Helpful Kitchen Hints

• Store fresh herbs (washed and sealed in plastic bags) in your freezer. They'll stay fresh for a month and defrost instantly when you want to use them for cooking. Cilantro-rinse well, shake out excess water, trim ends and put in water in a little vase on your counter. Will stay fresh almost a week.

• Make limp celery, carrots and radishes crunchy again by placing them in a bowl of ice water with a slice of raw potato.

• Spread butter on the cut side of hard cheeses to keep them from drying out in the fridge.

• Put rice in your salt shaker to absorb condensation and keep salt from hardening.

• Store your butter in the freezer; it will keep fresh for up to six months.

• Try lining your refrigerator's crisper drawer with paper towels; they'll absorb excess moisture and keep your vegetables from rotting.

• A bay leaf in a container of flour, pasta, or rice will repel bugs.

• Bananas spoil less quickly in a bunch -- keep them together until you eat them. What? I was told to separate them!

• To make cottage cheese or sour cream last longer, turn the container upside down -- this creates a vacuum that inhibits the growth of bacteria.

•  Prevent extra cooked pasta from hardening by stashing it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, throw the pasta in boiling water for a few seconds to heat and restore moisture.

•  Keeping brown sugar in the freezer will stop it from hardening. But if you already have hardened sugar on your shelf, soften it by sealing in a bag with a slice of bread – or by microwaving on high for 30 seconds.

•  If you only need a few drops of lemon juice, avoid cutting the lemon in half – it will dry out quickly. Instead, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require.

•  If you’re unsure of an egg’s freshness, see how it behaves in a cup of water: Fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.