Bringing your lunch to work doesn't always have to involve boring brown paper bags and plastic ziplocks. If you want to avoid crushing your homemade bagel sandwich on the way to work, store it in a CD spindle case. Tired of stealing ketchup packets from food courts? Place you ...more
Don't toss out those cardboard tubes just yet. Whenever you have one leftover from a roll of paper towels, toilet paper, or wrapping paper, hang on to it, because it's got some great DIY potential. Cardboard tubes of all sizes can be handy for a variety of uses, from storing ...more
Just as how plastic grocery bags have many amazing reuses if you have a whole bunch of them stocked up in your home, the same goes for their papery counterparts as well. Paper grocery bags are pretty super-useful no matter what size they come in. You can use small paper groce ...more
In my opinion, the greatest food hacks are the ones that help you cut way, way down on dishwashing. That's especially true when it comes to baked goods, which usually involves dirtying up a couple of mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, some kind of stirring implement, and ...more
Today I'm going to show you 7 easy ways to organize your room. They are really simple and cheap so I hope you find them useful! Video: . USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE The first thing you need to remember is to use what you already have, for example: space! There can be some usef ...more
For those of us with small children, bath time can be very fun. Kids usually love splashing about and playing with their toys in the water! One thing they don't love however, is getting water in their eyes or on their face. Every parent has been through it. You go to rinse th ...more
Salad greens are a staple in my house and for good reason: they're cheap, nutritious, and work as a base or an accompaniment for almost all meals. However, it's all too easy to forget about them and then pull out a bag filled with sludgy dark goo or yellow, inedible leaves. T ...more
If you're like most people, you probably wish you had more space in your home. With a few clever organizing hacks, you can free up more space in your living space and feel more in control of where and how you store your possessions. Use a tension rod in your sink cabinet to c ...more
Nothing signals the end of fall and the start of winter like hot, seasonal drinks. And while pumpkin spice lattes may be the flavor of the day, and eggnog the Christmas favorite, one seasonal drink stands apart in my eyes: mulled cider. Homemade mulled cider is perfect: sweet ...more
When given the choice between canned and dried beans, many of us are guilty of reaching for cans. They're much more convenient than investing 5-6 hours of your time to make dried beans edible. Unfortunately, while canned beans are convenient, they're certainly not better. The ...more
Nothing about living in a snowy climate is easy, but life with a snowy, frozen car doesn't have to be the worst part of your day. With a few clever hacks and some anti-weather tactics, you can fight off frozen windshields, icy locks, and even stubborn car doors, while keeping ...more
My father never cooked a meat without some kind of marinade. He always used a slew of ingredients: salt, pepper, Season-All, Cajun seasoning, vinegar, olive oil, liquid smoke, Worcestershire, hot sauce, onions, lemons... I'm pretty sure this isn't a complete list, but I've hon ...more
I've had a thing against bananas ever since Mario Kart; not only do I believe it's the worst weapon in the game, but it's also a very funny-looking food. Nevertheless, bananas are a great source of potassium, and I can't overlook that. But bananas are fragile, so you have to ...more
All day I dream of eggs: scrambled, poached, over easy, hard-boiled, fried, baked, raw... Okay, the last one is a joke (unless you're Gaston, which means that you eat five dozen of them and you're roughly the size of a barge). But eggs are freaking good in just about any cooki ...more
Unless you're a pretty avid home cook, you probably don't know a lot about sous vide. Sous vide is a low-temperature cooking method where food is cooked in vacuum-sealed plastic bags in a water bath for a prolonged period of time. Sous vide machines are used mostly in high-en ...more
War leaves a lot of stuff behind. Torn families, delegitimized institutions, mass graves, and unexploded ordinances litter the post occupation landscape. Whether or not you have driven the imperialist out, or are still in the phase of armed resistance, you will need the abilit ...more
Most of us have conducted an investigatory science project without even knowing it, or at least without knowing that's what it was called. Most science experiments performed, from elementary to high school students and all the way up to professional scientists, are investigato ...more
Every year I wait until the last minute to wrap Christmas presents. I always tell myself I'm going to get it done ahead of time, but it never happens. And the worst thing that can happen when you put it off is running out of Scotch tape. If you find yourself in this predicame ...more
Brining is magic. All you have to do is make a mild saline solution, toss in your protein of choice, let it soak, and cook. You end up with incredibly tender, flavorful meat or tofu for very little effort. So why aren't more of us doing it? Pork chops soaking in a brine of sug ...more
Marinades are among my all-time favorite tricks as a cook for several reasons. They're easy like Sunday morning, they let time do what it's supposed to, which is work for you, and you get a huge return for relatively little effort on your part. In a pinch, I've used store-bou ...more
Cookbook author, celebrity chef, television personality, and former White House nuclear policy analyst Ina Garten is familiar to many as the queen of foolproof cooking. Also known as the Barefoot Contessa, Ina hones in on techniques and tips that make time in the kitchen far l ...more
Cake decorating is one of those activities that used to leave my hands sticky and my spirits dampened. No matter what I seemed to do, the final result always ended up looking like a preschool art project. Thankfully, I've discovered a few tips that make the whole mess a bit m ...more
Vacuum sealers keep food fresher longer by first removing the air from plastic food preservation bags and heat sealing the bag to keep air out. They have rapidly become a popular way to keep your frozen food fresh. They have one big problem, though. Vacuum sealers can get qui ...more
In the case of rotting food, microbes are not our friends. Now, scientists have developed a new food wrap coated with tiny clay tubes packed with an antibacterial essential oil that can extend the shelf life of perishable food, so we can waste less and eat more. "While compan ...more
The point of ice in your cocktail is to make it cold, right? Yes and no. Obviously, ice does lower the temperature of your cocktail, but it also does other things: enhances certain flavors while masking others (handy if you're drinking less than stellar booze or wine). As Sim ...more
Are you feeling flu-like symptoms that involve fever, headache, muscle pains, vomiting, and a skin rash? Take a glass cup and press the glass surface against your skin. If the rash doesn't fade under pressure like a normal skin rash, then you are suffering from meningitis and ...more
Plastic bread clips, which are primarily used to keep bread bags closed, can also be used to add new life to your old flip-flops, scrape gunk off your nonstick pans, keep matching socks together before laundering, label your cable cords, and more. Want to make a DIY scrubber ...more
Tim Hawkinson is an artist who truly inspires. The Los Angeles based artist creates complex, whimsical sculptures with simple mechanics and basic materials. One of his most notable pieces is the art-world-renowned "Uberorgan", a giant football field sized, fully-automated bag ...more
Air mattresses are great when you have guests sleeping over or want to camp in total comfort, but air mattress pumps are a different story. An electric one is loud and doesn't do much good at the campsite, while a manual one is easily broken or forgotten about. Luckily, there ...more
There's no reason to wait for Halloween to play with dry ice. It definitely creates a creepy fog-like effect when you add a little water to it, but there are some other really cool things you can do wit dry ice. Here are just 5 non-Halloween ways to use dry ice for tricks or p ...more
Cheese is one of the most loved foods in the world, and there are hundreds of different types. Some prefer super expensive gourmet cheeses, others are fine with the cheaper processed stuff. Whether it's an imported wedge from the cheese counter or pre-sliced from the deli, yo ...more
The bread at your local supermarket will most likely always be fresh, but how do you know which loaf is the freshest out of the bunch? You can squeeze and inspect them like an annoying TSA agent, but there's actually a much simpler way to do it. I used to just inspect the bre ...more
Lemons are often displayed as a bright and beautiful pop of color in many home kitchen displays. They lend a lovely scent to the air and an aesthetic sense of freshness to any setting. Therefore, it would be easy to assume that lemons are best left at room temperature. Don't ...more
The microwave oven is a monumental technological achievement that's saved college students and single people from starvation for decades. Almost 97% of all American households have one, which makes it the most-owned kitchen appliance in US homes right after the refrigerator. ...more
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive. End ...more
You don't have to own a Cricut, several volumes of themed scrapbooking paper, pinking shears, and ribbons in each color of the rainbow to call yourself a crafter. More complicated crafts do call for this kind of deep and expensive preparation, but the craft presented in this v ...more
This tutorial video will help you learn how to make an adorable card that will get lots of oooo's and aaaah's. This cute card will surely impress all your friends, an you'll have a bunch of fun making it.
How heavy is a plastic bag? Not very heavy at all, but in order to use a plastic bag to help me karate chop a thin wooden stick, I don't need weight—I need air pressure. Below, the "Quick Clip" demonstrates the power of air pressure via the vacuum created between a plastic bag ...more
This method is quick, easy, looks beautiful and does not require any equipment beyond a plastic bag and a pair of scissors. Step 1: Cut the Corner of Your Bag Choose the style of flower that you want to pipe and cut you plastic bag according to the instructions shown in the ...more
It’s called Urophagia—the art of consuming urine. There could be any number of reasons for having the desire to drink your own urine (or somebody else’s). There’s the so-called term “urine therapy,” which uses human urine as an alternative medicine. In urine therapy, or uropat ...more
Make this Valentine's Day one to remember! Well... because you forgot. But don't worry, you can still make that heart pitter-patter for your love by saving face and getting some last minute Valentine gift ideas on the cheap. There's no reason to shop at Hallmark or buy expens ...more
It's that time a year when winter storms begin causing havoc across the United States, and when "rotating outages" are common to help sustain the electrical grid during intense cold periods. That means pretty much anybody with snow and ice in their backyard can succumb to powe ...more
It's been done for ages, but for most of us, "regift" entered our vocabulary after the 98th episode of Seinfeld—"The Label Maker." In this episode, Elaine calls Dr. Whatley (played by Bryan Cranston) a "regifter" after he gives Jerry a label maker—the same label maker that Ela ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make a desiccator bag for drying chemicals with Dr. Lithium. The complete guide to making a desiccator bag for thoroughly drying hygroscopic chemicals. Some chemicals are hygroscopic, meaning they absorb water from th ...more
I decided to make a quick banner for my RC plane. It was basically free, but you might need to get a few materials if you don't have them. My plane is a Hobbyzone Champ, which is a hardy but tiny plane, weighing only 1.3 ounces with the battery. My how-to is modeled after this ...more
Nextraker has another great prank for you to pull at home— the pillow prank. You'll need the plastic bag from a loaf of bread and some shaving cream. Just fill the plastic sandwich bag up with shaving cream, as much as you can, and twist the end to close the bag. Then, tuck i ...more
In order to make chapati atta dough in bulk, you will need 20 lbs. bag of flour, Place 1.5 cups of flour in the food processor. Add ¼ tsp salt and 1 T. of oil. Mix well. Slowly add 1/2 cup of warm water to the food processor while it begins to form a ball. Kneed it into a ba ...more
If you need to paint the screw heads you can do it without making a mess. If you try to hold them in your fingers and paint them you will get paint all over your fingers. Now you don't have to do that. Take a plastic shopping bag and cut the bottom off of it. Take that bottom ...more
If you're not a fan of warm or hot carrots, it's probably because you haven't tried the right ones. These oven-roasted carrots are sure to change your mind about warmed up carrots. This recipe from Katie Barszcz is almost dessert-like, which makes it the perfect side dish for ...more
Benson Trenh and Mark Norris show viewers how to build a bottle rocket using common household items. To build this creation you will need tape, a hole puncher, scissors and string. Also use a black plastic bag, or any color, for the parachute! Cut the black plastic bag into a ...more
Are you planning on throwing a memorable Halloween party this year? Give your party invitees a taste (literally) of the treats they'll be experiencing at the bash by including a cookie with your invitation. These Halloween party cookie invites include a small card attached to ...more
Recently gained some weight (or lost a few pounds after getting yourself hooked on an intense exercise routine)? We've all been there, and know that your clothes probably aren't fitting the way they used to. But don't just throw your outdated threads into a plastic bag and tos ...more
Why spend money on a commercial ice pack when you can make one at home in minutes? Whether you're thinking ahead for eventual accidents or aches or you're in the midst of a first aid emergency, the quick and simple ice pack in this how-to video will help ease your pain. All yo ...more
All of us know how hard it is to remove gum stuck on our clothes. Luckily, you do not have to throw that garment away just yet. Watch this video on how to remove gum from clothes using some ice, a knife and a small plastic bag.
A simple multitouch pad made from a plastic bag, some dyed water, and a camera.
Donnie Hoyle shows you how to fix mistakes you've made in life using Adobe Photoshop. Here he puts an unwanted rescue cat in a plastic bag and replaces its carpet shadow with an unidentifiable stain.
This easy recipe for marinated chicken will show you how to make chicken dishes that are infused with the flavors of herbs and spices. It will melt in your mouth. You will need two chicken breasts and for the marinade you will need lemon juice, orange juice, minced garlic clov ...more
You've got the basic recipe. Now learn all the different ways you can decorate those holiday sugar cookies like a pro. You will need: specialty decorating items sugar cookie dough cookie cutters cookie sheets currants, chopped nuts, assorted candy eggs food coloring liquid an ...more
There's nothing better than the sweet taste of strawberries and the indulgence of chocolate, which makes these chocolate-covered strawberries a real treat! Maria shows you how to make these elegant sweets, and her technique for making these beautifully decorated chocolate-dipp ...more
This is a video tutorial in the Education category where you are going to learn how to make a miniature vortex cannon. For this you will need normal plastic drinking cup, punching bag type balloon, black electrical tape, lighter, candle, scissors and a drill. Drill a hole in t ...more