Many more ways to use salt other than Seasoning food

If you think salt is only for seasoning food, think again. There are literally hundreds of ways to use salt in your home! We picked 10 tips and tricks that are applicable in your kitchen.

Put out grease fire Grease fire happens when a pot of oil is left on the stove for too long. The number one mistake is putting it out with water, as it will cause oil to splash, and the vaporised water will carry oil particles, causing the fire to spread. Throw salt onto it to absorb the grease, and this will help extinguish the fire.

Remove pinfeathers Rub chicken with salt to remove pinfeathers.

Clean kitchen sponges Mix half a cup of salt with one litre of hot water. Place the sponge into the salt water and leave it to soak overnight. Drain the salt water the next day and the sponge will be pristine again.

Brighten cutting board Dip a damp cloth in salt and then rub it on a cutting board. It will turn brighter and lighter in colour.

Remove stains from enamel pans Scrubbing burnt surface on enamel pans may damage the enamel coating. Skip the elbow grease and instead, soak the pan overnight in salt water and then boil salt water in it the next day. The stains should come right off.

Test an egg’s freshness Eggs look the same on the outside so how do you tell which is new and which are the leftovers from two weeks ago? Add two teaspoons of salt into a cup of water and gently place the egg into the cup. A fresh egg sinks while the old one floats.

Deodorise oven Sprinkle salt on spills in oven when it’s still hot. When dry, remove with a cloth. Salt also neutralises burn food odour in the oven.

Keep ants away You can sprinkle salt on their paths to discourage them from moving forward or sprinkle some on shelves as a repellant.

Enhance coffee Add a pinch of salt into your morning coffee to enhance the flavour or remove the bitterness of overcooked coffee.

Keeps containers smelling fresh Closed plastic containers smell musty if left on the shelf for too long. Add salt into these containers to absorb moisture and neutralise the stink.

Source of image and content taken from:http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/identify-old-eggs-salt-trick-102021803.html

Boiled Coke with Lemon cures cold / flu

In Hong Kong, boiled coke and lemon is a common remedy for cold. Electrolyte drinks like 100 Plus is believed to ease diarrhea. Adding salt to your Sprite, 7Up or Ginger ale helps soothing sore throat. Drink soda to help you recover basic ails, does it sound like hogwash, and how does it work?

Mdm Pang Yet Lan who used to run a coffeeshop at Sim Place had a cold for weeks, then her Cantonese customer recommended boiled coke with lemon to her. “It worked wonderfully,” she says.

Boiled coke and lemon is a remedy that started in Hong Kong. There’s a story about a businessman who was trying to sell his coke during winter time, but people wanted hot drinks, so he boiled it with lemon and claimed that it will cure cold. That business trick became a ‘remedy’ that people in Hong Kong have been practicing for decades.

Many who tried soda drinks as remedy can’t really explain how it works. Mdm Pang believes that boiled coke with lemon or adding salt to Sprite helps detoxify. We consulted Dr Jeffrey Chua at local hospital to find out explanation behind these theories.

“Remedies like these are really a hit and a miss, it doesn’t work on everybody. Most of these remedies are passed on from generation to generation without really a scientific basis for it,” Dr Chua replies in an email.

According to Dr Chua, it’s a known fact that lemon contains vitamin C, which helps with cold. In his opinion, adding coke is just to make it tastes better and balances the tartness and acidity of lemon. Same explanation applies to the remedy of Sprite and salt that is said to soothe sore throat. Dr Chua explains that sore throat means there is inflammation and when there is inflammation, there is accumulation of fluids. “Salt is a natural dehydrator, it draws water out from our cells. Gargling (not drinking) salt water soothes sore throat. Soda like Sprite or 7 Up only add taste to the solution,” he adds.

As for diarrhea, he explains that “electrolyte drinks like 100 Plus and Gatorade taken after bowel movements helps the body replenish its loss fluids and electrolyte.” Again, he advised that this remedy is not a cure for diarrhea. In fact, he says that diarrhea has a lot of causes, as long as it’s not bacterial cause, the body will cure itself sooner or later.

So these remedies have been a theory for long, but it’s never been medically proven. Soda as remedy, is it a hit or a miss for you?

Content and images taken from: http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/boiled-coke-flu-052635683.html