Helpful Hints

DEAR HELOISE: After peeling or slicing onions, sprinkle a bit of salt on your damp hands and rub the salt over them. Rinse and dry to remove odor.

-- Myra M., Pine Bluff

DEAR HELOISE: Recently, I found myself in the middle of making chicken and noodles without my roller to make the noodles. I don't know where the thought came from, but I got out my new roll of aluminum foil and used it. I turned it so that I rolled the same direction as the foil so it didn't unroll, and when done, I cut off the soiled section and put the foil away. It saved my day, and the noodles were great.

-- Richard S., Ohio

DEAR READER: That's ingenuity. So many times, the only thing that will satisfy our hunger is hot soup, especially on a chilly or windy day.

DEAR HELOISE: My kids love the frosting on my cakes. I sprinkle a bit of cherry, strawberry or other powdered drink mix into plain white or buttercream frosting for cakes or cookies. It adds just the right amount of tartness and coloring to keep my creations from being ordinary.

-- Karen T., Oklahoma

DEAR HELOISE: To get tomato paste out of the can without making a mess, simply remove the top and the bottom of the can. The contents will slide right out.

-- Donna S., Trenton, N.J.

DEAR READERS:

• Never add salt to rice until fully cooked; it will toughen the rice.

• To remove a burnt taste from rice, place a piece of very fresh white bread on top of the rice, then cover the pot. It will take only a few minutes to remove the burned flavor.

• To keep rice white while cooking, add a few drops of lemon juice to the water.

• Rice is the staple grain of over 60 percent of the world's population.

• Rice was first cultivated in Thailand about 3500 B.C.

DEAR READERS:

• You know those little silica packets that come with your shoeboxes? Throw them into your toolbox to prevent your tools from rusting.

• You're allowed to call the police if you see an animal locked in a hot car. In most states, it's illegal to leave a dog or cat in a car, even if the windows are open a crack.

• Put dry tea bags in your shoes to absorb any foot odors lurking inside the shoes.

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 05/24/2017

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