Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Easter bread a timeless and delicious tradition
Question: What is Easter bread and is it difficult to make? Tami
Answer: Easter bread is an Italian and Greek tradition. It's a soft, sweetened, yeasted dough with coloured eggs baked right into the dough (that you don't eat), formed into wreaths or braided. Festive and bright for the Easter holiday, it’s not especially difficult to make, but it does take time.
Question: What is the best way to store raisins? Elmer
Answer: Store raisins in a cool, dry, and dark place. Keep them away from moisture to prevent mould growth, and heat and light so they won’t dry out. A pantry is a great place to store raisins.
Question: I spilled grease from fast food on my leather (smooth leather, not suede) jacket. What do you recommend using to get the stain out? Dilpreet
Answer: Always start with the easiest solution and then move to the trickier solution if needed. Sprinkle the area with one of the following: baby powder, cornstarch or baking soda. If the stain is fresh the powders will absorb the grease and once you brush the powder away, the grease will disappear. If the grease stain is a little older apply one of the powders with a little water to make a paste. Leave it for 15 or 20 minutes and wipe. You can also wipe the area with dish soap and a bit of water since dish soap is created as a natural grease cutter. Another option is to hold a hot hair dryer onto the area and massage the leather to lighten the spot.
Question: I did a cold-water laundry load of my coloured tops these are all items that I have washed before. After the wash, I put all items in the dryer, not realizing that a purple top bled into my favourite turquoise blue sweater. I soaked it overnight in Oxi Stain Remover, then hand washed with soap. It lightened some, but still stained. Is there any recovery for this? Bertha
Answer: One of my favourite stain removers is Sunlight Bar Laundry Soap. Scrub the area and rewash it, this may take a few attempts before you see results. Washing soda and borax are also excellent stain removers. Patience, trial, and error are the keys. Worst case scenario is to redye the blouse with fabric dye.
Question: Do you have any ideas for dyeing and decorating colourful Easter eggs without purchasing a dye kit? Winney
Answer: Make your own egg dye with water, vinegar, food colouring or water and onion skins. Remember, the more colour you add and the longer they soak, the more brilliant the hue. For an interesting design, wrap elastic bands around eggs and soak them in dye solution. Another option is to glue colourful leaves to eggs using white glue or glue the leaves to the eggs and dye the eggs. Remove the eggs from the dye and peel off the leaves to create a leaf imprint. Extra tip: If you don't plan to eat dyed eggs, make glow in the dark eggs by microwaving them for 10 seconds. One in three eggs will glow!
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Buttermilk marinate the secret to delicious fried chicken
Question: Do you have any secrets for making really, good fried chicken? Seth
Answer: I used to recommend, soaking the chicken overnight in canned chicken stock (one or two cans for six to eight pieces of chicken) because it brings out the flavour. I have since discovered that marinating the chicken in buttermilk is even better. Before cooking consider the taste of the oil to ensure you like the flavour. Preheat your skillet with oil to about 375F, the temperature will drop as you add chicken. Coat the chicken with flour, return it to the buttermilk and then the flour, as this will add a better coating. Fry the chicken and then drain on towels for about five minutes before serving. Do not overcrowd the pan, allow your chicken enough room, between pieces. If making the chicken ahead of time, keep it hot in the oven at 250F.
Question: How do you fertilize a cactus? Serena
Answer: Cacti are hardy plants that require low nutrient care. Homemade cacti fertilizer is as easy as combining one tablespoon of Epsom salt and four litres of water. Misting plants with a spray bottle rather than pouring water into the pot is preferred. Succulents (plants with leafy tissues that conserve moisture) only need fertilizer in late spring or summer. One of the very best trade secrets for happy cacti is to add compost rich in nutrients to soil mix.
Question: Do you have a recipe for making vinegar from herbs? Emilie
Answer: In a large re-sealable glass container combine one large bunch of clean herbs such as, basil or tarragon with three cups white wine vinegar. Store in a cool, dry place, can be used for up to one year. This is great for vinaigrettes. Additionally, some herbs, such as parsley, chives and basil can be pureed with a small amount of water in a blender, and then frozen in ice cube trays. They can later be stored in plastic bags for use in flavoring soup and sauces. Herb butter can be made with the addition of about fopur tablespoons chopped, dried herb leaves and a dash of lemon juice to 1/4-pound of butter softened at room temperature. The butter should then be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container.
Question: What is an easy way to remove cat hair from clothing? Sofia
Answer: A lint brush is the most popular option for removing cat hair from fabric. Or you could rap a large roll of masking tape around your hand and as you run your hand over your clothes, it picks up the hair and sticks to the tape. Each layer of tape can be pulled off to give you a fresh surface underneath. Another option is Pet Pick-up brushes which are brushes with a specialized head that captures hair in the nap of the fabric and releases it when brushed in the opposite direction. Fabric sprays applied to clothing for static cling also repels pet hair. Another option is to rub a fabric softener dryer sheet over the surface of clothing as a pet hair pick up. Store clothing in plastic dry cleaner bags in the closet to prevent hair from accumulating.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Tankless water heaters likely not worth it here
Question: What is your opinion on tankless water heaters, particularly for use in the Winnipeg climate? Are they worth the cost and can they provide water hot enough in the winter when the temperature of the water entering the house from the water main is typically only a little above freezing? Do you have any recommendations as to brands which perform better than others? We have friends in Regina who have a Navien brand, not sure which model, but it is natural gas, and they are quite satisfied with it.
Thanks for any information that you can provide, Roy H.
Answer: Tankless water heaters are not common in the Winnipeg area, and evaluating them with my limited experience can be very difficult, due to the small sample size. Using environmentally friendly mechanical systems is commendable, but may not be practical in our area due to our low electricity and natural gas rates and reliable water source.
Tankless water heaters are a system for providing whole house hot water only on demand and not stored in a large tank, like standard gas-fired and electric water heaters. These units vary in cost and style, primarily between the natural gas and electric models. The operation is similar to the water heating method in a common coffee maker, but on a larger scale. There are two main benefits to this type of system over the traditional tank method of water heating.
The first benefit is the small size, eliminating the need for a large area for the tank to store up to 285 litres of pre-heated water. In conjunction with this, there is a water saving component. The on-demand unit provides instant hot water from the small unit, negating the use of somewhat cooler water in various gradients within a large tank. This will save some water being wasted down the drain system, while waiting for higher temperature water to arrive at the faucet from the tank.
The second benefit is the saving in power to heat the water. Because the water in a tank needs periodic heating to maintain a working temperature, due to heat loss through the tank walls, they are not as energy efficient as possible. Extra natural gas or electricity is required for this purpose, even when heated water is not being drawn from a plumbing fixture. Because of this, energy is being wasted when compared with a tankless, on-demand unit, which only uses energy when operating.
Both of these features make a tankless water heater much better for the environment, due to the lack of wasted energy and water resources. Also, there is a much larger amount of physical material, primarily metals, used in the tank of a traditional water heater. Much of this may be recyclable, but the limited life expectancy of either style of heater can be a large factor for waste production. A typical tank-style heater has an average life expectancy of 10-15 years, with municipally treated water, so thousands are replaced every year. I am not sure of the average lifespan of a tankless unit, but I would assume it may be similar. Disposing or recycling as much as 30 kilograms of waste, for a standard water heater, as opposed to about 10 kilos for a tankless unit also reduces the environmental impact of using a tankless system.
Now that we have discussed the pros and cons, we can address the main purpose of your inquiry. Unfortunately, I cannot give you much help with your main question. I don’t know if the added cost of an on-demand unit relative to a tank style is worth the added initial expense. The reason for this is the limited experience I have with seeing tankless units installed in our area. I can count on one hand the number of units I have seen in the thousands of pre-purchase inspections I have completed, over more than two decades. One reason for this is the very low cost of natural gas, mainly used for water heating, until recently. Most new home and retro-fitted water heaters are electric, which have higher ongoing energy costs than gas, but still are economical. Because we continue to have some of the lowest hydro rates in the world, heating water in this old-fashioned way is still the standard in Manitoba.
On-demand units are much more common in European homes, and other areas, where water and energy sources are more scarce and much more costly. In many parts of the U.S. standard water tanks are prevalent, even with much higher heating costs than here. There are areas, primarily in California and some states with large populations in deserts, where tankless heaters are more popular. I would suggest reviewing online research from homeowner reviews and other resources in those locations, for better answers to your questions.
Determining whether an on-demand, tankless water heater is worth the up-front costs, relative to a standard water heater, may be difficult due to the lack of data in our area. If you want to install that type of unit strictly from an environmental viewpoint, please do, but otherwise our low energy and water costs will likely lead to ordering installation of a typical water heater.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Boil water and vinegar to clean your microwave
Question: I use my microwave about three or four times per day, it is three years old and smells like food. What is the best way to freshen it, so that it doesn’t look and smell disgusting? Samson
Answer: Pour 1/4-cup of vinegar and 3/4-cup of water into a microwave safe bowl or cup and run the microwave on high for five minutes. Use a sponge to wipe the inside of the appliance. The more regularly you clean the microwave, the easier it will be to clean, as food will not be as baked on.
Question: Is it normal for guys to shape their eyebrows? Or should they just let them grow into a mess of hairy cactuses on their face? Sam
Answer: Untrimmed eyebrows on a guy can be a distraction, which is easily rectified (if the guy is willing or sleeping — just kidding). If professional stylists are offering to trim your eyebrows for you, there may be a reason. Professional trimmers are affordable, and worth the investment.
Question: Can you tell me how to separate two large stackable Pyrex bowls when they will not come apart? Thanks, Marilyn
Answer: The easiest solution for separating two glass bowls, is to fill the inside bowl with ice water, this will force the molecules to contract. Place the outside bowl in a few inches of hot water, this will cause the molecules to expand. After five minutes twist the bowls in opposite directions. Repeat until the bowls separate.
Question: I’m wondering if you can help me! My daughter was stirring/mixing some organic peanut butter the other day and a big glop of oil landed on the front of her favourite white sweatshirt. I’ve tried soaking it in OxiClean and water for several hours and then washing it — but the stain is still there. It has not been in the dryer thank goodness. Thanks so much, Brenda
Answer: Glad to hear that the sweatshirt never made its way into the dryer. Cover the stain with half a teaspoon of Dawn dish soap, half a teaspoon of three per cent hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of cornstarch. Leave for two or three hours. Wash the sweatshirt in hot water, air dry. Repeat process until the stain is gone.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
