DEAR READERS: If you add too much salt to a soup, put a piece of sliced, peeled apple or potato in the pot. It will absorb the salt. Take it out before serving. A small bit of brown sugar also can help correct too much salt.
Put too much garlic in your soup? Put a few parsley flakes into a tea ball and drop into the soup to soak up the excess.
DEAR HELOISE: I just read the hint about putting bananas in the refrigerator. I have another tip: I put my bananas in my food processor and puree them. I freeze them in freezer bags in 1-cup increments. When I'm ready to make banana bread, I remove what I need from the freezer, thaw and use in my recipe.
-- Karen V.,
Boynton Beach, Fla.
DEAR HELOISE: You had a generic cream soup recipe that my mother always made. Would you reprint that for me?
-- Bonnie K.,
Providence, R.I.
DEAR READER: Here it is:
Generic Cream Soup
1 cup nonfat dried milk powder
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. To make the soup base, add 2 cups cold water to the mixture in a large saucepan and Stir constantly over medium heat until thick. You can use this base to make any flavor cream soup -- just add your main ingredients to the mix. This makes about 4 to 6 cups.
DEAR HELOISE: Very often, I won't finish all the coffee in the morning pot, so I pour the rest into my cup, add sweetener and milk, and refrigerate it for later. It's a pick-me-up in the afternoon.
-- Jeri Y.,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR HELOISE: I just moved in, and the ice bin smells stale. How do I get the smell out?
-- Dava, via iPhone
DEAR READER: First pour some vinegar on a sponge and try cleaning the interior. You also might want to sprinkle some baking soda inside and scrub with the vinegar-soaked sponge to kill the odors.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com
Food on 01/24/2018