5 Smart Slow Cooker Hacks You Should Know

How to get fruit stains out of clothing in seconds, a weird-but-it-works at-home facial, and more. July 28, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! If you’re like me, you’ll do whatever it takes to avoid heating up the house when it’s this hot out. I’ve been getting a lot of mileage out of my old slow cooker recently, which inspired me to make slow cooker tips and tricks the focus of Today’s Good Thing. Small appliances also inspired the new Poll of the Week. I'll be especially grateful for your response to this week's poll, because the results will help me know what sorts of tips would be most helpful to include in future newsletters. Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 5 Smart Slow Cooker Hacks [Photos of various slow cooker hacks.]( These hacks will help you make the most of your slow cooker and avoid common mistakes. 1. Divide And Conquer. Wrap a piece of cardboard tightly in tin foil to create a divider that fits in the center of your crockpot. Line each of the two cavities with a slow cooker liner, then fill each one with a different food or dip to get double the use out of it. 2. Instant Double Boiler. You can use your slow cooker as a double boiler for melting chocolate, making salves, or for anything you want to heat gently. Place whatever you want to heat in a glass jar, set it in your slow cooker, pour a few inches of warm water into the bottom, then just turn on your slow cooker and wait. 3. Catch Condensation. When you’re cooking something you don’t want getting too moist (like slow cooker bread or brownies), there’s a simple way to prevent condensation on the lid from becoming a problem. Just place a thin cloth or thick paper towel across your slow cooker, then trap it in place with the lid so it can absorb all that extra moisture. 4. Fight Dry Conditions. Use your crockpot as a makeshift humidifier during dry weather by filling it with warm water and turning it on High. It will start to produce steam after an hour or so and help humidify the surrounding area. 5. Get Your Timing Right. If a slow cooker recipe calls for dairy, add it toward the end of the cooking time to avoid curdling it. Likewise, add any cooked pasta, veggies, or beans to your slow cooker near the end of the cooking time too, as cooked foods will turn to mush if you slow cook them for too long. [5 More Smart Slow Cooker Hacks]( [5 More Smart Slow Cooker Hacks]( Related • [This Amazing Crockpot Yogurt Is Surprisingly Easy To Make]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Dog owners won’t want to miss these 12 hacks that make things easier, from removing pet stains to caring for their teeth. [Read more ➜]( • Get rid of that stubborn layer of grease on your kitchen cabinet doors with the help of these two superstar cleaners. [Read more ➜]( • Whether you need to erase permanent marker stains or clean your laptop screen, rubbing alcohol can get the job done. [Read more ➜]( WASH IT WEDNESDAY This Trick Makes Fruit Stains Disappear [Photos of removing fruit stains from a white cloth.]( When pie or cobbler splatters make their way onto your clothes, try this stain removal trick. One of my favorite things about summertime is all of the fresh fruit and fruit-centric dishes I get to enjoy all season long. Cobbler, jam, homemade strawberry ice cream—what a wonderful and delicious time to be alive. But I don't necessarily love the red, blue, and purple-hued stains that inevitably end up splattered over my household's dirty laundry. Fruit stains are no joke, but luckily for us fruit lovers, there's a simple way to lift them out of clothing that works like magic. Here's how to do it: 1. Turn the stained item inside out and center the stain over a colander or sieve, then use a rubber band to secure the item in place. 2. Bring some water to a boil in your kettle, then slowly (and carefully!) pour hot water onto the stain over your sink. The stain will disappear before your eyes! 3. Once the stain is gone, hang the item out in the sun to dry. Sunlight is a powerful stain fighter that often goes overlooked. Easy, right? Always be sure to treat fruit stains as quickly as possible for the best results. And while this trick works like a charm on fruit-based stains, it's not ideal for all stain types. Avoid using it on blood stains especially, as hot water may set blood stains into fabric. BEAUTY Ketchup Is The New Chemical Peel [Photos of a ketchup bottle and Jillee doing a ketchup facial treatment.]( For gorgeous, glowing skin on a budget, look no further than the bottle of ketchup in your fridge. I know the idea of putting ketchup on your face sounds absolutely bonkers, but just humor me here for a moment. Ketchup actually has a number of ingredients that can benefit your skin, starting with citric acid, a gentle chemical exfoliant like you'd find in any chemical peel treatment. Tomatoes are also full of antioxidants that can nourish skin and help fight signs of aging. So, a ketchup facial may be a little bit crazy, but it's also a little bit genius. And it really does make your skin glow and feel super soft! To try it for yourself, start with a clean, dry face. Apply a thin layer of ketchup all over, being careful to avoid your eyes, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. (It might tingle a bit, but that's normal.) Afterward, gently remove the ketchup with warm water and a soft cloth. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer, and you're done. [See The Full Tutorial]( [See The Full Tutorial]( JILLEE'S PICK Smarter Serving Bowls For Barbecues [Photo of pasta salad in the on-ice serving bowl.]( In my opinion, nothing that screams “summer” like a good old fashioned backyard cookout. The folding table groaning under the weight of a hodgepodge of delicious homemade dishes, coolers full of frosty drinks, and a bevy of friends, family, and/or neighbors to share them with is what summertime is all about! While the guests are surely enjoying themselves, the food itself may not look like it’s having the best time. Especially when something is best served cold, just a few minutes outside on a warm evening is enough for things to take a turn for the worst. That’s why I like to keep a few [on-ice serving bowls]( on hand. They have two levels, the top one for the food itself and the bottom one to fill with ice that will keep the food cold. [This one]( is perfect for dips, but you can find on-ice servers in dozens of shapes and sizes easily on Amazon and elsewhere. [See this dip-on-ice serving bowl on Amazon](. POLL OF THE WEEK Countertop Cookers Q: Which countertop cooker do you use most frequently at home? (Click one of the options below to submit your response.) 1. [Slow cooker]( 2. [Pressure cooker]( 3. [Air fryer]( 4. [Toaster oven]( Results from last week's poll: It looks like most OGT readers would rather be [Squirrel Girl]( than Supergirl! Over 1,750 of you weighed in on the question “If you could gain one superpower, which one would you choose?” Here's how you responded: • 32.9% said “Talk to animals” • 21.4% said “Read minds” • 21.3% said “Be able to fly” • 14.5% said “Invisibility” • 9.9% said “Superhuman strength” A FEW MORE THINGS... What To Watch: The Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks tonight after midnight, and although the moon is still a bit bright for stargazing, you should still be able to spot some of the brighter meteors if the weather is good. Learn more about this annual shower on [NASA's Solar System Exploration website](. Words Of Wisdom: "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." - Guillaume Apollinaire What did you think of today's email? 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