No. 6 The Big Big Box of Baking Soda
When two little ones wouldn't do.
Shopping on Amazon is both exhilarating and confusing and handy; all at once you gain the thrill of window shopping mixed with ‘Damn! This is too easy for my own financial good.’
The air is getting chilly and frost warnings are coming at us like a fast fever. Obviously, one begins to think about (duh) soup and baking. Am I right? I’m right.
This is when I made my mental list of required pantry items for big pots of simmering vegetables and cakes, pies, challah and homemade cookies. Because it seems all store bought shortbreads and pound cakes taste exactly the same. No real butter used ever.
Ordering is lickety-split quick. Then my manila coloured smile box was delivered. Christmas morning again and again and over and over. (Side Note: Did you know that ‘manila’ is a colour derived from a plantain mangrove in the Philippines? Cardboard shipping boxes are made of paper and this manila-looking paper is made with trees, bark, stems, branches etc.. I feel chuffed that my deliveries are somehow plant-based.)
When I opened the box I chuckled with embarrassment. I did not order 2 little boxes of baking soda. I had mistakenly ordered 2 colossal-sized ones. So huge they could be erected as public art in my beach town. The photo shows the awkward size comparisons.
OK then! What shall we do with all this baking soda? Lucky for me, there are literally 1000s of uses for the stuff. And you are lucky too because I am going to share a few of those with you. Brace yourself.
Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
When mashing & whipping your boiled patattes, add a pinch of baking soda to watch them transform into ‘fluffy’.
Mug Cleaner
INGREDIENTS
Hot Water
Cloth
DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle Baking Soda in the mug.
Add hot water.
Wipe with a damp cloth.
Crispy Turkey
INGREDIENTS
Turkey
Dry Brine
Water
DIRECTIONS
Prepare your usual dry brine, apply to your turkey and refrigerate overnight (or longer if preferred).
Before roasting, lightly brush the surface of your turkey with Baking Soda dissolved in water. As a rule of thumb, use about 1% of your turkey’s weight in Baking Soda ounces (e.g. 10 lb turkey = 1.6 oz or ~3 tbsp of Baking Soda).
Roast and enjoy!
Freshen Pantry
INGREDIENTS
1 small box Baking Soda
DIRECTIONS
Place an open box of Baking Soda on the shelf to absorb all those stinky odors, and keep the pantry smelling fresh. Remember to replace the box every 30 days for optimal freshness!
Sweeter Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
1 box of Baking Soda
2 tomato plant seedlings
DIRECTIONS
Plant two tomato plant seeds in separate pots.
Sprinkle a little less than ¼ cup of Baking Soda around one of the tomato plant seedlings and mark it with a stake tag.
Water and tend to your tomato plants as they grow.
Sprinkle a little more Baking Soda on the soil after the plan is half grown.
Once tomatoes are ripe, put your taste buds to the test to see if the tomatoes planted with Baking Soda are sweeter!
Clean Fruits and Veggies
Soak your haul in a sink of cool water and a heaping tablespoon of baking soda. Let them be pampered for 15 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. (Cue the spa music.)
And finally….
Anyone out there annoyed at the expensive clear/white plastic containers that are ruined with tomato/sauce foods? Remove those stains with a paste of vinegar and baking soda.
Discover all the uses here.
Let me know if you have received something different than you thought or intended from online shopping! Go easy on yourself. We are all in the prime of our lives. (wink)
PFXO