New Wednesday feature: Tasty Tidbits

Dear Readers: At last, we have finished sorting through stacks of readers' responses about the title choice for the new Heloise Wednesday food feature. The winning title is (drumroll, please) -- Tasty Tidbits!
Here are the first five reader hints for this feature, and these readers will receive a copy of "In the Kitchen With Heloise." Watch next week for the next five:
UKeep your hands clean and dry when greasing a cake pan. Just wear a pair of rubber gloves. Ellen R. Schroeder, Omaha, Neb.
UPut a marshmallow on the bottom of an ice-cream cone to keep drips inside. Leila J. Wallace, Edine, Minn.
UWhen I have a can of vegetables or anything to be opened up for heating on the stove, after emptying the can into a pan, I use the can to keep the spoon in for the occasional stirring. Elnora Nicolet, Great Bend, Kan.
UUse a jellyroll pan (with sides) to cut up a melon on. The juice does not run all over, and it's easy to throw the seeds and rinds away. Barb Ebke, Fairbury, Neb.
UMy hint is to "chop" nuts or garlic with my meat mallet. I put them in a plastic bag, with a slight air opening. Pound gently until the pieces are the size you want. When used in cookies and other recipes where the ingredients are mixed, it doesn't matter what shape they are. This is a fast way to add these items to your recipe. Karen Nelson, Roswell, N.M.
Tasty Tidbits
With salads all the rage, why not add some Swiss chard to your next bowl? Did you know that the greens are actually a member of the beet family? You eat only the top greens and not the root. When buying chard, look for crisp, green leaves. Stay away from leaves that are wilted, discolored or have holes in them. The next time you make a salad, toss this around. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I use "cheap" paper plates (the kind that sort of stick together, have to be separated and cost about a penny each) when chopping, measuring, etc. For example, I measure a cup of nuts, chop them in my chopper and empty them onto a paper plate. You can then gently fold the plate and easily direct the pouring of the nuts into batter, etc.
Or, put your pyramid grater on the plate, grate the carrots, cheese or whatever, then fold the plate to easily put the grated item into the measuring cup.
Or, sift flour or powdered sugar onto the plate, then fold to easily put into the measuring cup. Once you start doing this, you'll find many ways to utilize these cheap paper plates and make much less mess on your work counter. Mary Grace, Baton Rouge, La.
Dear Heloise: Spread butter on both sides of a knife to make cutting a meringue pie easier. Wilma M. Spindler, Bloomington, Minn.
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