Preventing Weevils in your Rice Container

I remember growing up that I hated to start baking only to realize that the bag of flour had weevils in it. So now my eggs are ready, so is the sugar, vanilla and what have you...but flour??? Nope...the flour had become a casualty of the food war. It really is a constant battle to keep pest out of your kitchen and pantry...you have to strategize and know how to store each item accordingly. Flour for one is something that you need to keep in a cool dry place...I don't know why this was common place growing up? Maybe the way flour was processed was different in the 90's or my home was more humid back then..I don't know but currently flour weevils are a thing of the past for me now. As for rice we never had weevils in their compared to the flour. I always remembered my mom putting fresh bay leaves in the rice container and one day out of curiosity I asked her why? After my mom with her story telling self took me "back in the day" and around the bend she finally got to the point of having bay leaf in the rice container....It prevents weevils! I'm not sure if this is a tip exclusive to the Caribbean or if its practiced elsewhere but I can say that I have never noticed weevils or any other pest in our rice container so it must be working and maybe it can work for you.

Here Are a Few More Kitchen Tips

- Store flour in storage containers in a cool dry place.

- Store food in boxes and bags on the highest shelves away from most pest.

- When storing food use a rotation system where you bring the older products to the front so that they will be used first and store newer products in the back.

- Place food to be frozen in freezer specific ziploc bags to prevent freezer burn.

- Write the date on foods to be stored in the freezer so that you have an idea of how long its been in there.

- Store vegetables in the fridge with paper towel on the bottom to absorb moisture and prevent them from rotting to quickly.

- Keep citrus away from your bananas since they cause your bananas to rotten.

- Keep your potatoes in a cool, dark, and dry place.

- If you have a fruit fly/gnat invasion a small bowl or cup of apple cider vinegar near the infestation should help the problem. 

- Never place hot food in the fridge. It raises the temperature of the refrigerator and compromises the quality of the other food inside. Can you say rotten milk?!

Quick Tips - Reconstituting Bread

You ever buy or bake a loaf of bread and have it for a day or two and it gets aerated and hard? Sometimes  that happens to me and I used to microwave it for a few seconds but I decided that there must be a way to get it as soft as the day it was baked. When I bought a sourdough loaf to make tuna sandwiches last week from trader joes it got a bit hard after a few days but I didn't want to throw it out so i decided to soften it a bit and get a toasty crust at the same time. Heres how I did it:

1- I took a skillet pan and set it over low heat. Then I took my slices of bread and drizzled a mix of grapeseed oil and water onto one side. You don't need to drench it just sprinkle about a tablespoon amount of water/oil mix for each slice. Also If you don't have Grapeseed or olive oil you can spray the slices with cooking spray and drizzle on the water.

Bread on the pan.

2 - While the bread is in the skillet the low heat will and the water in the bread will create steam to soften the bread. The oil will give your toasted bread a nice crust and additional flavor. Touch the bread and if the softness is to your liking you can raise the heat to allow the bread to toast. Flip you bread to toast the other side if desired and remove from heat. Enjoy!

Yum!