To render more juice from a lemon, warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds on high power.

If soup is too salty, add a tsp each of cider vinegar and sugar, or a whole peeled raw potato. Leave the potato in the soup and serve from around it.

When making meringue, always have the egg whites at room temperature, and be sure they are free of any trace of yolk. Make sure the bowl and beaters are spotless and totally free of grease.

To deodorize jars, pour in a solution of 1 tbs of dry mustard and 1 gallon of warm water. to deodorize plastic containers, wad up newspaper, place it in the containers, cover, and let sit overnight.

If you have overbaked your cake layers, make a simple syrup of 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 tsp vanilla; boil for 3-5 minutes, then brush the cake layers with syrup on both sides until they are “revived”.

When baking a pie, if you find your crust is browning too fast, wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edge of the pie to slow down the browning.

When picking crabmeat free of bits of shell, spread the crabmeat in a thin layer on a baking sheet and place it in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to see the bits of shell.

When making muffins, avoid overmixing. Use a spoon to mix the batter; never use an electric mixer.

To slice a cheesecake without a lot of mess, use a piece of dental floss a few inches longer than the diameter of the cake. Wrap the floss around your fingers tightly and press down through the cake. Release one end of the floss and pull through the cake. repeat until the entire cake is sliced.

Find yourself with more eggs than you can use before the expiration date? Break the eggs into ice cube trays, separating the white into one cube and the yolk into another cube, mixing with a pinch of salt or sugar per yolk. 3 tbs of beaten egg equals 1 whole egg; 2 tbs of egg white plus 1 tbs of yolk equal 1 large egg. Cover and freeze for future use, up to 1 month.