In our part of the country we are getting a good soaking – a three-day rain that farmers dream about. It arrived when most in our area had completed harvest, needed a good rest and hoped for moisture for the fields.
With all this rain, we are definitely indoors this weekend. It is a good time for fall cleanup. Today, I decided it was a good day to clean out the linen closet, and move less used items, such as sleeping bags and a portable bed, to another closet.
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L.H. of Regina sent a good suggestion for storing different sizes of sheets, along with some other cleaning hints.
Storing bed sheets: After drying sheets, fold neatly in a square, and put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillowcase. Next time you change sheets, you just take the one pillowcase, and all the sheets and pillowcase are inside. No need to look for matches. Great for when you have different sized beds.
Clean glass shower: To clean the glass in your shower easily, apply lemon juice to the glass with a sponge. Then, take newspaper and wipe the lemon juice off the glass. It will be clean and sparkle with no scrubbing.
Broken glass: Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces. The fibres catch ones you can’t see.
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 hose. It can be bent or flattened to get into narrow openings.
Foggy windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser. It works better than a cloth.
Clean old toys
Dear TEAM: We recently have become grandparents and I’m looking to find a non-toxic solution to clean and disinfect plastic toys that have been in storage for a few years. Would a fairly strong vinegar-water solution do the trick after washing them with hot water and dish detergent? I’m also wondering how to clean the large (20 L) water bottles that we bring in to the store to get refilled with drinking water. I’ve been rinsing them out with water, but would like to “deep clean” them at least every few refills or so. Also I would like to know how to keep whipped cream stiff. – J.F., e-mail.
Dear J.F.: I bought second-hand toys from my mom and dad’s neighbour, and wanted to clean them for our granddaughter when she comes for a visit. I put them first through the dishwasher; using vinegar and water is an excellent and healthy way to clean toys. Another suggestion is to check the local health food store for plant-based biodegradable cleaning products. Some use a product called Ecover, www.ecover.com. Jodie mentioned a similar product she buys from Nutters Bulk Foods Store.
To clean large water jugs, use a
solution of equal parts water and bleach. Shake to reach all surface
areas of the inside of the jug, then rinse thoroughly with water.
For the whipping cream question, always start with a chilled bowl with chilled beaters.
Whipped cream
1 cup cold heavy 250 mL
cream
Add and beat to the desired consistency:
2 teaspoons (5 mL) to 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sugar or 1-4 tablespoons (15-60 mL) sifted powdered sugar or 2 teaspoons (10 mL) honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 mL
Use immediately. It is best to underwhip cream whenever it must be refrigerated for several hours before use, and then whisk just before use, to reincorporate any liquid that may have separated from it. In general, a cake frosted or filled with whipped cream is best the day it is made.
To fill or frost a cake, start with a heavy cream with a high butterfat content. This type of cream (with 38-40 percent butterfat) can be used to a day in advance without adding a stabilizer, but it is not always available.
To stabilize whipped cream for fillings for desserts, use gelatin. Gelatin added to whipped cream gives it a firmer, mousse-like texture and keeps it from weeping. It must still be stored in the refrigerator, but it will hold up longer on a buffet table, and you can fill or frost a cake with it a day in advance without worry.
Stabilized whipped cream
Pour into a heatproof cup:
1 tablespoon cold water 15 mL
Sprinkle with:
1/2 teaspoon unflavoured 2 mL
gelatin
Let the gelatin soften, without stirring, for five minutes. Place the cup in a pan of simmering water until the gelatin is melted and the liquid is clear. Let cool to room temperature. Prepare whipped cream, as above, adding the cooled but not cold gelatin mixture while you beat as the cream begins to thicken. Stabilized whipped cream can be flavoured according to the variations below, but do so as soon as possible – before the gelatin sets.
Coffee whipped cream – Prepare whipped cream, above, adding two teaspoons (10 mL) instant coffee or espresso powder to the cream with the vanilla. Use one to two tablespoons (15-30 mL) or to taste.
Liquor-flavored whipped cream – Add one to 11/2 tablespoons (15-22 mL) liquor with the sugar.
Source: The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four
columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
