Tender steak

Salting steak before cooking can extract juices from beef, causing it to dry out. Season it with pepper, and wait to sprinkle with salt until after it is cooked.

Crunchy crumble topping

Give the topping a quick pre-bake. Instead of tossing it on the fruit, crumble the dough onto a greased parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Then sprinkle the nuggets over the fruit blend and bake 20 minutes more.

Low-fat garlic bread

Halve and peel a clove of garlic, then as soon as the bread is toasted, rub it with the cut clove. The heat will release the garlic’s flavor, and no added fat is required.

Preserve summer corn

Extend corn’s shelf life by stripping the ears of silk and wrapping them in foil before chilling. This keeps kernels sweet up to one week longer.

Cleaning potatoes easily

Remove any labels from a mesh bag of potatoes and run under water, using the mesh as a scrubber. It is simple, efficient and clean.

Dealing with customer service

Next time you are calling to complain about a product or service and are not getting the answer you expect from the representative, request to talk with a supervisor, manager or someone on the "executive resolution team". Many organizations have these groups in place to settle customer issues that remain unresolved even after a manager steps in.

Find a lid that fits

If you are always wasting your time searching for the right plastic lid for your plastic storage container, use a permanent marker to label each container and its top with a matching shape or number.

Make hem stitches disappear

If previous line of stitches is still visible, dip a clean white rag in a solution of equal parts distilled vinegar and water. Lay the pant cuffs on top of the damp cloth and go over the stitches with a hot iron until they vanish.