Surprising uses for potatoes
Potatoes are so versatile. You can smash, bake, slice and dice them into delicious meals or side dishes. Did you know there are quite a few other uses as well? Here are some surprising ways to use potatoes around your home:
Unscrew a broken light bulb
So you’re unaware of your own strength and you’ve accidentally broken a light bulb while trying to unscrew it. Calmly clean up the glass with a broom and dustpan or a damp paper towel and grab a potato from the kitchen. Cut it widthwise and press it into the base of the bulb that is still in your lamp. Slowly twist and the potato will gain traction in the base, allowing it to unscrew from the lamp so you can safely install a new one.
Save salty soup
Many students make mistakes while working towards their culinary certificates. That’s ok, everyone does! We’ve all accidentally over-seasoned soup only to find it tastes like salty seawater. Cut up some raw potatoes and add them to the pot while the soup cooks. Ten minutes later, remove the potatoes and you’ll have a tasty soup without too much salt. (You can leave the potatoes too, they’re delicious!)
Stamping
Decorative stamps are difficult to carve out of wood and it takes a lot of time. Store-bought stamps can be expensive and you might not have a lot of storage space to hold a big collection of them. Instead of buying one, make it! Cut a potato in half and carve your own design into it. If you want to make something bigger, use a large potato and cut it lengthwise. For a smaller stamp cut the veggie in half widthwise. You can carve into the potato, making a relief scene, or carve around the image you want to make, leaving a totally different imprint. Just be sure to be careful while carving and never face the knife blade towards yourself.
No silverware polish? No problem.
Polishing silverware for the few times you need it a year is a total hassle. Care2 uses potato power to clean its tarnished silver! Boil a few potatoes until they are ready to be mashed. Remove them from the pot and replace them with your silverware. Leave it to soak for around an hour. When time’s up, take a look at your newly shined, nearly-effortlessly polished silver. You get clean dining ware and you can use the potatoes for a mashed side dish for dinner.
