HELOISE Keeping the can opener really clean is crucial

Dear Readers: When's the last time you cleaned your can opener? If you can't remember, it's time!
Next time you're in the kitchen, take a good look at your can opener. Would it pass your health-inspection test? If it's not really clean, you could be contaminating canned foods with bacteria. So, let's get yours cleaned up!
The best way to clean a can-opener blade? For nonelectric openers, use a scouring pad, scrubber or, better yet, an old toothbrush dipped in baking soda or anti-bacterial dish soap, and scrub vigorously. Be sure to get both sides of the blade clean, then rinse and dry.
If you use an electric can opener, it can't be immersed in water. So use a wet sponge or paper towel to "rinse." Check your owner's manual, too. Some electric openers have removable blades that can go right in the dishwasher.
You can prevent gunk buildup in the first place. Just wipe the can opener clean with a wet paper towel or sponge often. Heloise
Dear Readers: Have you been feeling the need for a little comfort food? Then do I have the thing for you. In my Heloise's Cake Recipes pamphlet, you'll find more than a dozen out-of-the-ordinary recipes that will sure help to turn your mood around.
One of my favorites is Tomato Soup Cake, and I think it might be because of its yummy icing, which can be used for carrot and other cakes. To make it, use 1 package (3 ounces) of cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 cup of confectioners' sugar and 1/4 cup of chopped nuts. Place cream cheese in a small bowl and let it soften at room temperature. Add the vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Spread the icing on the cooled cake and sprinkle it with the chopped nuts. In fact, there are a few other cake recipes in this pamphlet that use a variation of the cream-cheese icing. To order my cake pamphlet, send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cake, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Why purchase store-bought frosting when you can make your own and control the sugar content? Heloise
Dear Heloise: I was making a fruit platter with a dip for a luncheon. The bowl to hold the dip kept sliding all over the plate. One of the ingredients in the dip was marshmallow fluff. A little bit of fluff on the bottom of the bowl held it in place on the plate! I now use this trick whenever I need to keep a smaller container firmly planted on a larger plate! Grace G. in Pennsylvania
Dear Heloise: When I bake a loaf of bread, I slice it with an electric knife and shave off the crusts so we don't have any heels.
From a school lunch lady: If you do have heels of bread you want to use up on sandwiches, try turning the crust sides to the middle of the sandwich. Charlene Joy, Jamestown, N.D.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate