3culprits's Profile

Once I moved to a higher altitude, I could no longer cook rice (or pasta or ...)! Finally bought a rice cooker and it solved the problem. I don't like unitaskers, and I have a very small kitchen so it's stored in the garage, but that sucker works and it's easy to clean.

Carbona red wine stain remover. I found a red wine stain from a party more than a week later. Gone.

Now, how do I remove orange egg decorating dye from carpeting? Oxi-clean hasn't worked, nor has Tec. HELP!

While not nearly extreme as this, I did keep my thermostat down for a couple of winters. The truth is I was driven as much by frequent hotflashes as reducing the electricty bill. However, there was a huge downside -- my windows frosted up inside and seals broke. As a result, I had mold/mildew growing in the lovely moist environment. I ended up having to replace a half dozen windows. Lesson learned. My thermostat is set at 62 for now on -- unless I've got the yeast out!

This makes no sense to me. Is this a showcase kitchen or a functional one? What about grease & food splatters on the chalkboard? How does it hold up to the steam from cooking a pot of pasta? Does it clean easily? What about chalk dust on your food and dishes? I'm not a fan of open shelving -- especially around the cooktop -- as it is difficult to keep everything clean in a working kitchen. As for the notion that closed cabinetry allows clutter to breed, I think I'd rather let my clutter breed in private. I guess I just don't get it.

I'll never forget how much I complained when my husband brought home that expensive rice cooker...I don't have room for it in my small kitchen! It's single-purpose! I couldn't have been more wrong. We live at a high altitude and cooking rice and pasta has been a challenge. No more. With that rice cooker, perfect rice every time. I made room.

I used to work for a farmer's cooperative in the Midwest, and based on their research, that grey band around the pink interior will always be tough and lack flavor. We use the America's Test Kitchen method: cold ribeye into 275 oven till internal temp is 95, then pan sear to desired temp. Never fails. And no smoke alarms going off!

What's going on with Martha? I will NEVER forget the close to 100 sugar cookies I made for Valentine's Day. They were so bad the kids wouldn't even eat them. Hard as a rock, awful taste. You would have thought that I learned my lesson. But NO...I tried a chocolate cupcake recipe that my son and husband threw away. And don't even get me started on a cake that was probably the most expensive kitchen disaster I've ever had -- all those specialty ingredients, four layers of just plain horrible. I'm usually considered a good cook, but her recipes have made me look terrible. At this point, I might use her for inspiration, but actual recipes, no thanks.