Vinegar puts the kibosh on bad smells

Dear Readers: You're making corned beef and cabbage, the guests will be arriving soon, and you notice that your cooking has caused quite a stink in the house! How could this have been avoided? Very easily — just by adding a bit of vinegar to the boiling water. This also works great for other odor-causing foods such as broccoli, cauliflower or brussels sprouts.

And to remove the strong smell of foods such as onion or fish from your hands, try "washing" them in apple-cider vinegar, and the smell will vanish. For a list of the many odors that vinegar naturally eliminates, send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, and you'll receive a copy of my Fantabulous Vinegar pamphlet. In fact, if your child brings home a stinky lunch box, try placing a paper towel or piece of stale bread dampened with vinegar in the lunch box and leave it overnight. Wash the lunch box in the morning, and it should smell fresh. — Heloise.

Dear Heloise: I have found an easy way to contain my flour spills. When I spoon flour from a small container, I put a sheet of waxed paper or a paper towel under the measuring cup to catch any excess. When I am done leveling the measuring cup, I make a funnel with the paper and pour the excess flour back into the container, versus wiping it up with a wet cloth.

This works especially nicely with specialty flours that come in small cellophane bags found in health-food stores. — Angela, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: When I don't have any oranges in the house, I substitute canned pineapple juice for recipes that require orange juice. The results are delicious! — L.W.D. in Dallas

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