How-To

For popular recipes such as mayonnaise, hollandaise and royal icing, raw and partially cooked eggs are a necessity. However, raw or partially-cooked chicken eggs can carry salmonella bacteria. You can still enjoy these recipes with peace of mind after pasteurizing eggs. The process of pasteurization brings eggs to a temperature that kills dangerous pathogens. How to Pasteurize Eggs on the Stove Start with room temperature eggs: Starting with eggs that aren’t cold ensures you pasteurize the entire egg, rather than just the parts closest to the shell. Use fresh eggs with no cracks and let them come to room temperature. Cover the eggs with 1 inch of water: Fill a small saucepan with cool water and gently put the eggs in the pan. Make sure they are covered by 1 inch of water. Heat the water slowly to 140° F and hold for 3.5 minutes: Put the pan on medium heat. Let the water slowly come to 140° F. Check the temperature of the water with an instant-read or candy thermometer. Hold that 140° temperature for 3.5 minutes for large eggs or 5 minutes for extra-large eggs (eggs between 64 and 70 grams).Keep an eye on the temperature this whole time, adjusting the burner or moving the pan as needed to maintain the correct temperature. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool: Use a slotted spoon and gently transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool them down. Your eggs are now pasteurized! Mark and refrigerate: Use a permanent marker to mark your eggs so you know they’re pasteurized. Use them right away or refrigerate for up to 1 week. How to Pasteurize Just Egg Whites or Yolks Bring water to a boil and separate the eggs: Bring a large pan saucepan of water to a boil. While you wait, crack as many room-temperature eggs as you need into a heatproof bowl. If you only need to pasteurize egg yolks, you can do just the yolks. Conversely, if you only need to do the whites, just do the whites. Add water to the bowl of eggs: Add 2 tablespoons of tap water for each whole egg used, or for each single yolk or egg white.For example, if you used egg whites from two eggs, add four tablespoons of water to the bowl of egg whites. If your recipe calls for liquid such as milk, stock, or lemon juice, you may use that instead of water. Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water and scrape for 2-3 minutes: Set the bowl on top of the saucepan of simmering water and turn off the heat. Use a silicone spatula to constantly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Don’t beat in air; this constant motion is to keep the eggs from scrambling and to maintain a constant temperature.Do this for 2-3 minutes, or until the water in the pan has cooled to lukewarm. Use immediately. Source: Simply Recipes

If you’re looking for the minimal look in your home, try floating shelves. These shelves have no brackets giving them the appearance they’re floating on your walls. Installation isn’t as hard as you may think. Here’s how to hang them in six easy steps. Select Shelves. There are many types of floating shelves on the market. Each has their own signature mechanism, but they all have some sort of wall-mounted bracket which holds the shelves in place. This will remain hidden once installed. Select the Placement. Decide where you’d like the shelves to go. Be sure to measure, and then, using a level, hold the shelves in place while you draw a marking line on the wall. Trace Brackets. Place the shelf bracket up against the marking line as a guide. Trace the screw holes for the bracket. Attach Brackets. Using the traced marks as a guide, drill screws through the brackets and into the wall. Start with the middle screw and ensure it is level before you attach the other screws. Attach Shelves. Slide the shelves over the bracket and attach any remaining securing screws. Decorate your shelves with anything you’d like such as artwork, plants or books! Source: House Beautiful

The smell of your home is unique. Although it may not always be smelling the best, there are some steps you can take to boost the overall aroma on a daily basis. Start here to deodorize your house instead of burning a fragrant candle for a quick fix. Garbage Disposal Start with your sink. Drop lemon-scented dish soap into the disposal and run the water, then turn it on. You can also put lemon or lime rinds through the disposal with plenty of water. If the smell persists pour ½ cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal while running warm water. Carpets and Rugs Carpets can absorb smells easily, especially with food spills. Sprinkle baking soda over the entire carpet and let it sit for a few hours before vacuuming. You can also try this method out on pet beds or mattresses. Trash Can Taking the trash out may be obvious, but it’s often the trash can itself that creates the worst smells. While deep cleaning your kitchen, sprinkle baking soda in your trash can or use a deodorizing pack or pod. Take it a step further by spraying everything down with disinfecting spray to kill any remaining bacteria. Simmer Herbs and Fruit Take citrus slices and herbs like lavender or mint and simmer with water in a small saucepan on your stove. The heat will permeate the scent throughout your house and can easily be customized based on your available ingredients. Add Plants Plants are a great decoration while also eliminating unpleasant smells. Try bringing in jasmine, eucalyptus, gardenias for pleasant fragrances in your home. Just be prepared for the proper care and maintenance these plants require. Source: Good Housekeeping

2020 was tough. A massive economic fallout left many people with additional debt and economic anxiety. Increasing your savings in the new year can be easier with the right strategies. Try these effective ways to build up or replenish your savings account. Unsubscribe Start off by hitting unsubscribe from all those store email lists. Even if we have the intentions to save, seeing an email for 70 percent off at our favorite store will always be tempting. It’s better to eliminate all those risks. Next, unsubscribe from any phone apps and subscription services that are hardly in use. Check with your monthly bank statements to see what you’re paying for and track all your subscriptions. Take it a step further and set up automatic monthly transfers for the same amount of the subscriptions you’re cancelling. Even a $15 monthly streaming service can turn into a $180 for your savings account by the end of the year. The 50-30-20 Budget Take a new approach to your budget with the 50-30-20 rule. With this formula, take 50 percent of your take-home pay and use it for needs like housing, food, utilities and other must-haves. Use the thirty percent towards any wants, like meals out or monthly subscriptions. The final 20 percent goes towards savings and debt payments, prioritizing high-interest debt or emergency funds. Bulk Buying Next time you’re out shopping for groceries or essentials consider buying in bulk. This will ultimately reduce the cost per unit and limit the trips to the store. You’ll also cut back on any impulse purchases when out shopping. Sign Up Bonuses Many credit cards offer bonuses when signing up for the first few months. The key here is to take advantage while limiting actual spending with the card. If you do decide to spend, only use it for purchases you can afford at the moment and will be able to pay off by the end of the month. Source: Apartment Therapy

A new set of cabinet hardware is a quick and easy way to upgrade the look of your kitchen. Hardware is typically a low expense with little effort required. If you’d like knobs where none existed, it’ll take a little longer to locate and drill new holes. Here’s how to install new cabinet hardware. What You’ll Need: Ruler or tape measure Hammer Drill with 3/16-inch twist bit Straightedge Screwdriver Materials: Cabinet knobs Cardboard Finishing nail Instructions: Measure: Typically knobs are placed 2 ½ to 3 inches from the top or bottom of a door and centered across the width of the stile. Simply measure the width of the stile and divide by 2 to find the center. If your cabinets have slab doors without rails or stiles, you can plan on positioning the knobs 2 ½ to 3 inches from the bottom or top edge of the door, and an equal distance from the side edge of the door. Create a Template: Measuring each door one by one can take a long time, if you’re looking to speed up your workflow consider creating a cardboard template. Measure 2 ½ or 3 inches from one edge of a squared-off cardboard and from the adjacent edge, measure in half the width of the cabinet stile. Poke a finishing nail throughout the cardboard where the two measurements intersect. Remove the nail. Mark Locations: Take the template and place it flush with the side and the top or bottom edge of the door. Push the finishing nail through the hole and give it a tap with a hammer to mark the door. Using a nail instead of drilling through the template will preserve the template. If you were to drill through the template the hole will get larger and cause inaccuracies. Drill: Most knob screws require a 3/16-inch-diameter hole but it’s advised to test a hole in a scrap piece of wood to make sure of the size. Drill the hole at the marked point. Hold the door open as you drill to prevent accidentally drilling into the cabinet. Install the Knob: Knobs come with two different screws of different lengths. The shorter screw is meant for cabinet doors of standard thickness, while the longer screw is for “false front” drawers attached to drawer boxes. Insert the shorter screw through the drilled hole from the back and tighten to the knob while gripping it from the other side. Marking and Installing Knobs on Drawers: Knobs on drawers are typically installed in the center of the faces of drawers. You could take a similar approach with a template for the drawers but it might be easier to mark the center by finding the intersection of the diagonals. Place a straight edge across one set of opposing diagonal corners and make a light pencil mark near the center. Repeat the process with the other diagonal and mark where the two lines intersect. Drill and use the longer screw to install a knob. If you are using a handle-style pull you will need to measure horizontally from the marked center point to mark two holes for the handle. Source: The Spruce

Pans are bound to be neglected at times. Leaving something in for too long leaves food burned and your pan scorched. While there are popular store-bought cleaners, try these other easy solutions if you ever find yourself short on money or time. Vinegar & Baking Soda Vinegar is a great multi-purpose cleaner that can save your pans. Pour a small layer of equal parts water and white vinegar on the bottom of the pan. Next, heat the solution on the stovetop until it comes to a boil. Once it boils for a minute, remove and drain it down the sink. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to the empty pan. Finally use a scouring pad to massage the baking soda and combat any burn marks. Rinse clean. Salt Coarse Kosher salt is another solution to scorch marks on pans. Pair it with a dish detergent and hot water. Massage it into the pan with the juicy core of a cut lemon. Cream of Tartar Try using cream of tartar as an abrasive substitute for baking soda. Mix a tablespoon of it in a cup of water and bring it to a boil on a scorched pan. Let the water cool and then scrub the pan to combat any marks. Dryer Sheet Take soap, water and add a dryer sheet into a mix on the burnt pan. Allow it to sit for an hour. The sheet will loosen the burnt food and leave you with a shiny pan. Alka Seltzer Add 1-2 tablets to hot water in your pan and allow it to sit. The solution will take action against any stubborn burns. Sources: HGTV

Grilling may be a summer pastime, but it’s never the wrong time to brush on your skills. Be ready the next time the warm weather rolls around by correcting these mistakes you may not be aware you’re making. The Grill. Lighting a fire with lighter fluid may get everything blazing faster, but it’s better to start things slow. Build your fire with charcoal and newspaper until they’re fully gray. Give your grates time to heat up as you need these to be hot before you start laying anything down. If your grates aren’t hot enough you may end up steaming your steaks instead of building a crust on them. This will let all the juices escape. The Food. A common practice in restaurants is to allow grilling meats time to come up to room temperature. If you place meat onto a grill directly from the fridge you’ll get an uneven cooking process. The outside will char while the inside will be more rare than it should be. When planning out your cooking process, consider cutting back on the amount of foods on your grill. Take those burgers, hot dogs or kabobs in smaller batches to prevent overcooking some and undercooking others. This will also help avoid cross-contamination. Grilling. If you are looking to char your meats with direct heat, it should only be for a moment. You want to cook around the open flame. Once you have everything on your grill it’s best to leave it alone until you see a crust. Putting pressure on meat with tongs or a spatula disrupts the meat without need. After you’ve gotten everything grilled, let it sit on a pan for about 10 minutes before slicing into it. This will allow any juices inside to redistribute properly. Sources: House Beautiful