Have you ever scorch a pan when using it for steaming something? You totally walked away and easily let the pan run out of water, causing a very dangerous situation. Here is a good tip to help you remember. Before cooking, place a few glass marbles at the bottom of the pan, add the water and the steamer basket, cover and cook as usual. When he water level drops too low, the marbles will begin to rattle around and the noise will remind you that it’s time to add more water to the pan.

How about if you want that pot of water to boil faster? Unless you have a new stove with the wonders of a quick boil burner, you are out of luck. Specially if you are trying to bring a large pot of water to boil. This one I learned from my nana. She would add a spoon to the pot of water to be boil. And by magic, the water would boil faster. I have tested this many times and the pot with the spoon in it will ALWAYS begin to boil faster.

So, it’s hot - but, now you want it to chill it faster? Most of us make soups and stew and then would like to store it for the next day. But, we need to bring it to room temperature before we can store it in the refrigerator. How about a beverage bottle to your rescue? Yes, fill a beverage bottle with water, seal it and freeze it. When you need to quick chill that soup/stew, use the frozen bottle to stir the soup or stew in the pot; the ice inside the bottle will cool down the soup/stew rapidly without diluting it.