Tipsters Corner

I thought it might be handy if we had a thread where we can pass on hints and tips, or to pass on if we have found a particularly good product or had particularly good service.

It is probably best that we don't place any restrictions on the type of tips given or asked for (as long as they are legal and within the realms of decency of course ), although I would suggest that we start each post with a one or two word description to make things easier to find as the thread grows - - something like 'Cleaning Tip' or 'Car Hint'.

So, feel free to pitch in with your hints, tips and questions

 

Cleaning Tip

If you have double glazing with UPVC frames, there is no need to buy expensive cleaning products to clean the frames up - ordinary cream cleaner found in the supermarket kitchen cleaning products aisle does the job just dandy. And, there is no need for the cream cleaner to be expensive - - Sainsburys do a Basics version for less than 50p a bottle that works a treat

 

Foodie Tip

Coconut Oil - we thought we would give it a try a wee while back, to see what it did (or didn't) do for the flavour of dishes like stir fries etc. We were pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't add any flavour as such, but it did make whatever we used it in lighter and much less cloying.

We then moved on to try it in our Actifry for making chips or mini-roasters - again, superb results, with the potato being crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and we could actually taste the potato.

Yesterday, we decided to have a bit of a fry up; it is very rare that we do, but once in a while the prospect of sausage, egg and tattie scone gets the better of me. Rather than using conventional oil, I decided to give the coconut oil a go, and I am so glad that I did.

Everything tasted so much better - we were tasting the food rather than the cooking process; the tattie scones had taken a nice crispy outer yet stayed soft inside without soaking up gallons of oil, the sausages were spot on and weren't all greasy, the eggs were also lovely - the taste was of egg and nothing else. And best of all, we didn't end up with that heavy, bloated feeling that often comes with a fry up. Another major plus was the fact that it was extremely stable to cook with - no spitting/exploding (even the sausages behaved), and none of that nasty fumes that comes with conventional oils - - the house didn't end up stinking of fry up.

If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot - - not the cheapest thing going, but it is worth every penny.

 

Horse Tip

@Zigs in the 3 o'clock at Taunton

 

Virgin Coconut Oil - Health Tip

VCO (more expensive than ordinary coconut oil) is used for rubbing into aching and arthritic joints. A small amount rubbed in very well to the joints is quite effective. Rubbing it in well allows most of it to be absorbed through the skin.

Mrs Shiney gives a lot of her patients little tubs (individual glass jam jars supplied to us by a hotel restaurant - thank you Mercure ) of VCO and she mixes small amounts of other things into it depending on what is needed (Arnica or some aromatherapy oils).

You shouldn't use VCO for frying as it has a low Smoke Point but should use refined coconut oil.