Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Frugal Kitchen

Being frugal often gets a bad rap. We live in such a culture of waste where those who want to save are sometimes looked down upon. But why should we waste our hard-earned money and resources. Being frugal is not only an economic issue, but can also help save the earth from the environmental stress our kitchen-work creates.

Here are some great frugal kitchen tips:

* Keep a container in your freezer for small amounts of leftover vegetables and beans. When the container becomes full, you have the makings of a great minestrone soup.

* To clean your grill, wrap a piece of tin foil into a ball and just watch the grease and grime rub away.

* To lengthen the life of kitchen sponges, place them on the top shelf of your dishwasher. They come out almost good as new.

* Salt and vinegar will clean your copper pots and pans just as well as any commercial cleanser can. Use a soft rag, and you’ve got an eco-friendly alternative.

* After you’ve used the juice and rind of lemons or limes, throw the rest into the garbage disposal to freshen it from odors.

* Save your used dryer sheets. Put the used dryer sheets in pots and baking dishes with stuck on messes. Fill with hot, water and soak overnight. The baked on mess will wipe right out.

* To wash out a teakettle, fill it with equal parts of water and distilled white vinegar. Bring it to a boil, then remove it from the heat and let it sit overnight. Then wash.

* Never toss out stale bread or the ends that no one seems to ever want to eat. Make it into home made bread crumbs or croutons instead.

* For healthy and prosperity, drink more water with meals.

* If you have fruit that is over ripe, but not moldy, mash it up and bake it in muffins and breads.

* Cut your SOS pads in half or even fourths. You will get the same cleaning power out of them but they will last a lot longer.

* Learning to cut up a whole chicken can save you money, too. All you need is a good sharp knife and a little practice.

* Make your own self-rising flour. For each cup of flour in a recipe, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

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