HELOISE: How to clean a garlic press

Dear Heloise: Help! How do you clean a garlic press? I’m at my wits’ end!

Frederic N., Salem, Ore.

Spray with veggie spray first to make cleanup easy. Use a toothbrush or pastry brush to get into all the crevices and remove all that stubborn garlic residue. Then rinse it under water. You can use toothpicks to remove the remaining garlic.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: We received a quesadilla maker as a Christmas gift. Not being big on quesadillas, it was collecting dust. I had made batter for hot cakes and on a whim poured it into the quesadilla maker. Wow! They turned out great. Been using it for hot cakes ever since.

M.E. Clyde in San Antonio

Dear Heloise: Here is how I make easy hamburger patties. For each 1 pound of ground beef, cut into four equal parts. Roll into a ball and place in a nonzip sandwich bag. Flatten until it is the size and thickness you desire. Freeze on a flat surface. Then place the bags into a large freezer zip bag and keep frozen until needed.

Nancy, via email

Dear Heloise: You could help the Earth significantly if you spread the word that a smelly garbage disposal does not need to be addressed with gallons of hot water, boxes of baking soda or bottles of kitchen cleaning products. Just take out the rubber gasket ring on which the little cover sits and wash it well. The smell will disappear! That gross slime is what stinks. Always scrub it well with a brush and soap. I’m amazed at how many people complain about offensive odors and keep pouring products down the drain to cure them, when it is not the metal parts but the rubber.

Alice M., Cypress, Texas

The gasket (some do not come out) can harbor gunk that smells, but many times it can be bacteria down in the pipes.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: When trying to refresh leftover rice, I made a small bowl out of aluminum foil and placed it in my steamer basket, piercing the center stem. I loaded the rice in and put it into a 2-quart saucepan with 1/2 cup of water for a few minutes, and it was perfect.

Jack L., Westminster, Calif.

Dear Heloise: I was short some powdered sugar for a cookie recipe. So, I grounded some granulated sugar in the coffee grinder, and it was perfectly powdered!

A Reader, via email

Dear Heloise: I use a lot of beef and venison that is mostly fat-free. When I grind it, I do not add fat — I add finely grated veggies instead! My family loves added onion, squash and carrots. We add 1/4 to 1/2 the vegetables to the amount of the ground meat, and hamburgers are so moist and juicy.

Cherlynn in Eagleville, Mo.

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate