Who knew about boiling water, steel and salt?

Photo credit La Grande Farmers Market on Flickr

August can be a bittersweet time here in the Northeast as we begin to feel autumn around the corner with its cool morning breath, and see it in the smattering of red leaves amongst the green.

Late, summer, however, is when all the loving we have heaped upon our gardens comes to fruition: fresh snap peas, green and yellow beans, deep red beets, aromatic onions and sturdy, sweet carrots.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Fresh from the garden anything is a slice of heaven on earth, as we harvest, prepare, cook, eat, and eat some more.

The only problem is the cleanup, which I alluded to in the exploding beets last week.

Did you know that if your microwave is so disgusting that you need to bring the haz-mat team in to clean it needs cleaning, all you need to do is to put a large measuring cup of water in the oven, set the timer to bring the water to a boil, and allow it to boil for a few minutes? You will essentially steam clean your trusty little appliance, and generally a simple wipe down is all that is needed to finish the job.

While the boiling water treatment is all well and fine for the microwave, it is not such a good idea for your skin. But how do you remove the aroma of onions and garlic from your lovely hands?

Steel.

Yes. Steel.

While you wash your hands, also rub them on your stainless steel sink and/or faucet. I know that sounds strange, but it works. You can also buy steel soap, such as this bar available on Amazon. Ladies, do not doubt me. I have done this countless times, and each time I am still amazed that the metal completely removes the smell. I see that it works well on other lingering, nose-wrinkling aromas, such as fish. A woman commenting on Amazon wrote that she bought one for her husband’s fishing bag, so that the smell from his hands wouldn’t transfer to the steering wheel of the car.

Ahh, I can hear the gears in your head turning, ladies.

Last but certainly not least is how to remove the deep red color of beets from your hands. According to Cook’s Illustrated, you just need to “sprinkle the stained area with salt, rinse, and then scrub with soap”. I cannot testify to the effectiveness of this, as I have never tried it. However, since I have had stellar results with recipes and suggestions from this great organization, I would expect this method to work.

So, there you have it ladies. You can have your cake vegetables and eat it clean up effortlessly too.