More about the miracle deodoriser

Bicarbonate of soda is a great cheap deodoriser!
You can find it on the baking ingredients shelves at the supermarket.

Use to:

• sprinkle into whiffy trainers and shoes last thing at night. In the morning, shake it out - I find it best to shake it out over the bath then rinse away.
• for small, smelly objects that can't be washed, put them in a plastic bag with some bicarb. Seal and shake well. Leave to do its magic for a few hours.
• for a smelly patch on carpets or upholstery - make sure the surface is bone-dry. Sprinkle liberally with bicarb. and leave for a few hours before vacuuming away. [Particularly useful for car seats and travel-sickness-prone kids!]
• Put a teaspoon of bicarb into a new vacuum cleaner bag when you change it.
• Remove the lid from a tub of bicarb. and tuck it somewhere in the fridge where the open tub won't get knocked over. Replace every couple of months or so.

Fridge cleaning and deodorisers

To clean the inside of the fridge:

• swish a small amount of washing up liquid in cool water.
• put a soft cloth into the water and then wring out well. Use to wipe the fridge out.
• rinse the soft cloth of all detergent before wiping a final time.
• Place one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into a small bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water to dissolve. Put a clean soft cloth into the solution then wring out well and use to wipe sides, surfaces and shelves.

I would never buy commercial fridge-deodorisers. They're expensive, may contain unwanted perfume, and probably contain [hopefully contain!] nothing more than bicarbonate of soda.

Bicarbonate of soda is dirt-cheap! You should pay no more than about 20p for a tub [rather than over a pound for a commercial deodoriser]. Remove the lid from the tub of bicarbonate of soda and tuck it somewhere in the fridge where it won't get tipped over. Replace it every couple of months or so.

You'll find bicarb. of soda amongst the baking ingredients at the supermarket.

A note about eggs

Its unusual these days to get a bad egg, but when adding to other ingredients its not worth the risk of wasting them so always crack each egg first into a cup and pour separately into the other ingredients.

Eggs should ideally be stored in a cool place and not a refrigerator.

You get the best results using the freshest eggs, but its still acceptable to use eggs that are not perfectly fresh. Really stale eggs should be avoided because bacteria could have penetrated the porous shell.


Tests to determine whether an egg is stale:

• break it into a cup. The more watery the egg white seems [rather than gloopy] the more stale it is.
• crack the egg onto a plate. The yolk should 'stand proud' and be surrounded by gloopy white. The more the egg white spreads over the plate, the more stale it is.
• look at the inside the shell. There's an air-pocket between shell and skin-like membrane. If the air-pocket is small, the egg's fresh; if large, its stale.
• place the uncracked egg into a small bowl of water. If the egg sinks to the bottom its fresh. If it floats to the surface its stale. If it floats up from the bottom but does not break the surface of the water its reasonably fresh.

The science: Eggshells are porous. As the egg ages air gets through the porous shell and the air pocket between shell and skin-like membrane increases. As the air pocket increases, so it makes the egg more likely to float in water.

The simplest, lightest Victoria Sandwich Cake

Ingredients:

• 150g [6oz] softened butter or margarine [not reduced fat]
• 150g [6oz] caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125g [5oz] self raising flour
• 25g [1oz] cornflour
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• [1-2 tablespoons milk - if necessary]
• jam [and whipped cream if desired] to sandwich together

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C
2. Line the base of two 20cm [8"] sandwich pans with baking parchment.
3. Sieve all of the dry ingredients [caster sugar, flour, cornflour and baking powder] into a bowl
4. Add the softened butter and eggs
5. Beat all of the ingredients together using either a wooden spoon, hand-held electric mixer or food processor
6. The mixture should be a 'soft-dropping consistency' which means that it gently drops from a spoon when held up. If the mixture is too stiff, stir in a little milk.
7. Divide the mixture equally between the two sandwich pans
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes
9. Allow to stand and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack
10. Sandwich together with jam [and whipped cream if desired]

The best chocolate cake ever

Ingredients:

• 50g [2oz] cocoa, sifted
• 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 120ml [4 fluid oz] milk
• 175g [6oz] self-raising flour
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• 100g [4oz] softened butter or margarine [not reduced fat]
• 275g [10oz] caster sugar
• 3 eggs

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C
2. Line the base of two 20cm [8"] sandwich pans with baking parchment
3. Into a mixing bowl or food processor place the cocoa, and add the boiling water
4. mix to a paste and set aside to cool a little whilst you weigh out the other ingredients
5. To the bowl containing the cocoa paste, add all of the other ingredients
6. beat until a smooth batter, using either a wooden spoon, hand mixer or food processor
7. Divide the batter between the two sandwich pans
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes
9. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Filling and Topping:

• 140g [5oz] plain chocolate
• 150ml [quarter pint] double cream

1. Break or chop the chocolate into pieces
2. add to cream in a heatproof bowl
3. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water
4. DO NOT let the simmering water get into the chocolate and cream mixture
5. stir until the chocolate has melted
6. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool until it becomes thick
7. Use to sandwich together and top the cake
8. Finish with grated chocolate curls

A Mary Berry recipe.

conveyed to beloved daughter phoning from Sweden in a panic.

the best way to clean glass and mirrors

1. dampen two soft cloths
2. add a tiny amount of washing up liquid to one cloth
3. clean glass or mirror with the detergent-laden cloth
4. wipe clean with plain dampened cloth
5. take a sheet of newspaper and crumple it into a pad
6. use the newspaper pad to dry and polish the surface...

Guaranteed to leave glass and mirror surfaces sparkling and smear-free.