Mar 11, 2016
Daylight Saving
Remember to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night March 12.
Pi Approximation Day
Yes, 3/14/16 it is Rounded Pi Day, because it is closer to 3.1416 (not just 3/14), usually rounded for Pi. Traditional Pi Day activities include eating pizza, fruit pies, doughnuts, pancakes, and other circular food.
How to Clean a Cheese Grater
Remove Cheesy Residue from a Grater with bread. If you have residue on your box grater after grating soft cheese, grate a piece of stale bread to get rid of it and make clean up easier. (via Paula's Weekly Kitchen Tip on Facebook -The trial: I grated 4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese, leaving the expected cheesy mess on my metal box grater. I then took the stale heel of a loaf of sourdough and raked it over the same side of the box grater, making sure to cover the entire surface. It worked.
Microwave Myth Debunked
The myth is, people do not need to worry about getting their food to proper temperatures throughout after a run through the microwave, because the radiation will kill bacteria.
This is an erroneous assumption and could lead to food poisoning. All microwaves do is make food hotter. The heat itself is the only thing killing germs. Microwaves are also notorious for cooking food unevenly. Experts recommend using food thermometers and checking various spots on the food when using a microwave, in order to ensure avoiding food poisoning issues.
Most microwave meals now contain similar instructions for their own legal protection and to avoid consumer complaints. The truth is that microwaves are perfectly safe in terms of radiation, but they are also not a magic box that will destroy all bacteria.
This is an erroneous assumption and could lead to food poisoning. All microwaves do is make food hotter. The heat itself is the only thing killing germs. Microwaves are also notorious for cooking food unevenly. Experts recommend using food thermometers and checking various spots on the food when using a microwave, in order to ensure avoiding food poisoning issues.
Most microwave meals now contain similar instructions for their own legal protection and to avoid consumer complaints. The truth is that microwaves are perfectly safe in terms of radiation, but they are also not a magic box that will destroy all bacteria.
Expired Sunscreen
Spring is almost on us and it is time to get organized for yard work. One thing to keep in mind as we brave the new season is sunscreen. According to the Mayo Clinic, most sunscreen works at full strength for about three years. So, if you are not sure how old those tubes and sprays are, toss them and replenish.
Incidentally, an SPF 15 product blocks about 94% of UVB rays; an SPF 30 product blocks 97% of UVB rays; and an SPF 45 product blocks about 98% of rays. Most experts tell us to save our money and do not pay for SPF above 30.
Incidentally, an SPF 15 product blocks about 94% of UVB rays; an SPF 30 product blocks 97% of UVB rays; and an SPF 45 product blocks about 98% of rays. Most experts tell us to save our money and do not pay for SPF above 30.
Aluminum Foil Facts
A friend of mine, Jeff was wondering whether to cover pans with the shiny side or dull side of aluminum foil out.
Some background, the difference in appearance between dull and shiny is due to the foil manufacturing process. In the final rolling step, two layers of foil are passed through the rolling mill at the same time. The side coming in contact with the mill's highly polished steel rollers becomes shiny.
It makes no difference which side to use when wrapping, covering, draping, or using as a guard for drips.
However, when using non-stick aluminum foil place the non-stick (dull) side toward the food.
Aluminum foil has the lowest moisture-vapor transfer rate of all wrapping materials and is the most effective in preventing the loss of moisture and vapor from food, especially for long-term food storage or freezing.
Heavy duty aluminum foil is better for wrapping meats and poultry for the freezer, lining roasting pans for easy cleanup, lining the inside of a charcoal barbecue grill to keep it clean, tenting roasted turkey to prevent oven spatters and over-browning, also for making an oven packet for cooking chicken, fish, and vegetables.
Do not use aluminum foil to line the bottom of your oven. Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the oven rack beneath a pie or casserole. The foil should be only a few inches larger than the baking pan to allow for proper heat circulation.
The argument of shiny side out to reflect heat is a myth as shiny reflects light, not heat. Bottom line, according to Reynolds Aluminum no difference, except appearance. If you like shiny side up do it. If you like dull side up, do it.
Some background, the difference in appearance between dull and shiny is due to the foil manufacturing process. In the final rolling step, two layers of foil are passed through the rolling mill at the same time. The side coming in contact with the mill's highly polished steel rollers becomes shiny.
It makes no difference which side to use when wrapping, covering, draping, or using as a guard for drips.
However, when using non-stick aluminum foil place the non-stick (dull) side toward the food.
Aluminum foil has the lowest moisture-vapor transfer rate of all wrapping materials and is the most effective in preventing the loss of moisture and vapor from food, especially for long-term food storage or freezing.
Heavy duty aluminum foil is better for wrapping meats and poultry for the freezer, lining roasting pans for easy cleanup, lining the inside of a charcoal barbecue grill to keep it clean, tenting roasted turkey to prevent oven spatters and over-browning, also for making an oven packet for cooking chicken, fish, and vegetables.
Do not use aluminum foil to line the bottom of your oven. Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the oven rack beneath a pie or casserole. The foil should be only a few inches larger than the baking pan to allow for proper heat circulation.
The argument of shiny side out to reflect heat is a myth as shiny reflects light, not heat. Bottom line, according to Reynolds Aluminum no difference, except appearance. If you like shiny side up do it. If you like dull side up, do it.
Population Disparity
Rhode Island, the smallest US state has a larger population than the largest US state, Alaska. Rhode Island has 1.055 million and Alaska has 736,732 people.
How to Disinfect Sponges
Quickly heating up your sponge in the microwave can kill bacteria, including E. coli, and refresh it for longer use. Just make sure the sponge is damp and free of any cleaners before you pop it in the microwave. A dry sponge can catch fire, while heating up a sponge that has been soaked in soap or other industrial cleaners could cause it to emit unhealthy fumes.
Instead, soak your dirty kitchen sponges in water and a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar, both of which have anti-bacterial properties. Microwave them for up to two minutes on full power (the heat does the killing). The bonus is that the steam from the wet sponge will actually clean your microwave, too.
Instead, soak your dirty kitchen sponges in water and a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar, both of which have anti-bacterial properties. Microwave them for up to two minutes on full power (the heat does the killing). The bonus is that the steam from the wet sponge will actually clean your microwave, too.
Mar 4, 2016
Happy Friday
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not." ~Dr. Seuss
I always care a lot about celebrating another Happy Friday!
nothing is going to get better. It’s not." ~Dr. Seuss
I always care a lot about celebrating another Happy Friday!
New Zealand Flag
New Zealand may be changing its national flag. The silver fern will face off against the status quo in the second round of voting between March 3 and March 24. 2016.
Aspirin Origin
On March 6, 1899 acetylsalicylic acid, was patented by The Friedrich Bayer & Co. under the trade name Aspirin at the Imperial patent office in Berlin. For over a century, it is still one of the most effective, versatile, and commonly used medications in the world.
Its active ingredient, salicin, had been used for many centuries to alleviate pain and fever. Hippocrates is known to have used it, and it had been used in modern medicine since the 19th century. As effective as it was, willow bark and salicin were used sparingly, because the taste was so bad, its use caused a severe upset stomach, and in extreme cases could even damage a stomach.
This changed when Bayer chemist Felix Hoffman created a form of the drug that was just as effective, but much better tasting and drastically easier on the stomach. Three years after Hoffman’s death in 1949, another scientist at Bayer, Arthur Eichengrün came forward claiming responsibility for Hoffman's work.
Eichengrün, who was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II, maintained he was denied his due because he was Jewish.
Either Hoffman or Eichengrün also perfected another medication around the same time as Aspirin. Heroin was was believed to have even greater potential. It was created to be a non-addictive alternative to morphine for such ailments as labor pains and curing heavy coughs.
When Aspirin was first recommended to Heinrich Dreser, head of the pharmacological laboratory at Bayer, he rejected it, supposedly stating “The product has no value.” Once Heroin quickly began to fall as people realized how addictive it was, he revisited his decision regarding Aspirin and it quickly became Bayer’s best selling product. After World War I, Bayer had to give up its trademark on Aspirin as part of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Aspirin sales slumped with the introduction of other over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, but sales rebounded when clinical trials showed that a small daily dose of Aspirin could lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Today, approximately 40 billion Aspirin tablets are consumed annually.
Its active ingredient, salicin, had been used for many centuries to alleviate pain and fever. Hippocrates is known to have used it, and it had been used in modern medicine since the 19th century. As effective as it was, willow bark and salicin were used sparingly, because the taste was so bad, its use caused a severe upset stomach, and in extreme cases could even damage a stomach.
This changed when Bayer chemist Felix Hoffman created a form of the drug that was just as effective, but much better tasting and drastically easier on the stomach. Three years after Hoffman’s death in 1949, another scientist at Bayer, Arthur Eichengrün came forward claiming responsibility for Hoffman's work.
Eichengrün, who was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II, maintained he was denied his due because he was Jewish.
Either Hoffman or Eichengrün also perfected another medication around the same time as Aspirin. Heroin was was believed to have even greater potential. It was created to be a non-addictive alternative to morphine for such ailments as labor pains and curing heavy coughs.
When Aspirin was first recommended to Heinrich Dreser, head of the pharmacological laboratory at Bayer, he rejected it, supposedly stating “The product has no value.” Once Heroin quickly began to fall as people realized how addictive it was, he revisited his decision regarding Aspirin and it quickly became Bayer’s best selling product. After World War I, Bayer had to give up its trademark on Aspirin as part of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Aspirin sales slumped with the introduction of other over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, but sales rebounded when clinical trials showed that a small daily dose of Aspirin could lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Today, approximately 40 billion Aspirin tablets are consumed annually.
Ten Steven Wright Quotes
This is one funny guy that makes us think. Here are a few:
- I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
- Borrow money from pessimists - they don't expect it back.
- Half the people you know are below average.
- All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.
- The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
- I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before we met.
- OK, so what's the speed of dark?
- Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
- I intend to live forever. . . So far, so good.
- If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?
Coffee and Cirrhosis
According to new research published online Jan. 25, 2016 in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, drinking more coffee could lower the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis.
While there are observational studies that have already been reported regarding the link between coffee and cirrhosis, the researchers wanted to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish the inverse relationship between the two.
They found that by adding two or more cups of coffee a day, a person can reduce the risk of developing liver cirrhosis by 44 percent. The inverse association continues as the number of cups increases. For every additional three cups, the risk was reduced 57 percent; and for every four cups added, the risk was further reduced to 65 percent.
"Cirrhosis is potentially fatal and there is no cure as such," said lead study author Dr. Oliver Kennedy of Southampton University in the U.K. "Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may be reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous, and well-tolerated beverage."
According to the National Institution of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver, the body's largest internal organ, gradually gets worse and is unable to perform its normal functions, because of chronic damage.
There are some limitations to the study as it was not able to account for other risk factors of liver disease, such as obesity and diabetes. The study also did not mention whether the type of beans or brewing method is significant to the results.
According to one expert, while the findings of the study showed positive effects of drinking coffee on the risk of cirrhosis, it should not give people the false hope that coffee can lessen the seriousness or extent of the liver damage.
"Unfortunately, although coffee contains compounds that have antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory properties, drinking a few cups of coffee a day cannot undo the systematic damage that is the result of being overweight or obese, sedentary, excessive alcohol consumption or drastically mitigate an unhealthy diet," said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York.
While there are observational studies that have already been reported regarding the link between coffee and cirrhosis, the researchers wanted to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish the inverse relationship between the two.
They found that by adding two or more cups of coffee a day, a person can reduce the risk of developing liver cirrhosis by 44 percent. The inverse association continues as the number of cups increases. For every additional three cups, the risk was reduced 57 percent; and for every four cups added, the risk was further reduced to 65 percent.
"Cirrhosis is potentially fatal and there is no cure as such," said lead study author Dr. Oliver Kennedy of Southampton University in the U.K. "Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may be reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous, and well-tolerated beverage."
According to the National Institution of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver, the body's largest internal organ, gradually gets worse and is unable to perform its normal functions, because of chronic damage.
There are some limitations to the study as it was not able to account for other risk factors of liver disease, such as obesity and diabetes. The study also did not mention whether the type of beans or brewing method is significant to the results.
According to one expert, while the findings of the study showed positive effects of drinking coffee on the risk of cirrhosis, it should not give people the false hope that coffee can lessen the seriousness or extent of the liver damage.
"Unfortunately, although coffee contains compounds that have antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory properties, drinking a few cups of coffee a day cannot undo the systematic damage that is the result of being overweight or obese, sedentary, excessive alcohol consumption or drastically mitigate an unhealthy diet," said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York.
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