Simple, practical, and inspiring tips for cooking, baking, and cleaning! The kitchen is the “hub” of any house. With this compilation of helpful hints, you can keep it running smoothly. Find hacks for the care of kitchen appliances, utensils, and cooking equipment to extend their life span. Discover easy ways to improve and simplify your cooking and baking and advice for saving money and making your groceries last longer. Natural products are used wherever appropriate to encourage an environmentally friendly home. Put a paper towel in with baked goods when freezing them. The paper absorbs the moisture and prevents freezer burns. Place a wooden spoon across the pot when cooking pasta and it will not boil over. For fluffier, whiter rice, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice per 2 pints water. To add extra flavor and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid reserved from cooking vegetables. When making soup stock add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to help extract all the calcium from the bones being used. There will be no vinegar taste. Poke a hole in the middle of hamburgers while shaping them. The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done. Instead of flouring the rolling pin, chill the rolling pin in the freezer and the dough will not stick. Many of the hints found here are the product of tradition passed from one generation to another. Interspersed throughout are poems and proverbs, as well as delightful illustrations.