Kitchen Fixes!
By prestocaro
@prestocaro (1251)
United States
March 15, 2007 10:26pm CST
Ever open that box of cereal in the morning and notice its not as fresh and crispy? No wait, it's stale. Staler than stale. But you really want it! If you nuke it (in a cereal bowl) for a few seconds, stir it up, and then nuke for a few more seconds, it will come back to life! Just let it "set up" for about 30 seconds after you pull it out -- until it's not hot any more -- and it will be like it was before you ever opened the box.
This works because of how microwaves work. They excite water molecules and make them dance around. All that dancing creates friction, which in turn heats up the food. A side effect of this process is the loss of water in the form of vapor/steam, which is exactly what you want to refresh stale cereal, since atmospheric moisture is what causes "stale"ness.
By the way, this also works for tortilla chips. Just be sure to check both cereal and chips every few (7 or so) seconds, for scorching.
Does anyone else have any cool kitchen tips? Please share!!
2 people like this
3 responses
@ratburn (939)
• Philippines
16 Mar 07
very helpful tip! i'm gonna keep this in mind. right now i can't think of anything special but i've learned a lot from my mother who doesn't cook. she's told me a lot like don't wash fruits until you're gonna eat it, or the proper way to store bananas is to lay the flat part on the table and not the curvy part. nothing smart like your tip. if i remember anything or come across something, i'll let you guys know! keep those tips coming! very useful :)
1 person likes this
@prestocaro (1251)
• United States
16 Mar 07
I didn't know not to wash fruit until you are going to eat it. I usually wash a bunch and put it in a bowl on the breakfast table for snacks. What happens to it if you wash it in advance?
@prestocaro (1251)
• United States
17 Mar 07
I never even thought about washing them!! I don't really wash food that has a peel I don't eat -- like oranges or avacados or anything like that, but good to know I"m doing the right thing :)
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
16 Mar 07
I didn't know that I'll have to try it as it's terrible to have to throw things away because they've gone stale it's such a waste of food. Off the top of my head I don't have any tips to give in return I'm afraid.
1 person likes this
@prestocaro (1251)
• United States
16 Mar 07
I really hate throwing food away as well. My bf is always amazed by the amount of small portions of food that collect in the fridge! I've got attachment issues, I guess. I never want to chuck the two tablespoons of peas that are leftover.
@kelly60 (4546)
• United States
19 May 07
Thanks for the tip; it will save me from having to throw out the last of that cereal that nobody will eat because it has gotten beyond stale. The best tip I can think of right now is to soften up hardened cookies by placing a slice of bread in the container with them, we usually use the crusts because the kids do not like those much. The cookies will draw moisture from the bread and soften them up.
