Life Hacks...

[RedneckGrump]

 

[RedneckGrump]

 

[Flyover]

A coffee roaster offered this hack;
If less coffee than recommended is used in a coffee maker the ground beans are scoured and the quality of the coffee suffers. If one likes weaker coffee brew it robust and weaken by adding hot water before consuming. Unwittingly I did this during a bible study. One of our group liked weaker coffee so rather than making a separate carafe I kept a carafe of hot water on the side for her to use as a mixer.

My hack for meat packaging:
Microwave those meat trays and absorptive pads for 60 seconds or so before placing in trash (especially for fish and chicken).

My wife likes her coffee weak, so when I make us coffee (using the pourover method of course) I save some of the hot water and use it to dilute hers. I guess that's the way to go!

The second one...wouldn't that just transfer the stinky smell to your microwave?

 

[Eddie_T]

It doesn't stink unless I overcook it but it does retard spoilage so the trash doesn't smell so bad.

 

[Flyover]

My method has always been a combination of 1) rinsing out those trays/pads before putting them in the trash, and then either 2) taking out the trash in a timely fashion or 3) putting them in their own plastic bag and placing directly in the big outside trash can.

 

[Eddie_T]

My method has always been a combination of 1) rinsing out those trays/pads before putting them in the trash, and then either 2) taking out the trash in a timely fashion or 3) putting them in their own plastic bag and placing directly in the big outside trash can.

That will work, but my way is easier and kills the bacteria so it can't grow. I

 

[68bucks]

I usually put meat type trash whether fresh or cooked in a plastic grocery bag and tie a knot in it and put it in the freezer until trash day. I do the same with fish guts when I clean fish. In the cooler months, starting about now, I just put it right in the outside garbage can.

I also saw the older posts about chlorine and peroxyacetic acid used in poultry processing. That is accurate, all processing plants that I am aware of use one or the other in processing. I have worked with both. The plants have to meet USDA guidelines for salmonella contamination. As I recall the limit is <10% positive. Most people are unaware of that. However most people don't understand that chickens and turkey have a really high rate of contamination whether it's a backyard flock or a commercial flock. Sort of weird but ducks rarely carry salmonella. The allowable chlorine level in chill tank water is 50 ppm and I believe the PAA limit is 5 ppm. We also did a lot of testing and research on microbial control by just lowering the pH. It does work but there are some issues with how it affects the carcass of the bird in terms of discoloring on wing tips and such. It's an aesthetic thing that consumers don't like, so it's a bit tricky. I have spent thousands of hours in processing plants working with them on anti-microbial interventions. Producers also apply interventions on the live production end to reduce bacterial loads coming into the plants though that is a newer thing and not really common yet.

 

[RedneckGrump]

Some everyday hacks...

 

[Flyover]

All fish-originating trash goes in my compost bin if it's not terribly inconvenient to get it there.

 

[68bucks]

I make 2 huge compost piles every year. I end up with probably 3 cubic yards of compost from them but I don't put fish or meat scraps on them. It usually stinks and draws a lot of critters. I have buried fish directly in the garden but you have to bury it deep to keep the animals out and the smell down.

 

[Eddie_T]

I put meat scraps out in the open using possums, coons and skunks for garbage disposal. Rotisserie chicken remains will disappear overnight.

 

[Flyover]

I should add, we don't produce a lot of fish waste. I'm talking maybe a few shrimp shells here and there, that kind of stuff.

 

[Eddie_T]

Love the walnut stain idea!

I'm making black walnut stain today. I covered some hulls with hot water from the tap no boiling is needed. The stain is in the hull (not the shell) of the black walnut. a couple of hulls will make a pint of stain. A friend gave me a dozen or so walnuts with hulls. I am going to make about a quart of stain for small projects and keeping my kitchen floor grout dark. I am going to try adding a bit of clear laxative to counter water beading due to surface tension upon application. If that doesn't do I'll add some rubbing alcohol.

He doesn't use the walnuts. He just rakes them into a pile and lets the squirrels take them away. I'll hit him him for some more as I would like some to eat and make walnut fudge (Yuummmm!).

 

[68bucks]

I used to use black walnut hulls to dye traps when I was running a trap line...many years ago. Those hulls make a mess. I have a lot of walnut trees but I don't harvest the nuts either. Whenever I have opened some they always seem to have bugs in them. I don't know how they get in there those nuts are really hard to crack. Never thought about using them for a stain.

 

[Eddie_T]

Black walnut nut meats are quite expensive. My wife used them in German chocolate cake frosting rather than pecans. There's a knack to cracking black walnuts.

 

[RedneckGrump]

I used to make my stains out of old coffee, that is two or three days old in the pot...

 

[Eddie_T]

I used to make my stains out of old coffee, that is two or three days old in the pot...

I dyed some stained white washcloths using spent coffee grounds. The ones with which I used a bit of epsom salts as a mordant have become rather colorfast after a number of washings.

I prolly could just place wet coffee grounds on tile grout lines and vacuum when dry. The kitchen is a problem because dropped food (especially flour) messes with grout lines.

 

[RedneckGrump]

24 Life Hacks To Boost Your Quality Of Life!

Some ideas are great... Some, I would have to wonder...

 

[Eddie_T]

Keep a chip brush near your computer to sweep cookie crumbs off the keyboard.

 

[Eddie_T]

To avoid frayed ends burn a braided nylon or polyester in two instead of cutting.