14 Uses For Rice That You Never Imagined
Rice is a staple, readily available food
eaten the world over. In fact, there probably aren't many kitchen
cupboards that don't house a couple of bags of this extremely useful
basic food. Rice isn't just useful for cooking however, it has a number
of fantastic properties that make it a fantastic problem solver around
your home. Here are 14 ways you can use rice to solve common issues
efficiently, and cheaply.
1. Stop stools from rusting
1. Stop stools from rusting
Rust happens due to metals being exposed to
the moisture in oxygen over a long period of time. As we know, however,
rice is great at soaking up spare water, so adding a few handfuls to
your toolbox can keep your spanners and hammers dry and rust-free for
longer.
2. Save Wet Electronics
If your phone, tablet or other small electronic device gets a bit wet -
don't panic. Remove the battery if possible, and then place all wet
pieces of the device in a bowl of rice and leave it overnight. The
ability of rice to soak up excess moisture, as long as the accident
wasn't catastrophic, should be enough to save your precious electronic
piece!
3. Clean glass bottles and vases
This is a really simple trick that a lot of
people don't think about, despite it solving a common issue that we all
have - cleaning bottles and vases with narrow openings. How do you get a
cloth, scrubber or your hand inside to scrub away grime? Well, rice
might well be the solution you have been looking for! Pour a handful of
dry rice into the vase or bottle, and swill it around in slightly soapy
water for a few minutes. That will remove the muck and grime so you can
simply pour it out.
4. Soothe Your Muscles
If you have some aches and pains from a hard day on your feet, or even a
more serious muscle strain, then harness the power of rice to ease your
discomfort. Simply fill a clean sock with rice, while being careful to
leave enough room for the rice to move around and contort to your body
shape. Tie the end of the sock with string, microwave it for one minute
(you can pop it back in for longer if you need it hotter) and voila,
your hot compress is ready! This works so well because rice is great at
maintaining heat.
5. Check if Oil Is Hot Enough
If you want to check whether your oil is
hot enough before you use it for frying then just drop a few grains of
rice into it. If the rice pops up to the surface and starts to cook,
then you can be sure that your oil is good to go. This is actually a
much more reliable gauge than a deep fry thermometer.
6. Ripen Fruit Quickly
Have you brought some fruit that's taking its time to ripen, but you
want to eat it today? Speed up ripening time by popping the fruit in a
container with a few handfuls of rice. This trick can work wonders
really quickly, so be sure to check the container regularly to ensure
the fruit doesn't over-ripen.
7. Clean Your Coffee and Spice Grinders
Spice and particularly coffee grinders have
a horrible habit of picking up plenty of dirt, grease and dust over
time. Rice, however, rises to the rescue once more, because if you run
half a cup through the grinder, it will remove any grimy build ups. You
will need to grind the rice until it is pulverized - and as an added
bonus it will help sharpen the edges of the blades too.
8. Stop Salt from Clumping
If you live in a humid country, sticky salt can be a particularly
annoying problem and may create a battle between you and the shaker to
season your food (the battle usually ends with you having to take the
lid off and sprinkle it with your fingers). There is a good reason why
restaurants put grains of rice in with salt - because it solves the
problem, while costing next to nothing!
9. Give Tarnished Silver a Shine
Keeping tarnish on your silver pieces to a
minimum is a must if you want to avoid a hefty polishing job further
down the line. You can help protect your cutlery and trinkets by keeping
a small container of rice in the place where you store them. It will
help draw the moisture away from the silver and keep it sparkling!
10. Make a Pet Toy
If your cat is taking too much of a liking to your precious ornaments,
then keep him or her distracted with a rice toy. Make a small satchel
from spare fabric, fill it up with a mixture of rice and catnip and sew
it back up. Throw it to the cat and watch it get batted around your home
or garden with contentment!
11. Make Your Skin Glow
Most us over-estimate the amount of water
we need when cooking rice (too much is better than too little right?)
Well, that leftover water doesn't need to be sent straight down the
drain, because it can be put to very good use. Let it cool naturally,
then place it in the fridge. Use the chilly water to wash your skin and
leave it looking radiant. Brown rice gives the best results because it's
rich in vitamin E. You should use the rice-water within 3 days.
12. Make Rice Milk
Rice milk is a fantastic dairy alternative and it's really easy to make.
All you need is a cup of rice, 4 cups of filtered water and a couple of
pinches of salt. Blend the ingredients together for about 1 minute (or
until smooth). Store in the fridge and enjoy your delicious milk, cold.
13. Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm in Winter
Cold hands and feet are one of the most
maddening consequences of winter. If your home has non-carpeted sections
of flooring, it can be really horrible to put your feet down during the
coldest months, even if you are wearing socks. Never mind though,
because you can harness the warming power of rice to help you! Making
warming rice slippers and mittens is a great, fun craft project that
could really help you this winter.
14. Keep Kids Entertained
Are the kids or grand-kids at a loose end or driving you crazy? Not to
worry, keep them entertained while also encouraging their creativity,
with the use of rice. Take an empty container, ask the children to
decorate it and then get them to fill it up with rice to make instant,
DIY maracas! That will keep them entertained for a while.
NOTE- DIY Microwavable Mitten Warmers in next post
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