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Take A Hint.

18/4/2021

8 Comments

 
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Looking into the question of pre-rinsing or not rinsing for the dish-washer (next post) I realise how much we dislike change.  We want something different, as long as it reminds us of what we know.

Handy Hints are now called hacks, I believe.  Larry David, co-writer of the sit-com Seinfeld, gave me (not personally) two of the best life hacks ever, which I have used regularly to my advantage ever since.
  • Pee before you leave.
  • Make two trips. (Think of bringing in the shopping from the back of the car. Don't struggle, drop things, hurt yourself, get in a tizz.  Make two trips.)
But hacks are often unhelpful.  Check out how to cut a mass of tomatoes in one cut.  It doesn't work. cooking hack cut cherry tomatoes

Yes, I aim to disturb, to question. But a suggestion comes from a simple observation.  It  is not a rule, not an edict, not an injunction nor an ultimatum. 

I've suggested for example, a different way to arrange cheese on a plate (11th Jan, 2018). A friend commented archly that a famous chef on TV (Celebrity Chef, Master Chef, Chef Extraordinaire, TV chef, not sure which) had not done this.  (Perhaps I could advise him; he might like my idea.) But it's not a rule.  Carry on serving your cheese on hefty 15 kilo planks of Huon Pine, if you wish.

So before I set off to delve into the murky world of unwashed dishes, I'll leave you with the simplest and possibly the best cooking tip I've ever received. The major-domo at Orlando Winery's city headquarters (now a row of high-rise appartments) was ultra conservative, a committed believer in the crisp white shirt, polished hair, and the dignity of service. He was a master of the malapropisms.  (He was "rape-able" when asked to change a table setting. Small wineries were "petique".) But I think warmly of Maurie whenever I cook green beans.
Have the water at a rolling boil. Add half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of olive oil, throw in the beans for six minutes. Drain and serve.

The oil is the miracle.  It leaves a glossy film on the beans - beautiful. (Let me know.)

​Share some simple tips. (
Comments 👇🏾 in blue below.)
8 Comments
Louise Naughton
18/4/2021 04:37:08 pm

Pretty sure the pee before you leave ‘hack’ was one my mother drummed into me and my sisters very early in life. Sound advice.

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Cath link
19/4/2021 12:41:24 pm

Good advice never dates.

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Ken
18/4/2021 07:24:42 pm

Oh I thought it would be a hack for cutting the stalk off the beans without having to turn them all the same way...

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Cath link
19/4/2021 12:42:45 pm

Now, that's asking too much.

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Kym
19/4/2021 09:20:55 am

Billy Connolly has many useful hacks, like this one which is a bit on the crude side. “As you get older - never trust a fart”

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Cath link
19/4/2021 12:45:24 pm

My favourite comedian. I wouldn't have expected him to lower the tone. He was never rude, never swore; the perfect gentleman.

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Gerard Menses
21/4/2021 08:34:25 am

I am not sure oven cleaning will rate. It hardly relates to beans…
Choice published a series of oven hacks recently and I tried the cleaning one. You soak the racks in an enzyme based laundry detergent overnight and the enzymes eat the grease off the racks. OMG it works! Threw the racks into the bathtub, covered them with water and a slosh of Aldi Trimat laundry detergent. Next morning, I just wiped the racks clean in the bath. The grease easily wiped off, no effort at all, and I was left with gleaming racks. I used the shower to rinse them off and clean tub. Sooo easy and cheap.

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Cath link
21/4/2021 09:30:30 am

This looks like a vital hack/tip. I'm wondering if I pour a solution onto the bottom tray of my oven... Let's face it, cooking is fun but cleaning is not, in these servantless times, as Elizabeth David might have said (Ha Ha Ha Ha) Just been re-reading her first book, written in 1950.

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