Kewler

Nice statistical study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1508155/

Easy, effective wash for fresh produce to protect against foodborne bacteria and pesticide residue. The powdery quality of baking soda makes it useful as a gentle scrub for fruits and vegetables, and it’s especially effective for fruit such as pears and apples that you may want to eat raw without peeling. How to use it: Shake some dry baking soda into your hands, rub it over the fruit and then rinse off under your kitchen faucet.
Safe insect repellent to keep ants, cockroaches and other undesirable critters from your kitchen cabinets. Place jar lids filled with water (for the insects to drink) and sprinkle baking soda (for them to eat) nearby on the bottoms of cabinets and under the sink. The chemical reaction of the two together kills the ants. There’s an outdoor version, too — combine a teaspoon of baking soda with one-third of a cup of cooking oil… shake well in a watering can then sprinkle the mixture lightly on plants.
Relief from stinging and itching. If a bee or other insect stings you, make a paste of baking soda and water (aim for the consistency of toothpaste) and rub onto the site — you’ll find that the pain subsides quickly. The reason it works: The baking soda neutralizes the toxins that trigger the pain along with some of the reactive compounds produced in the affected tissue. This paste also is useful in soothing itching from bites by mosquitoes and other insects, as well as for rashes, hives and even poison ivy.
To soothe an upset stomach after a large or troublesome meal. If you can’t get your stomach to quiet down after eating something that disagrees with you (or when you’ve eaten too much), try completely dissolving one-half teaspoon of baking soda in four ounces of water. This is essentially the same compound that your stomach produces to neutralize stomach acid. There are some important caveats: Don’t take within two hours of medications (especially tetracycline, which is used to treat bacterial infections), and don’t take with large amounts of milk (it increases the likelihood of allergic reaction). Don’t use this remedy if you are on a sodium-restricted diet for high blood pressure. And, since frequent gastritis and heartburn can be signs of more serious issues, including heart disease, don’t rely on this remedy more than once in a while. If you are having regular digestive difficulties, see your doctor.
As an underarm deodorant. You can pat a bit of baking soda onto each armpit after a morning shower, just like an old-fashioned dusting powder. While this won’t stop you from sweating, it will diminish the unpleasant odor. Not only is this far less expensive than commercial deodorants, it’s also perfectly safe. Antiperspirants actually plug the sweat glands, and some people think this may cause cancer. (See Daily Health News, April 15, 2010, “The Antiperspirant-Cancer Connection.”) Along the same lines, you also can use baking soda as a foot deodorant — just sprinkle a bit on your feet or in your shoes.
As an exfoliant. Baking soda is a gentle and effective exfoliant that almost all skin types can tolerate and only rarely causes an allergic reaction — it’s a good way to clean and open pores, diminishing whiteheads and clearing oily skin.To remove dead cells on the outer layer of skin, splash some water on your face… put some baking soda into the palm of your hand… and gently rub on the baking soda, using circular motions. Rinse.
And a final tip — baking soda is baking soda, so you can save money by purchasing a store brand instead of the better-known national ones. Not that they’re expensive either, but now that you know about all these nifty uses, you just might find that you’re going through a lot more baking soda than before.

Source(s):

Vicki Lansky, author of more than two dozen books on parenting and household management, lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Her Web site is www.PracticalParenting.com or go to www.BookPeddlers.com/BP.BSoda.html for more information on her book on baking soda.

For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Alina Tugend
Monday, March 15, 2010

How much soap should I put in my washing machine and dishwasher?

Do I need to do more for my dryer than clean that little pull–out lint catcher?

Should I rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher?

Most of us learned how to use a washing machine or dishwasher in our parents’ house many years ago and haven’t really changed our methods, even though most appliances have evolved radically since then. We rarely, if ever, read the manuals when we buy a new one or glance through the instructions on the box of detergent or bottle of dishwashing liquid.

But because we’re probably using these appliances incorrectly, our dishes and clothes may not be coming out as clean as they could be. And we may also be damaging the machines.

Let me start with soap. The No. 1 sin, according to repair people and appliance experts, seems to be adding too much soap to washing machines or dishwashers.

“Nobody thinks they use too much soap,” said Vernon Schmidt, who has been a repairman for almost 35 years and is the author of a self–published book, “Appliance Handbook for Women: Simple Enough Even a Man Can Understand.” But apparently most of us are in denial.

Washing machines and dishwashers are made to use far less water now than older models and, therefore, need less soap. And detergents have also become increasingly concentrated. So a little goes a long way.

“Most people use 10 to 15 times the amount of soap they need, and they’re pouring money down the drain,” Mr. Schmidt said.

Following the instructions on the soap container is a good first step. Christina Saunders, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, which makes Tide, Cheer, Gain and other laundry detergents, said researchers at the company did thousands of loads of laundry to determine the right amount of soap needed.

She said the caps were changed on liquid detergent containers a few years ago to make the lines specifying amount of soap needed for different size loads easier to see.

Mr. Schmidt, however, argues that depending on how hard or soft your water is, one–eighth to one–half of what is usually recommended should be adequate.

Too much detergent can make your clothes stiff and shorten the life of your machine. An excess of soap can also cause a buildup of mold and mildew, said Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, a trade group.

With high–efficiency machines — which includes all front–loading machines and any top loader that specifically states that it’s high efficiency — it’s a good idea to use detergents specifically made for them, she said. The detergents usually have H.E. on the front of the container. But don’t expect to see a lot of soap action.

“If people see suds, they think their clothes are getting clean, but that’s wrong — it means you’re using a lot of extra detergent,” Ms. Notini said

Here is Mr. Schmidt’s test to determine if you’re oversoaping. Take four to six clean bath towels, put them in your front–loading washing machine (one towel for a top loader). Don’t add any detergent or fabric softener. Switch to the hot water setting and medium wash and run it for about five minutes.

Check for soap suds. If you don’t see any suds right away, turn off the machine and see if there is any soapy residue. If you see suds or residue, it is soap coming out of your clothes from the last wash.

“I’ve had customers that had to run their towels through as many as eight times to get the soap out,” Mr. Schmidt said, who lives in Indiana. He offers other handy advice on his Web site, refrigdoc.com.

Too much soap is also a problem in dishwashers and can cause dishes and glasses to look filmy. Again, check the detergent container for recommended amounts — you definitely don’t have to fill up the entire soap container in the dishwasher.

Also, if your plastic items come out still wet, that doesn’t mean your dishwasher is not doing its job. Most dishwashers today emit less heat than the older models, so plastic doesn’t dry completely.

Loading the dishwasher right will also get your dishes cleaner. When I was growing up, apparently only my mother knew the right way to load. But since my mother can’t get to all your houses, Consumer Reports offers these much–needed tips on its Home and Garden blog. (Please don’t e–mail me if you disagree about these suggestions — like religion and politics, we all have our own views on this matter.)

Load large items at the sides and back of the dishwasher so that they don’t block water and detergent from reaching other dishes.

Place the dirtier side of the dishes toward the center of the machine for more exposure to spray.

Load silverware in the individual silverware slots most dishwashers now include. If you have an open basket, mix forks, spoons and knives to prevent them from sticking together.

Also, remove baked on food and large chunks, but for the most part, everyone I spoke to said prerinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher was not only unnecessary, it wasted thousands of gallons of water and could actually result in dirtier dishes.

“The soap needs something to work against to get the dishes clean,” said Lou Manganiello, who owns Household Appliance Service in Hawthorne, N.Y., and has been doing repairs for 23 years. For full disclosure, he has also ably repaired my appliances from time to time.

Now, on to dryers. I don’t happen to use those fabric softener sheets, but if you do, practice restraint, Mr. Manganiello said.

On the theory that if one is good, five must be better, people throw in a bunch of the sheets. Those liquefy when the dryer gets hot and can gum up the dyer, becoming “almost like tar and feathers,” Mr. Manganiello said.

Also, clean the lint below the removable filter. I bought an item at my local hardware store that looks like a bottle brush, but is longer, denser and has a kind of thin nose. It reaches down and removes lint you can’t get to otherwise.

And think about cleaning lint off the dryer where it vents outdoors.

Of course, the best way to extend the life of your dryer is to use it less often by hanging out your laundry on a clothesline when the sun is shining.

One last bit of advice on an appliance — your oven. Use the self–cleaning mode more than once a year — otherwise, so many food particles have built up that when they burn off, smoke will billow throughout your entire kitchen. But don’t clean right before a big holiday dinner, Mr. Schmidt advised.

That’s because the oven heats so high during cleaning that any weak part will give.

“If it’s ever going to fail, it will then,” he said. “Every holiday we get swamped with calls.”

Cooking Steak Just Right

Marc Weber

You don’t have to be a great cook to cook a great steak. Below are instructions for how to get it right every time. Be sure to choose a steak that is one inch to one-and-a-half inches thick — and sprinkle both sides with salt before cooking.

ON THE GRILL

When grilling steak, heat the grill as hot as it will get. (If your grill has a lid, grill with the lid on.) Let the steak cook until it lifts up slightly from the grill and moves easily when prodded with a cooking tool. Then rotate the steak 45° (on the same side), and let it continue to cook until both directions of the crosshatch grill pattern are a dark mahogany brown but not black.

Flip the steak over and crosshatch the other side as well, assuming that the steak is thick enough that you can do this without overcooking.

Two ways to determine doneness…

1. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the steak is cooked to your taste. Insert the thermometer into the center of the steak, not touching any bone.

Rare: Remove the steak when the thermometer reaches 120°.

Medium rare: 125° to 128°.

Medium: 132° to 134°.

Well done: 150°.

2. Use your thumb as a rule of thumb. Your steak is rare when poking it feels like poking the thenar eminence — the muscle group just below your thumb on the palm side of your hand — as you make an “OK” sign with your thumb and index finger. For ­medium rare, poke and compare the feel of this muscle as you make an “O” with your thumb and middle finger… for medium, use your thumb and ring finger… and for well done, use your thumb and pinkie.

Helpful: If the steak requires additional cooking after both sides have been crosshatched, move it to a section of the grill that is not directly over the flames.

ON THE STOVE

Choose a heavy, thick-bottomed pan. Lighter pans do not maintain their temperature as well and might not sear steaks properly. If you are cooking more than one steak at a time, use a pan large enough so that the steaks do not touch.

Apply a light coating of oil to the pan. Set the burner on high, and place the steak in the pan as soon as you see the oil start to smoke. Sear the steak for four to five minutes, until the side against the pan is a deep, even mahogany brown, then flip the steak over. The deep brown color means that the steak’s proteins have caramelized, which provides much of the wonderful flavor.

Your next step depends on how well-cooked you want your steak. If you like rare steak, sear the flip side until it, too, is a deep, even brown, and you’re done. If you prefer steak that’s cooked a bit more inside, remove the pan from the burner after you’ve flipped and seared the steak and place it in an oven preheated to 450°. To determine doneness, see left.

BEFORE EATING

Let the cooked steak sit undisturbed on a cutting board for about 10 minutes, until you can hold your finger to the steak’s surface without feeling like your finger is burning.

This “resting period” gives the steak’s juices time to permeate the meat. Cut into a steak any sooner, and you could be left with a puddle of juice and a tough, flavorless steak.

If there is a noticeable grain to the steak, cut against the grain for a more tender result.