Cake pan becomes a desk that travels

Dear Heloise: A rectangular-shaped metal cake pan with a lid makes an excellent travel desk for writing or drawing. You can store paper, crayons, markers and more inside the pan, and can use the top as a desk for kids to lay paper on and color or draw pictures of passing scenes.—Simone in Bethlehem, Pa.

GRAPEFRUIT

SPOONS Dear Heloise: I inherited my great-grandmother’s beautiful grapefruit spoon, but we use it only when we have grapefruit. The rest of the time it just sits in a drawer. Are there other ways to use this lovely spoon?—Maxine R., Pratt, Kan.

Maxine, grapefruit spoons can really come in handy when you want to core tomatoes or apples.—Heloise

CHAPPED LIPS Dear Heloise: How can I prevent my three young boys from constantly having chapped lips all winter?— Rae-Ann S., Cambridge, Mass.

Rae-Ann, put petroleum jelly on their lips when they go outside. Get them each a lip balm, and have them use it during the day.— Heloise

SHINY CRUST Dear Heloise: How do bakers get that shiny crust on their pies?— Norma L., Florence, Ore.

Norma, they use vinegar! That’s right—they take the pie crust out of the oven a little before it finishes baking, brush the crust with white vinegar, then return it to the oven to finish baking.— Heloise

P.S. And speaking of vinegar, let’s correct a couple of beliefs concerning one of my favorites:

1. Adding vinegar to the water when poaching eggs will not keep the whites from running. Nor will it make it easier to peel a hardboiled egg.

2. Adding vinegar to the washer to set colors does not work. Modern dyes are unaffected by vinegar.

EXPLODING POTATOES Dear Heloise: While cooking a couple of potatoes in my microwave, one of them exploded. Why did that happen?—Pam C., Ironwood, Mich.

Pam, always take a fork and poke holes in the potatoes before cooking in the microwave. This lets the steam out and prevents an exploding problem.—Heloise

MULCH TIME Dear Heloise: Just a reminder to your many readers to mulch their gardens in October. We all get busy and sometimes forget these things, but your plants will survive harsh winter storms with a nice, thick coat of mulch. It will retain not only warmth, but moisture as well.— Wendy L., Elk River, Minn.

DID YOU KNOW? Dear Readers: A profiterole is a pastry or cream puff filled with custard and drizzled with chocolate sauce—super sweet!— Heloise