Helpful Hints

DEAR HELOISE: I never know how to determine whether eggs are still fresh. I remember something about putting them in water.

-- Vivian M.,

Westfield, Mass.

DEAR READER: Fill a bowl/glass with room-temperature water. Put an egg in it. If it floats, it's an older egg; if it sinks to the bottom, it's fresher.

P.S. If you are using the eggs to hard boil (really it's "hard cook" -- you should boil the eggs for no more than a minute, then turn the heat off, cover the pot and let it sit 15 minutes), use older eggs. Fresh ones are harder to peel.

DEAR READERS: Do's and don'ts for making good coffee:

• Start with a clean coffeepot.

• Use fresh, clean water.

• Do use the proper grind for the method you choose for brewing.

• Do drink it right away.

DEAR HELOISE: I see the term "a la this or that" on menus and have no idea what it means.

-- Rochelle R.,

Blaine, Minn.

DEAR READERS: Here are three explanations from In the Kitchen With Heloise.

• "A la king": Food that's been prepared in a rich cream sauce.

• "A la mode": It's French for "in the manner of." If you see this in reference to a dessert, it means "with ice cream."

• "Al dente": It's an Italian term for cooking pasta so that the teeth can feel it.

DEAR HELOISE: My garbage disposal has a terrible odor. I tried grinding lemons in it, but that gave me only a temporary solution. In a small kitchen like mine, a smelly garbage disposal is a problem.

-- Sally T., Rock Hill, S.C.

DEAR READERS: Sally, here are some hints to banish garbage disposal odors:

• When you use limes/lemons/grapefruit, follow up with lots of running cold water.

• Try a few drops of peppermint oil or spearmint in a cup of water, then put that into the disposal

• Put the stopper in, fill the sink with hot water, then pull the plug and run the disposal.

If the odor persists, there may be a buildup of gunk under the splash guard. Try cleaning the underside of the black splash guard with hot, soapy water.

P.S. It's important to run cold water for 30 seconds or so to push whatever you are getting rid of through the plumbing.

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

[email protected]

Food on 08/23/2017

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