2008.May.5. Removing Oil-Based Paint With Cooking Oil
Back in December, Kevin and I were repainting some old, rusted shelves to make them look like new again. We were using Rust Paint, which is oil based instead of water based. Both of us had paint all over our hands by the end of it, but when we went to go wash our hands, it wasn't coming off! Considering that we were both too broke to buy a thing of terpentine (which would have been awkward anyway because we were covered in wet paint), things were looking pretty grim. Then, I suddenly got the idea to rub Vegetable Oil on my hands and see if it worked. After lathering my hands with cooking oil, and then washing them with soap and water, the paint came off!

Why did it work? I'm guessing that because the paint was still wet, and because cooking oil is obviously oil based, both substances were able to mix in with each other. The cooking oil allowed the paint to be lifted from the skin's surface enough so that the soap and water could wash it away. It took a few rinses of oil, soap, and water, but it worked!



2008.May.5. Making Your Rusted Cast-Iron Pots & Pans Look Like New Again!
If you're as forgetful as I am, you may leave your pots on the stove, sometimes with liquid in them. With cast-iron pots, this is a really bad idea, and you'll end up with rusty pots (which you would not want to cook with). However, it is fixable! First, you have to sand the pot or pan to get rid of any rust that has built up. You'll also want to sand off the existing seasoning so that you can reseason it. After you've sanded your pot, wash it out to get rid of any dust leftover, and dry it thoroughly. Next, coat the pot in oil or fat that is high in saturated fats (if it's high in saturated fats, it won't become rancid). After that, set it upside down in your preheated oven (preheat to 500 degress F), and "bake" it for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven, but leave the pot or pan inside until it has cooled. This coating with oil and heating is what is known as seasoning. Pots and pans are also seasoned after being used often. When cleaning, don't use anything abbrasive as it will take off the seasoning.

Why should you use cast-iron cookware? It's not harmful to use (unless it's rusty, lol). If you use teflon-coated cookware, it could be harmful to you. Using it is actually enough to kill certain kinds of birds. Although we're a lot bigger and more resilliant than those kinds of birds, it's something to keep in mind. Cast-iron pots also hold heat very well, can withstand very high temperatures, and if they are well seasoned, they develop a natural, non-stick quality. Note of caution though: they're really heavy, and the lids also become hot, so don't ever grab the lid with your hand, lol *has learned from experience*.



2008.May.5. De-tarnishing Silverware Using Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil!
You don't need any special chemicals to get rid of tarnish. All you need to do is bring a pot of water to a boil. Throw in some Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda, and then soak your silverware in the boiling water. The tarnish and rust will be removed from the silverware and stick to the aluminum foil instead. After soaking the silverware, you'll have to wash it in warm, soapy water afterwards. I've done this a couple times and it works quite well. BTW...we got our silverware from Value Village, lol. You don't have to be rich to have silver-coated eating utensils, lol. A note of caution though: using silver-coated while cooking will leave black marks on them. You can get rid of this too when you give them the baking soda treatment :)