ALTERNATIVE USES FOR FOOD
4/25/20
In many cases you will have to decide between items to carry or stock. It may be a weight issue, space, or availability. You should look to items with multiple use as often as possible. Alternative uses make all of your supplies go farther and apply to more circumstances. I’ve separated some everyday items into categories and suggested some alternative uses for them. Some items will have an entire entry on possible uses, (such as duct tape). Theses are not the only uses or items you may discover. Use your imagination to expand (and share) from these lists.
Food
Oatmeal
While oatmeal is a great survival food, it can be used as substitute flour, to stretch out ground meats, and to soak up oil. It’s also pretty amazing for your skin, too. An oatmeal bath eases the pain and itchiness from rashes and poison ivy as well as sun burn and eczema. An easy way to draw an oatmeal bath is to place oatmeal in a stocking and soak it like a teabag in the water. Oatmeal can soothe burns and itchy skin.
Honey
While a perfect sweetener for your tea, honey is also great for helping to heal burns, too. Just spread it over the burn and cover with gauze. You can also use honey to disinfect wounds and even help with a sore throat!
Tea Bags
Speaking of tea bags, they’re good for more than making tea with, too. Tea leaves are excellent anti-inflammatory agents, which means you can use them to relieve bee stings, boils, and other skin irritations. You can even use them on hemorrhoids.
Chewing Gum
Chewing gum seems relatively useless at first glance. It does not really maintain its stickiness and it cannot be eaten. It can, however, help to combat feelings of hunger. This is due to the chewing motions that one does while using the gum. It can also help to maintain necessary saliva production. It can also be used as a temporary sealant and adhesive.
Lemons
Lemon juice is one of the strongest food acids. It can be used to disinfect and sanitize, eliminate the browning that occurs when food sits out too long, Remove tough food stains from plastic and wooden cutting boards, Fade tea stains on cloth, Relieve a sore throat, Whiten fingernails, Shine the interior of copper cookware, Brighten laundry, Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grader, and it also can freshen the air. It can also be used to squirt into an attacker’s eyes.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a good lubricant its film also fills up microscopic rough spots in surfaces, making them look polished and shiny. Other use of Olive Oli includes; shaving cream, shining aluminum, removing makeup or camouflage, keeping wax from sticking to surfaces, as a moisturizer for skin and cuticles, shaving cream, unstick zippers, as a furniture polish and lubricant for hinges. Olive oil is also great for keeping leather supple. You can even make a candle with olive oil.
White Vinegar
Pinch-hit for lemon in a savory recipe. Use 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar in place of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Remove coffee or tea stains from the bottom of a cup. Swish 2 tablespoons of vinegar around in the cup, then wash as usual. Treat oily hair. Vinegar is a good degreaser for oily hair because it helps adjust pH levels. Shampoo your hair as usual, rinse, then pour 1/4 cup over it and rinse again. Wipe salt stains off boots. Dip a cloth or an old T-shirt into vinegar, then wipe away the white residue. Make wool sweaters fluffier. Drop in a couple of capfuls of vinegar during the rinse cycle for an extra-soft feel. Deodorize a garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through the drain. Clean a teakettle or a coffeemaker. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in a teakettle, then wipe away the grime. Fill the reservoir of a coffeemaker with a mixture of vinegar and water and run it through a brewing cycle. Follow this with several cycles of water to rinse thoroughly. Clean a dishwasher. Once a month, with the machine empty, run a cup of vinegar through an entire cycle to reduce soap buildup on the inner mechanisms and glassware. Remove stubborn price tags or stickers. Paint them with several coats of vinegar, let the liquid soak in for five minutes, then wipe away the residue. Kill weeds between cracks in paving stones and sidewalks. Fill a spray bottle with straight vinegar and spray multiple times. (Be careful not to get any on the surrounding grass, as it will kill that too.)
Baking Soda:
“Not only does baking soda neutralize odiferous fatty acids but it also attacks grease by turning it into―believe it or not―soap,” says the University of Pittsburgh’s Wolke. Fact: More than 100 tons of the refrigerator staple were used to clean the Statue of Liberty’s inner copper walls during its 1986 restoration.
1. Exfoliate skin. Wash your face, then apply a soft paste made of three parts baking soda and one part water. Massage gently with a circular motion, avoiding the eye area; rinse clean. 2. Erase crayon, pencil, ink, and furniture scuffs from painted surfaces. Sprinkle soda on a damp sponge, rub clean, and rinse. 3. Unclog a drain. Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, then slowly pour 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar after it. Let sit for five minutes (covered, if possible). Follow with a gallon of boiling water. 4. Remove tough stains from enameled cast iron and stainless steel. Scrub enameled cast iron with a soft nylon brush and a thick paste of baking soda and water. Clean stainless steel with a soft cloth and 4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water. Wipe dry with a clean cloth. 5. Scrub pans. Sprinkle soda on crusted casseroles and roasting pans and let sit for five minutes. Lightly scrub and rinse. 6. Brush teeth. Use a paste of baking soda and water. 7. Fight class-B fires (flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oil, and grease). Baking soda can be used to smother only a small flame. 8. Deodorize. Dust baking soda under your arms to absorb body odor. 9. Clean up minor oil and grease spills on a garage floor or driveway. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot and scrub with a wet brush. 10. Settle a stomach during occasional indigestion. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into 1/2 cup of water and drink for a safe and effective antacid.
Salt:
Think twice before you toss that spilled salt over your shoulder―the flavor enhancer is incredibly useful. “Salt has an affinity to water and can draw moisture out of many foods,” says Wolke. “Grains of table salt are also very hard, which is why they act as a handy abrasive.”
Make eggs or cream whip up faster and higher. Add a pinch of salt before beating. 2. De-ice sidewalks. In a pinch, it can be used as a substitute for rock salt. 3. Keep chicken or turkey moist. Rub salt in the cavity of the bird before cooking. 4. Prevent sautés made with eggplant or zucchini from getting watery. Sprinkle salt on these vegetables before cooking. 5. Eliminate sticky residue from an iron. Run the hot iron (no steam) over plain paper sprinkled with salt. 6. Clean drains. Pour a hot, strong solution (1/2 cup salt for every quart of water) down the drain. 7. Remove dirt from leafy vegetables, such as spinach. Wash the vegetables in a bath of salt water. 8. Prevent frost from accumulating inside car windows. Rub the glass with a solution of 2 teaspoons of salt in 1 gallon of hot water. Wipe dry. 9. Remove sangria and red-wine stains from your washables. Stretch the fabric over a bowl, cover the stain with salt, and carefully pour boiling water over it. 10. Keep shells from cracking when boiling eggs. Add a few pinches of salt to the water. 11. Chill a bottle of bubbly―fast. Place ice around its base in an ice bucket; sprinkle with a few tablespoons of salt. Layer salt and ice until they reach the neck. Fill with water. Wait 10 minutes; serve.
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