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SAVE THE DISH

• Don’t Scrape — For pot-based foods like red sauce or chili, it’s natural to scrape the bottom of the pot with a long spoon just to see how bad it is. Resist that urge. If you loosen the scorched stuff, the whole batch is a goner. • Transfer and Tweak — Slowly ladle the top layer into a fresh pot, carefully avoiding the food near the bottom. (Taste as you go. Stop when the burnt taste is distracting.) If you can rescue more than half of the batch, consider it a win. Live & Learn There’s a time, of course, to know when you’re beat, as some dishes just can’t be salvaged. (Every Gulf Coast cook knows, for example, that there’s no way to bring back an even slightly burnt roux.) There are some days when the best move is to throw it all out and call for delivery. Every time you make the best of a bad situation, you’re becoming a better, more attentive cook. Save the Dishes by Tim Acosta, Rouses Marketing Director How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet: The trick is to clean the skillet while it is still hot off the stove. Use hot water and a Scotch Brite heavy duty souring pad, but never use soap, and never, ever put cast iron in the dishwasher. If there's any stuck-on food you can remove it with an abrasive salt paste (kosher salt and cooking oil), then wipe with a paper towel or your scouring pad. Always towel dry cast iron, and just to be safe, give it a quick heat on the stove to make sure all of the moisture is removed. Season with a bit of Rouses vegetable oil and store in a dry spot. How to Revitalize a Cast Iron Skillet: You can bring that old skillet new life with a piece of steel wool and a bottle of mild soap. (This is the only exception to my rule about soap and cast iron.) First, scour off any rust with a piece of fine steel wool — you may need a few passes before it is all gone. Then wash the skillet in a mixture of warm water and a mild dish soap, like Dawn. Towel-dry the skillet, add a small coating of Rouses vegetable oil to season, place the skillet upside down on the top rack of your oven (place a baking sheet on the bottom rack in case there are any oil drips) and cook at 350 degrees for one hour. After an hour, turn off the oven and leave the skillet inside to cool before removing it. Store in a dry spot. How to Clean a Tupperware or Plastic Container: You can remove most stains with a paste made out of baking soda

and water (coat the container, close it and leave it overnight), white vinegar (soak containers for a couple of hours) or even a few hours of direct sunlight. To get rid of any lingering smells, store your containers with a pinch of salt or a piece of crumpled newspaper inside. Pass the Salt: Greasy pan? Sprinkle salt in it before you wash it, and the salt will absorb most of the grease. Let the pan sit for a few minutes. Then wash as usual. Baked on Food: You can go cold or hot. Put your empty pot or dish in the freezer for a few hours before cleaning as usual. It will be easier to remove the food if it’s frozen. You can also try a 4-to-1 mix of white vinegar and water. Fill the dish with water and vinegar and place it on a burner. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 5 minutes. Allow the vinegar-water to cool before removing from the stove. Wash as usual. White Vinegar: Vinegar can remove even the most stubborn stains. Soak stained stainless steel pots and pans in white vinegar for at least 30 minutes before washing. Remove mineral stains on non-stick cookware and cloudiness or streaks on drinking glasses and wine glasses with a wipe of white vinegar. Follow with a hot water rinse. The Dish on Dishwashers: To remove buildup, pour 2 cups of distilled white vinegar in the bottom of your empty dishwasher and run on the heavy cycle.

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