HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: In a recent column, a reader gave suggestions for how to keep cookbook pages clean. Though I understand her reasoning, I wonder how younger generations will know how to find “Mom’s” favorite recipes.

When my cousin died, she had many cookbooks. Her children weren’t sure which recipes she used on a regular basis. I told them to look through the cookbooks for dirty pages, then to look at the recipes on those pages. I’m sure that many are ones she made more than once. As I have gone through my mother’s cookbooks, I treasure the splatters and fingerprints that were left there by her hands. — Kathy F., Canton, Ohio

DEAR READER: You are right “in my book.” I just went through one of my mother’s cookbooks, and it was a wonderful experience to see those old, old recipe pages and notes in the margin.

DEAR HELOISE: When I buy eggs and put them in the refrigerator, it is difficult to tell the difference between the old ones and the new ones. I have solved that problem by alternating the purchase of brown eggs and white eggs. — Barry M., via e-mail

DEAR READER: This is a good hint. Another hint from The American Egg Board is to store eggs in the egg carton (which will have the expiration date on it) on a shelf in the refrigerator, not in the door.

DEAR HELOISE: Growing up in rural Tennessee gave me a love for such foods as turnip greens and cured ham. Now, however, I have to watch my calorie and fat intake. So, I now use fat-free beef-flavored bouillon for seasoning, and it is delicious, with almost no added calories. — Doug J., Watson, La.

DEAR HELOISE: Whenever I use aluminum foil for cooking, be it chicken or especially pizza, I crinkle up the foil, which makes for less contact with the item being cooked, making it less apt to stick to the foil. The more crinkles, the better. I find it especially handy when reheating pizza. — Gerry V., via e-mail

DEAR HELOISE: I recently discovered a use for frozen hash browns ( uncooked). The hash browns are perfect for potato soup, vegetable soup or other recipes requiring whole potatoes. — Norma J., Springfield, Ohio

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail