Refrigerate or Not - Part 1

I thought this would be very beneficial information to share.  I knew about a few of them but not others.  Since there are so many I'll be posting them in groups of 5.  This information is from Daily Savings

You just hit the grocery store, and your fridge is overflowing. But do all those things actually belong in the refrigerator? The thing is, most fresh fruits and vegetables can survive without refrigeration — along with some other interesting foods, too.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, there are two types of bacteria that cause problems. Pathogenic bacteria leads to food-borne illnesses, and spoilage bacteria changes the way foods look, smell, and taste. When food develops dangerous levels of pathogenic bacteria, it could look, smell, and taste normal while still being dangerous. But when spoilage occurs, something can taste gross but won’t necessarily make you sick. Confusing, right? Here’s a list of 31 items that will do just fine outside the fridge.

1. Potatoes: When too cold, starches found in potatoes turn to sugar, yielding an off flavor. Keep potatoes stored in a paper bag in a cool, dark cupboard or drawer. Same goes for sweet potatoes.

2. Honey: Your luscious honey will turn to crystallized gunk if it is stored in the fridge. Store it at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for happy honey.

3. Tomatoes: Tomatoes actually start losing their flavor and become quite mushy if left in the fridge. Leave on the counter and use when they have a slight give to the outside skin.

4. Apples: Apples, just like tomatoes, start to loose flavor and texture after spending time in the fridge. Leave them on the counter, and toss them in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to eating if you want a crisp bite.

5. Onions: The best place for onions is in a paper bag in a cool, dark cabinet or drawer. If stored in the fridge, they soften and impart an oniony scent on nearby foods.

How to Buy Onions

 

The many varieties of onions grown commercially fall into three general classes:

Globe onions are the most common group and are considered primarily cooking onions.  There are many varieties, mostly with yellow skins, but also some white and red-skinned types.  Globe onions are predominantly round to oval, and have rather pungent flavor.  They are available in quantity during the late summer, fall, and winter.  Most fall in the medium size range but in some cases the smaller onions are packed and sold separately.

 

Granex-Grano onions are available during the spring and summer, coming from the warmer growing areas.  Most are yellow-skinned; a few are white.  The shape tends to be less round and less symmetrical than the globes, ranging from somewhat flattened to top shaped.  Rather mild in flavor they are considered ideal for slicing and eating raw and good for cooking.  In size they range from medium to large.

 

Spanish onions resemble globe onions in shape but they are much larger.  Most varieties are yellow, but some are white-skinned.  They are mild in flavor, often called “sweet Spanish,” and are ideal for slicing or for salads.  Sometimes the medium sizes are packed separately from the large ones (3 inches or more in diameter).  Spanish type onions are generally available in moderate supply during fall and winter.

Major onion growing areas are California, New York, Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, and Idaho.

 

When buying look for Hard or firm onions which are dry and have small necks.  They should be covered with papery outer scales and reasonably free from green sunburn spots, and other blemishes.

 

Avoid onions with wet or very soft necks, which usually are immature or affected by decay.  Also avoid onions with thick, hollow, woody centers in the neck or with fresh sprouts.

Home Tips

 Sent to me by a friend

Thought I'd pass this along, some good tips.

DID YOU  KNOW? ,      Take  your bananas apart when you get home from the  store. If you leave them connected  at the stem, they ripen faster.   Store your opened chunks of  cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much  longer and not mold!  Peppers  with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for  eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the  bottom are firmer and better for cooking.  Add  a teaspoon of water when frying ground  beef. It will help pull the grease  away from the meat while  cooking.  To  really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple  of Spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy  cream; then beat them.    Add  garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light  taste Of garlic and at the end of  the recipe if your want a stronger taste of  garlic. Reheat  Pizza Heat leftover pizza in a  nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to  med-low And heat till warm. This  keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this  on the  food channel and it really  works. Easy  Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a  zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all broken up Add  remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up  mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze  mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy  clean up.  Reheating  refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes,  or muffins that were refrigerated, place them  in A microwave next to a cup of  water. The increased moisture will keep the  food Moist and help it reheat  faster.  Newspaper  weeds away Start putting torn newspaper  in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet  newspapers, Put layers around the  plants, overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget  about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening  plastic; they will not get through wet  newspapers. Broken  Glass Use a wet cotton ball or  Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see  easily. Flexible  vacuum To get something out of a  heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper  towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to  your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow  openings. Reducing  Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to  the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt  or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when  wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta  DA! .. Static is gone.  Measuring  Cups Before  you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with  hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup.  Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and  watch how easily it comes right out. ?  Foggy  Windshield?  Hate  foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in  the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with  the eraser! Works better than a  cloth! Reopening  envelope If  you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to  include something inside, Just place your sealed  envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It  unseals easily. Conditioner Use  your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper  than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.  It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought  but didn't like when you tried it in your  hair. Goodbye  Fruit Flies To  get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it  1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar And 2 drops of dish  washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn  to the cup and gone forever!  Get  Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal  where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't  digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so,  especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have  the worry about pets or small children being  harmed! INFO  ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The  heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that  fixes things around the house for us told us that he  wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer  and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always  clean the lint from the filter after every load of  clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot  water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material  . I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks  like. Well .... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!  It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer  sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out  the heating unit. You can't SEE   the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets  to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how  they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ...  well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint  screen. This is also what causes dryer units to  potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best  way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and  to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter  out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush  at least every six months. He said that increases the  life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about  that!?! Learn something new every day! I certainly  didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd  share! Note:   I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water  on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly  collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it  with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done  in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it ... the water ran  right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all!  That repairman knew what he was talking about!  PLEASE  PASS THIS ON TO OTHER FRIENDS IN YOUR ADDRESS  BOOK. NOT  ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE a  life !