Topic Wiki

Food:
  • If you get a piece of eggshell in with the eggs while cracking them, use the other half of the eggshell to fish it out instead of trying to use your fingers or anything else.
  • If you want to separate the yolk from the white, take an empty clean water bottle, squeeze the bottle, place the mouth over the yolk and slowly release the bottle. The yolk will get sucked up into the bottle with minimal/no white.
  • When boiling eggs, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the water. Makes them really easy to peel and doesn't affect the taste.
  • If you have a room temperature bottle (and esp can) that you want to get cold fast, wrap a wet paper towel around it and put it in the freezer. It'll be ice cold pretty quickly.
  • Microwave rice from TJ's
  • Open a can of corn,put salt pepper and cheese on top, microwave or oven it (super easy lunch)
  • 2 slices of old pizza from the fridge, lay them cheese sides on top of each other and put them in a sandwich maker. Instant calzone.
  • For chulent of course.. Using only navy beans, chulent mix a big no no.
  • If you're going to freeze ground beef, put it in a gallon ziploc and squeeze/spread it flat to fill the bag. You can stack them in the freezer and it'll defrost much faster (without the outside spoiling while the inside is still frozen).
  • To easily melt a small amount of chocolate / butter, put it in a ziploc bag and put that into a mug of hot water for a few minutes. No mess! You can cut a hole in the corner to pipe chocolate too.
  • Shredded cheese lasts longer in the freezer, but will clump up, before freezing add a little bit of cornstarch (1tbs) and shake vigorously. The pieces will stay separate and it'll be easy to use.
  • To cool down baby food without blowing at it (which may add your bacteria to the food) wave your hand at it.
Travel:
  • If you want a hot meal on any plane, bring a tradition soup or oatmeal packet and use the free hot water they offer with tea. Great for traveling in general.
  • Before you go on a long flight, freeze a JJ cappuccino.  If it's frozen they let it on the plane. Once you get up from your nap on the plane there is nothing as refreshing as an iced cappuccino. It should still be freezing but not frozen.
  • When packing a suitcase, put your socks inside your shoes. It will save a little space and stop your shoes from getting crushed.
  • The aisle seat armrest usually has a little button underneath by the hinge that allows you to lift it. Makes it much easier to get in and out of your seat, especially if your tray table is open with stuff on it.
  • When we go on trips My wife packs the childrens clothing in individual ziplocs for each day of our trip. Like that she doesn't have to look for all the matching stuff.
Computers:
  • You can open links a in new tab by clicking with the scroll wheel.

    Quickly toggle between tabs.

    1) Excel and most internet browsers: Ctrl + PgUp/Dn
    2) Google Sheets: Ctrl + Shift + PgUpDn
    3) chrome: control-tab / control-shift-tab
alternatively ctrl+number tab from left
   
  • Widows+V will open up your clipboard with all recent stuff copied.
Every day/Home:
  • If you are drilling into a wall, open an envelope and tape the flap to the wall under where you are drilling and it catches all the plaster/dust that comes out. Makes cleanup after a small drilling a breeze
  • Open glass jars with rubber gloves, Or a rubber band around the lid.
  • When you first open a bottle of soda or seltzer or pop, begin by slowly turning the cap one-quarter turn and wait about 10 seconds, watching for the small bubbles to slow down, and listening as the sssst of escaping gas gets quieter.  Then turn another 1/4 turn, and wait another 10 seconds till it quiets down.
  • If you get chewing gum on your clothes, put the clothes in the freezer for a bit, it will be much easier to remove the gum afterwards.
Stores:

  • Check out at the pharmacy in the grocery store when the regular lines are long.
Perscriptions:

  • GoodRX.com, even for meds that are covered. My insurance can have a $15 copay, but coupon from GoodRX gets me the medication for $7. When insurance doesn't cover the medication, it's a fraction of the cost. I've seen discounts of 90%
Holidays:
  • After Yom Tov, especially Pesach, make a spreadsheet. What on the menu went over well with guests and kids. What did you run short on and need to have more next time around. What did you way overbuy on. That way there is no need to reinvent the wheel next year.

« Last edited by qooldude on July 07, 2022, 12:22:43 AM »

Author Topic: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!  (Read 215868 times)

Offline pointer

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #80 on: June 11, 2020, 12:30:51 AM »
I didn't know she was turned into a cooking vessel but cool.
You need to get out more.

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #81 on: June 11, 2020, 12:32:40 AM »
I use a pizza stone in my oven.  Get crispy through and through

If you use a pizza stone, make sure to pre-heat the stone before you put the pizza on it. Otherwise it won't cook evenly. (Doughy inside with scorched top)

Offline ckmk47

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #82 on: June 11, 2020, 01:59:30 AM »
Yep, life is better when you shred your own cheese. I'm still guilty of buying pre-shredded cheese though, it's too convenient.
I used to shred my own, but they keep selling the shredded packages for the same price per pound.  Why do the work?


As far as freezing together, I try to take it out a few minutes before I actually  need it.  I freeze it flat and bang it into the edge of my counter and pieces loosen.
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Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #83 on: June 11, 2020, 02:35:55 AM »
You need to get out more.
You do realize that there is a lot of different types of cookware with the Betty Crocker name on it right? Saying you use a Betty Crocker is like saying you use an Analon, Cuisinart, or Calphalon; wonderful to hear, but not giving any information about what you're actually using to bake.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #84 on: June 11, 2020, 02:37:24 AM »
I used to shred my own, but they keep selling the shredded packages for the same price per pound.  Why do the work?
Have you been following along? The reason to shred your own is to avoid the starch which is present in basically all pre-shredded cheese.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline ckmk47

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #85 on: June 11, 2020, 04:24:51 AM »
Have you been following along? The reason to shred your own is to avoid the starch which is present in basically all pre-shredded cheese.
I have followed.  I never knew about the starch.  In lasagna, eggs, and lots of other foods, I don't have a problem.  In mac and cheese, the cheese sometimes clumps but I don't find it that bad and I didn't know it may be avoidable.
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Offline Joel

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #86 on: June 11, 2020, 07:24:42 AM »
When packing for a trip you can make it more easier to be ready in the morning.
My shirts come from the cleaners folded in a bag.
You can fit in there socks and underwear. In the morning on your trip you can just take one shirt which has everything else  no need to start fishing in the suitcase for underwear amd socks.

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #87 on: June 11, 2020, 07:31:30 AM »
When packing for a trip you can make it more easier to be ready in the morning.
My shirts come from the cleaners folded in a bag.
You can fit in there socks and underwear. In the morning on your trip you can just take one shirt which has everything else  no need to start fishing in the suitcase for underwear amd socks.
When we go on trips My wife packs the childrens clothing in individual ziplocs for each day of our trip. Like that she doesn't have to look for all the matching stuff.

And when we went to Israel for a month i vacuum sealed them together so we can shlep less and still have it bunched together by day

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #88 on: June 11, 2020, 08:26:27 AM »
the matching stuff.



Belongs in the useless as thread.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline TravelSER

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #89 on: June 11, 2020, 08:30:07 AM »
Widows+V will open up your clipboard with all recent stuff coiped. (Maybe it's sympol but for me it came in very helpful)

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #90 on: June 11, 2020, 08:46:18 AM »
When we go on trips My wife packs the childrens clothing in individual ziplocs for each day of our trip. Like that she doesn't have to look for all the matching stuff.

And when we went to Israel for a month i vacuum sealed them together so we can shlep less and still have it bunched together by day
+1
They sell packing cubes. I use the amazonbaiscs one
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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #91 on: June 11, 2020, 09:19:03 AM »
On that note, ctrl-n will open a new window.
ctrl-r will refresh the page. Useful when you are trying to get a deal that keeps crashing or waiting for a release time of a deal.
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #92 on: June 11, 2020, 09:26:58 AM »
Belongs in the useless as thread.
Oh try telling that to my wife ;D

I just pay the bills

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #93 on: June 11, 2020, 09:32:12 AM »
A betty crocker does the job for me.
You do realize that there is a lot of different types of cookware with the Betty Crocker name on it right? Saying you use a Betty Crocker is like saying you use an Analon, Cuisinart, or Calphalon; wonderful to hear, but not giving any information about what you're actually using to bake.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K05AZ3W/?tag=cl03f-20∣=ATVPDKIKX0DER
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline etech0

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Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

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"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #96 on: June 11, 2020, 11:08:08 AM »
When you first open a bottle of soda or seltzer or pop, begin by slowly turning the cap one-quarter turn and wait about 10 seconds, watching for the small bubbles to slow down, and listening as the sssst of escaping gas gets quieter.  Then turn another 1/4 turn, and wait another 10 seconds till it quiets down.  Now open the cap the rest of the way, and look proudly around as you pour a perfect cup.  Don't expect a pat on the back, though, because nobody will realize what didn't happen.  But you'll know. 

Because one day, soon we hope, you'll be at a shul kiddush, balancing a full bowl of aromatic chulent or chili or Hungarian goulash in one hand, and an empty cup in the other, and someone will offer to pour you a drink, and he'll twist that cap quickly, in one fell swoop, and you'll watch as the bottle suddenly erupts, and fizzy, bubbly liquid streams downward, over his greasy hands into your still-untouched chulent or chili or Hungarian goulash, filling the bowl with what now looks like brown soup, which overflows the rim and drips downwards onto your Shabbos shoes, and you'll look up as he sheepishly mumbles "Sorry!  Someone must have shaken the bottle" and you'll think NO, YOU DOOFUS!!!  DON'T BLAME SOMEONE ELSE!  ADMIT THAT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO OPEN A BOTTLE OF SODA! but you won't say that, of course, you'll just smile kindly and say "It's nothing, I'll get another bowl" and you'll return to the table, only to discover that the pan has now been totally emptied of its chulent or chili or Hungarian goulash, and you'll just sigh.  How could he know?  He's not a DDFer.

Beautiful prose. A much faster solution would be to ban all sweetened and flavored soda. Stick to water and plain seltzer. Doesn't do nearly as much harm.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #97 on: June 11, 2020, 11:11:17 AM »
Beautiful prose. A much faster solution would be to ban all sweetened and flavored soda. Stick to water and plain seltzer. Doesn't do nearly as much harm.

UMMMMMMM I don't know what seltzer you get but it hands down, unarguably, explodes much bigger then any soda would ever.
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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #98 on: June 11, 2020, 11:12:55 AM »
UMMMMMMM I don't know what seltzer you get but it hands down, unarguably, explodes much bigger then any soda would ever.
I think the point is that it's less likely to ruin your cholent. Maybe?
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Barryg

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Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #99 on: June 11, 2020, 11:15:10 AM »
Beautiful prose. A much faster solution would be to ban all sweetened and flavored soda. Stick to water and plain seltzer. Doesn't do nearly as much harm.
anything wrong with flavored seltzer?