Blog - Home-Ec 101

Home Electrical Basics: Tools and How to use them

Tim says: Now that we’ve gone over the terms and all important safety (You read that, right?), we can get into the tools we’ll actually use for basic home electrical repairs. The list is pretty short, and odds are you already have most of the items: –Non-Contact Voltage Detector: This wonderful device does one thing …

white sheets and pillows on a mattress and a white wall for smelly sheets

Dear Home Ec 101,I’ve been wanting to write you for a while! I have smelly sheets! I wash them and I promise I don’t use too much laundry detergent. Then I dry them and then store them in a built-in bookshelf that’s in our closet. For some reason as soon as I get the sheets …

Bran says: I thought I hated brussels sprouts. I think a lot of us have felt that way. After all, to many people, the boiled things that get served up to us as children, sodden and vaguely buttered, are not exactly the most appetizing of vegetables. But brussels sprouts can be a great winter green, …

The Skin You’re In

Brian says: The past few winters have been harsher than most which means that the male species needs to take extra precaution when it comes to our largest organ (no, not that one). Our skin protects us, nourishes us and literally keeps us from falling apart, so why wouldn’t you do everything you can to …

How to Butterfly or Spatchcock a Chicken

Heather says:

Did you know there’s a way to increase the amount of crisp skin on your chicken while decreasing the cook time? I tell the truth, you just use a five minute technique called Spatchcocking -that sounds dirty, doesn’t it?- or butterflying and you’ll greatly increase the surface area of your roast chicken. Not only is the surface area increased, but the amount of meat in direct contact with the cooking surface -in our case a baking sheet- is also increased. Both of these conditions work together to reduce the overall cook time of your bird and keep any skin out of the pan juices.

This technique cuts the cook time for a 3 .5 – 5lb bird down to around 50 minutes. Now you don’t have to save your chicken for Sunday afternoon. Who knew?

As a courtesy to vegetarian Home Ec 101 readers, I’ll go ahead and hide the rest of this post behind a jump. Just click more, if you want to see the tutorial.

Home Electrical Basics: Terms and Safety

Tim says: Don’t you just hate it when outlets and lights don’t work or sparks fly randomly from an outlet? Many look on in despair, knowing the call to the local electrician means $80/hr plus scheduling hassles. I’d like to show you how easily, and more importantly safely, these problems can be fixed. Before we get into …

Heather says: Frozen corn, potatoes, bacon, stock, and half-and-half, that’s the stuff dreams -and corn chowder- are made of. I know I should make this in June or July when sweet corn is in season, but with the heat index soaring into the triple digits, there is no way a heavy soup such as this …

White background, woman holding woven laundry basket with cream colored towels cleaned with borax

Dear Home Ec 101You mentioned using vinegar or borax to remove detergent build-up from towels. We have hard water in our area and I believe this could be a problem for us, even though I haven’t had a problem with odor. I have a few questions: How much vinegar or borax should I use in my …