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News Bites January 19, 2018

9 unusual ways to use mayonnaise in your home

I recently witnessed a friend stick her newly engaged finger in a jar of mayonnaise — much to my surprise. As I applauded her for worrying more about losing circulation than about getting a little grease on her shiny, new bauble, I got to thinking, what other little miracles could everyday mayo perform? It turns out, it definitely earns its shelf space in the fridge. Here is a list of 9 ways to maximize your everyday mayo: 1. Gets gum out of hair Forget the thick, gunky peanut butter. Take a bit of mayo and run through your strands of hair and around the gum. It will create a slick surface for you to gently slide the gum out. 2. Mini mayo manicure Mayonnaise can soften cuticles. Dip fingers in a bowl of mayo and let soak about about 5 minutes. Nails and cuticles will be soft and ready for shaping. 3.…

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News Bites January 12, 2018

This is the reason why pineapple leaves your mouth sore

Fresh, juicy pineapple can’t be beat. I could eat it all day, every day, but unfortunately, every time I try, I end up with a sore tongue and mouth — a stinging feeling. I decided to investigate why such a delicious food has such a terrible side effect. Most people think that it’s the acid from the fruit tearing up their mouth or that it’s the sign of an allergic reaction, but both of these explanations for the discomfort are probably incorrect. The irritation happens because pineapples contain bromelain, and enzyme that digests protein. The enzyme essentially attacks your tongue, cheeks and lips until it is swallowed. After that, your saliva and stomach acids both overtake the enzyme and denature it. When concentrated, bromelain is commonly used as a natural meat tenderizer, which explains a lot. Basically, your mouth = meat, and the pineapple is tenderizing (eating away at) your soft skin. This all sounds kind of scary,…

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News Bites December 30, 2017

4 reasons why your vegan diet isn’t helping you lose weight

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Vegan diets conjure up images of lean, healthy folks, happily chowing down on massive bowls of leafy green salad. And science backs this image. In a large study of 40,000 adults, conducted by Oxford University, vegans were found to have the lowest BMIs among any of their peers, while meat-eaters, not surprisingly, had the highest. But not every vegan sees the same results after cutting out animal products from their daily diets. Some don’t see changes at all, and some can actually gain weight. If you’ve made the switch to vegan in attempt to shed pounds, here’s what you might be doing that could be sabotaging your efforts. Reason 1: Your overestimating portion size Sure, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains are healthy food our bodies require to fuel new cell growth, and regenerate healthy hair, nails and muscles, but we don’t need an infinite amount of these nutrients. The amount…

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News Bites August 24, 2017

Alton Brown’s Genius Way to Juice Watermelon

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Alton Brown, the master of kitchen hacks, leaves us in awe with his many time-saving tips, so it’s no surprise he has a genius way to juice watermelon, too. His method involves a biscuit cutter, a knife and an immersion blender. Since prepping a watermelon using involves a fairly large, juicy mess on the cutting board, Alton’s hack is one worth adopting. Since less juice will end up on your countertop, you’ll have more of the sweet stuff for your beverages and recipes. You’ll also save cleanup time overall, since the rind will remain in one piece. Check out his video here, complete with dramatic music. Because, everything is a cutthroat competition in the world of Alton. https://www.instagram.com/p/BV3TbZelUtz/?taken-by=altonbrown Start by situating the watermelon comfortably on one end, so it won’t tip over. Place the biscuit cutter on the top of the watermelon, and press into the rind so it creates a circular outline. Remove…

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Seasonal July 22, 2017

How to pick perfect produce: cucumber, zucchini, corn

We’re smack in the middle of summer, which means it’s prime produce season, but picking the best produce only comes with experience. Expert advice can certainly help. I visited a market to ask a local farmer how to choose the best pickles, cucumbers and corn. Watch as Becca gives us the pro tips. Zucchini Zucchini is a versatile summer staple. Pair it with pasta, fry it and serve with marinara, or make it in to a dish of trendy zoodles. When choosing zucchini remember these three things: Bigger isn’t better. Larger zucchini tend to have larger seeds and less flavor. Smaller is the way to go. Zucchini can be green, yellow or white in color, but always look for a rich saturation of color on top — the underside will be paler in color, and that’s okay. It’s just the side that didn’t face the sun. Stems are a good thing…

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News Bites July 10, 2017

10 Surprising Uses for Vodka

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We know we can drink it — and drink, and drink, and drink it… — but did you know that vodka can be used from everything from dulling dental pains to banishing soap scum? Here are 10 surprising uses for the popular distilled drink. make the Crunchiest fried chicken Fried chicken isn’t even worth eating unless you can count on that delicious crispy crust. Did you know, adding a bit of vodka to the batter can help fried foods reach maximum crispiness? Because vodka evaporates more quickly than water, the batter will dry out faster, creating larger bubbles in the batter resulting in a crispier crust for your fried chicken. Everyday cleaning If cleaning with harsh chemical give you the creeps, consider vodka. First, soak a cloth in the clear liquid, and the tackle areas with difficult soap scum or water spots. Prevent mildew from growing by spritzing your bathroom tiles with vodka. Let the stuff…

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News Bites July 8, 2017

Alton Brown’s tips for never messing up a recipe again

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You’ve diligently worked all day on a recipe, and it’s finally time for the first taste. You, dig in for a heaping forkful of the fruits of your labor only to find something isn’t right. Alton Brown knows every cook has been there so he offered his insanely simple solution: read the recipe. Like, actually take time to read and digest everything it’s telling you to do. Most recipe mishaps can easily be avoided, he says. The problem is that we don’t take the time to grasp exactly what a recipe is calling for. We may do a quick scan before beginning to cook or bake, but we don’t focus on detail words that can make all of the difference. On his website, Brown wrote, “According to my calculations, about 30 percent of the dishes prepared from written recipes go wrong because the cooks concerned didn’t actually read said recipe. Sure, we glance at them…

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News Bites March 13, 2017

Cooking tips and techniques from chef Gordon Ramsay

Image credit: AP Photo/Wong Maye

Want to up your cooking game? Even great cooks can miss a skill set or two if they haven’t had formal training. But we live in a time when celebrity chefs are just a click away, and they’re eager to share their wealth of knowledge with the world. Practice these pro tips from chef Gordon Ramsey and you’ll look like you’ve mastered your culinary moves over years of training. Most importantly, you’ll reduce your food waste thereby helping the environment and saving yourself money. https://youtu.be/ZJy1ajvMU1k How to finely chop and onion The root, or the base of the onion is “absolutely crucial. Leave that on there. Cut that off, and the onion will start to bleed, and you’ll start crying rapidly,” he says. Ramsey tells us to slice the onion going forward and let the weight of the knife do the work. Then your three middle fingers — one in front and two behind — let the…

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