easy kitchen tips Archives - Page 11 of 21 - One Hundred Dollars a Month

How to Clean a Moldy Water Bottle

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By Mavis Butterfield on September 9, 2013 · 58 Comments

My daughter loves Camelbak water bottles, but sometimes she puts milk in them {gasp!}, and well if you’ve ever had to clean day,week, ahem, month old molding milk from a water bottle then you know how tempting it is to just toss ’em. But, since that defeats the whole purpose of a reusable water bottle, and I love that she can fill up at home and always have something to drink on the go, I am bound and determined to stick it out.

Here’s how I clean The Girl’s:

Start by soaking the bottle in warm water with bleach {you don’t need very much bleach}. Leave it there for a good while, then scrub it inside and out with a dish brush or toothbrush. I usually stick a q-tip into the mouth piece and give it a good once over too.
Then, rinse the bottle well and put a tablespoon of baking soda in the bottle. Top the bottle with hot water. {This will remove any nasty left-over tastes.} Let it sit overnight.
In the morning, rinse out the bottle, and wash as you normally would, either in the dishwasher {AWAY from the heating element} or in hot soapy water. Allow to dry in the sun, if possible, or drip dry on the counter.

How about you, any tricks up your sleeve?

~Mavis

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How to Store Garlic

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 31, 2013 · 11 Comments

Did you know you can get garlic to easily last for months? I didn’t either until I stumbled onto this little trick: put them in a regular paper bag with holes punched into them and paper clip them shut. It gives them the dark dry environment they need to stay fresh, without limiting their air flow.

Here’s what you need to get started:

Hole Punch
Paper Bags
Marker to Label the Bag
Paper Clips or Tape

Fold your paper bag in half length wise and punch holes in the bag {just makes the hole punching faster and more uniform}. You don’t want to whole punch the bottom of the bag though, so stay away from the bottom three inches or so. Open the bag back up and pop the garlic into the bag. Fold the top of the bag over and paper clip or tape it. You can label the bags if you need to and reuse them over and over.

I am totally going to start doing this–even if you don’t have a garden, you can use this method to stock up when prices are low.

How do YOU store your garlic?

~Mavis

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How to Freeze Fresh Corn

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 29, 2013 · 15 Comments

I never thought the shucking would end, but it finally did. Thanks to the Handsome Husband I now have enough corn to last us until next year.

If you ever find yourself with more corn than you know what to do with, here is a quick tutorial on how to freeze fresh corn. It’s easy, I promise. Obviously shucking the corn is going to take the most about of your time, so if I were you, I’d crank up the tunes, or listen to a good audio book to help pass the time.

Or pay a teenager to do it for you. 😉

How to Prepare Fresh Corn for the Freezer

Grab a stock pot, fill it about 3/4 full and bring the water to a rolling boil.

After shucking the corn and removing the corn silk boil your corn for 4 minutes. Then, using tongs, place the hot corn cobs in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Once the corn has cooled, cut off the tips of the corn for easier cutting.

Some people prefer using a corn zipper, but I’m kind of old school and just like to use a sharp knife instead.

Then all that’s left to do is to place the corn kernels in freezer bags {I like to use quart size freezer bags} label them and place the bags in the freezer. *Corn can be frozen for up to 1 year.

And what about all those corn cobs? Our pet chickens LOVE corn, so we toss the corn cobs into the chicken run. If you don’t have chickens, you can always toss them into your compost pile.

Want to learn more about freezing fruits and vegetables? Check out my guide on How to Freeze Fruits and Vegetables.

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How to Freeze Avocados

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 28, 2013 · 21 Comments

My local produce market recently had avocados on sale 3 for $1 so I stocked up! I plan on freezing them so that I can whip up some fresh guacamole whenever the mood strikes.

I don’t know about you, but homemade guacamole tastes soooo much better {and is way less expensive} than anything you can buy. Plus, since Costco sells frozen guacamole, I know that it doesn’t affect the flavor or texture to freeze it.

To freeze avocados:

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop out the “meat” of the avocado.
Put avocados into a food processor {it’s best if you don’t do more than 3 at a time} and add 1 tbsp. of lime juice {the lime juice will prevent the mixture from turning brown}.
Pulse the avocado and lime juice to desired consistency, and then put the mixture in a freezer bag.

Easy right? Seriously, how did the pilgrims survive without freezers?

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.