Fix for acidic tomato sauce

If your tomato sauce comes out too acid, add a pinch of baking soda to it. The alkalinity will counteract the acidity, and the sauce will end much milder-tasting.

Alternative oil thermometer

If you do not have a thermometer handy when deep-frying food, just drop a kernel of popcorn in the pan. The kernel will pop if the oil temperature is between 350F and 365F, the ideal temperature for this cooking method.

Storing leftover soup

To cool your leftover soup quickly before storing it in the refrigerator, improvise an ice stick. Fill a clean empty plastic bottle with water, place in the freezer, and use the frozen bottle to stir the soup while in the pot. The liquid will cool fast without losing flavors.