Dirty kitchen counter, especially one made of wood, is a breeding ground for bacterias like E.Coli and Salmonella. Cleaning the surface using water is not enough to kill those nasty bacterias and commercial cleaners may have harmful effects to our health. So what are we to do? Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offered a solution based on research conducted by Susan Sumner. The research proved that a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide is highly effective to kill both bacterias. Here is how to make it at home:

• Prepare 2 spray bottles
• Fill 1 bottle with white vinegar. If no white vinegar is available, you can also use apple cider vinegar.
• Fill another bottle with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide of this strength can be found in your local pharmacy as wound disinfectant or mouth gargle.
• To use, spray the surface you want to clean with 1 solution, followed by the other. You can spray vinegar first then hydrogen peroxide or vice versa, it doesn’t matter. What kills the germs is the combination of both.
• Do not mix both solutions in one bottle as it will be less effective than spraying one after another.

This mixture can also be used to disinfect wooden cutting board.

To crisp up vegetables such as lettuce or celery, soak them in cold water and add a few slices of raw potato.

Store flour in an airtight container or sealable bags and keep it in a cool place or your refrigerator’s vegetable compartment. Once opened, white flour stays fresh for 6 months while wholewheat, rye, buckwheat, and barley can be kept for 5 months. Throw away flour if it smells bad, changes color, or is invested with weevils.

A lot of asian recipes require coconut milk to make thick and savory gravy. While it tastes delicious, it is high in fat and cholesterol and should not be consumed too often. However, you can substitute all coconut milk in the recipe with low fat milk, unsweetened soya bean milk, or rice milk. This way, you can still enjoy delicious recipes while staying healty.

To make tender and juicy BBQ pork, brine it for few hours or overnight (according to the weight) and cook it slowly with low heat. More info about brining.

Adding margarine to the cooking oil will make food more crispy, more fragrant, and gives it nice golden colour.

Line your roasting pan with aluminium foil to catch the dripping juice and glaze, especially when you are using sugar-based glaze. Afterward, just throw away the foil and you don’t have to scrub the pan.

If you need to have very thin meat slices, partially freeze the meat to make it firm (but not too hard) and therefore easier to slice.