margarine for butter, be sure to use one that is at least 80 percent vegetable oil.
In most pastries, cookies and candy, you really should use the real deal, unless the recipe has been tested with stick margarine.
DEAR HELOISE: Since a grapefruit knife was mentioned several times in your column, I had to tell this story about mine:
When my son was 7 or 8 years old, he was outside working diligently with a hammer. Later he walked in the house holding my grapefruit knife. It was as straight as an arrow, and he said: "Look, Mom. I fixed your knife. It's straight now."
-- B.M.
DEAR READER: How darling, and you couldn't scold him, either!
DEAR HELOISE: I have a large food processor that chops, shreds, slices, etc. The suction plate for it is clamped to the counter by using a small lever.
It would no longer adhere, so I tried washing the plate with pure vinegar, and lo and behold, it really grips the countertop now. If this works on the counter, it probably would clean any suction-cup device that adheres to windows, etc.
-- Joan
DEAR READER: Yes, vinegar will clean away a lot of grease and grime. It is such a versatile product -- everyone should have a gallon handy. I use vinegar for more things than you can imagine. Boiling cabbage? To cut down on odor, add a splash of vinegar to the cooking water.
DEAR HELOISE: When I need to take two eggs out of the fridge and place them on the counter, I use my scissors and place the two eggs in the finger holds. This way, the eggs never roll around the counter.
-- Jan
DEAR HELOISE: Anyone who has cleaned the space above the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets knows how dirty and greasy it is. When cleaning them, cover the space above with a layer of paper, and next time, just replace it. No cleaning!
-- M.O.
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 09/17/2014