Rust on a cast-iron skillet can make a dependable pan look ready for the trash, especially when orange patches spread across the cooking surface. But light surface rust doesn't necessarily mean the iron is damaged beyond repair. A raw potato and a Continue Reading

An open box of baking soda is a familiar sight inside refrigerators, usually placed on a shelf to help control food odors. But absorbing smells and removing the residue that causes them are different jobs. Baking soda can also be dissolved in water Continue Reading

Bananas don't need chocolate, caramel sauce, or a complicated dessert recipe to develop a candy-like coating. A sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon, followed by a few minutes on a hot grill, turns their soft surface golden and gives the fruit a Continue Reading

Brown patches can remain on a baking sheet after the crumbs and fresh grease have washed away. Repeated oven use can leave a stubborn film of baked-on oil, making baking soda seem like the next thing to reach for. But does a paste that helps Continue Reading

Dish soap cuts grease from plates, so adding a drop when washing fruit might seem like an extra cleaning step. An apple or cucumber, however, is food you will eat, and rinsing away the suds does not settle what remains. If the surface looks Continue Reading

Ground beef and hamburger can sit beside each other in the supermarket, look identical through the packaging, and carry the same fat percentage. Most shoppers treat the names as interchangeable, but the USDA makes a distinction between them. One Continue Reading