Strawberries leave pot a blackened mess

Dear Heloise: Help, please! I forgot I was stewing strawberries in a stainless-steel pot. The result: a blackened mess inside of the pot. I can’t get it off. Suggestions, please! Bernice Weill, via e-mail

Here are a couple of hints to help! Fill the pot about 3‚Ñ4 full of water, put it on the burner and bring to a boil for only a few minutes. Do not let it boil dry! Let cool and then scrub.

If the pan is still black, fill with water and add 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar for each quart of water in the pan. Let the mixture boil for 10 minutes. Pour off the water. Wash, rinse and dry the pan. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I, too, had a pantry and kitchen full of weevils and moths. After many days of searching, I discovered they were coming from an opened 25-pound bag of wild birdseed sitting innocently on the pantry floor. I had to take the whole thing outside. Sharon Woodworth, Georgetown, Ky.

Yep, birdseed is notorious for “hatching” moths! Heloise

Dear Heloise: Our family eats lots of tacos. I buy a large bag of shredded cheese to save money. I open the bag and divide it into smaller portions and freeze. Whenever we need cheese, I take out a bag and am ready to go. Pat Z., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I put the dry ingredients for your generic cream soup in snack-size zipper-top bags. I press out excess air in the snack bags, then store several in a large, plastic container. Quick and easy to make when it’s premeasured. Terry Powell, Staten Island, N.Y.

Quick and easy are two of my favorite words! Soup is good for lunch or dinner and can be very economical, too. I have compiled treasured soup recipes from my staff and families that include Italian Pasta, Meme’s Potato, Sparkling Papaya and many others that are simply delicious. To get a copy of Heloise’s Spectacular Soups, please send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (61 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Soups, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. The generic cream soup can be made into cream of mushroom, broccoli or any main ingredient of your choice. You will want to give it a try! Heloise

Dear Heloise: Thought I would share my trick for flouring a greased pan. Take an empty spice bottle (one with a shaker with small holes) and fill with flour. It’s simple to shake out some flour. Barbara Blaylock, Hemphill, Texas

Dear Heloise: When I drain pasta, I set the colander over my ceramic serving dish in the sink. The hot water warms the dish and helps keep the pasta warmer longer — without having to waste hot water from the tap. Dee, Amherst, Ohio

SBlt Send 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