HELOISE Wooden spoons last longer when seasoned

Dear Heloise: From time to time, you have printed a hint on how to season wooden cooking spoons, using mineral oil, I believe. Could you please print it again? Thanks. Frances J., Via E-mail
I'd be happy to reprint this easy method of seasoning wooden spoons. First, wash the spoons well in soap and hot water. Allow the spoons to dry completely.
Next, fill a shallow pan with a couple of inches of mineral oil (do not use olive or vegetable oil) and set the spoons down into it. Let them sit for a couple of hours. Remove the spoons from the oil and wipe off any excess.
After use, wipe the spoons clean under hot water and detergent. Don't put them in the dishwasher -- the hot water and high heat of the drying cycle can cause them damage. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I'd like to pass along my tip for packing lunch-bag sandwiches. My growing 15-year-old likes kaiser rolls instead of regular sandwich bread. I slice all the rolls when I get them home, placing a piece of waxed paper in between (so I can pull them apart when frozen), and freeze them.
I make his sandwich on the frozen bread, which keeps the lunchmeat cold, and it's thawed out by the time he eats it. D. Schaffer, Plano, Texas
Dear Heloise: What is the secret to those plastic cookie cutters that make a design on the cookies? I cannot keep the dough from sticking in the cutter, though I do dip it in flour first. I am about to toss them out! G.H., Canton
An easy way to solve this problem would be to spray the cookie cutters with a little nonstick vegetable spray. This should do the trick.
If you are making a whole bunch of cookies, it might be necessary to respray the cutters to keep them coated. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When making baked potatoes in the microwave, I poke holes in them with a fork, pour Italian salad dressing over them and turn them to coat well. I then cover them with wax paper and cook until done. They are moist and not dried-out. Glenda from Omaha, Neb.
Dear Heloise: I have never written before, but I look for your column in any newspaper I come across, and I also receive your daily hint in my e-mail (visit www.Heloi-se.com for information about Heloise Hint Home Delivery -- Heloise). I wanted to share an idea I came up with (I'm sure other people have been doing it for years!): When the cereal box is about half-empty, I pour the whole thing into a colander, shake all that sugar/dust out and then put the cereal back in the box. This helps to avoid getting a bowl of sugar when you eat the last of the cereal! Sharon Quinn, Via E-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
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