HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I am a new yogurt eater, and I just love it. However, when I open a container, there is always a teaspoon or so of a yellowish ( sort of), watery fluid. What is it, and is the yogurt OK? FYI: I have not become ill from the yogurt. — Jeanne M. in San Antonio
DEAR READER: That liquid is just a little separation of the liquid whey and the solids in yogurt. You can pour it off, but it’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients, so just stir to mix.
DEAR HELOISE: I learned this at a restaurant where I worked: Never use a knife on lettuce. A knife will cause oxidation, which will cause “rust stains” on the lettuce. Tear the pieces that you want. Your lettuce will stay fresh and beautiful.
— Lynn W., Sidney, Ohio DEAR READER: This is an ongoing debate. From what I have researched, it’s outdated. If you’re going to eat the lettuce soon, there is no time for it to “rust” and turn brown. Some say a nonsteel knife is best. I have several large plastic and ceramic kitchen knives, as well as stainless steel. I tested cutting with a steel knife, a plastic knife and a ceramic one, and tearing the iceberg lettuce. There was no difference a day or so later when I took the four zip bags of lettuce from the refrigerator. If you are planning on using it a day or two later, why not cut or tear it then?
DEAR HELOISE: After years of digging through packages and packages of frozen meats and vegetables in my freezer, I came up with a solution.
I purchased six nylon mesh drawstring bags of different colors. Now I have my freezer items in color- coded bags. Pork goes in the lightgreen bag, vegetables in the bright green bag, fish in the navy blue bag, red is the frozen beef, and purple means poultry. I keep frozen cheeses in the white one. It makes finding what I’m looking for easier. — Bev Cent in Nebraska
Church Hill, Tenn.
DEAR HELOISE: When I receive fast- food or other coupons, I take a marker and write the expiration date in large numbers so I will know instantly when they expire. This has been helpful with keeping my coupons up to date.
— Bonnie M. in Missouri