Well, I never knew that! Share your interesting info...

[Only me]

Paint can freeze and looks like solid putty. When it starts to unthaw, it goes to the consitancy of cottage cheese.

[m2kbug]

Not entirely academic, but I just recently figured out the share/not to share label on Icebreaker candy.  The "share" is on the little opening, while "not to share" is the big opening.  That seems backwards, as "share" should be the bigger opening, right?  The joke being "I'm only sharing one or two" for the small flap, and "all mine" for the larger flap where getting more mints is easier.  Turns out there is a hygienic background to this labeling.  You would think "share" should accompany the larger flap, but hygienically speaking, you don't want people's dirty fingers infecting all your candies, thus "to share" is the smaller flap where you can shake a candy or two onto the palm of their hand. 

[afbluebelle]

Not entirely academic, but I just recently figured out the share/not to share label on Icebreaker candy.  The "share" is on the little opening, while "not to share" is the big opening.  That seems backwards, as "share" should be the bigger opening, right?  The joke being "I'm only sharing one or two" for the small flap, and "all mine" for the larger flap where getting more mints is easier.  Turns out there is a hygienic background to this labeling.  You would think "share" should accompany the larger flap, but hygienically speaking, you don't want people's dirty fingers infecting all your candies, thus "to share" is the smaller flap where you can shake a candy or two onto the palm of their hand.

You just blew my mind... I always just put it with the "jerk advertising" label. It was next to the Twix "2 for Me, None for You"

[Snooks]

I only just realised that the expression "411" is because that's the number for information in the US.

[SamiHami]

German chocolate was not invented/developed in Germany. It gets its name from the American person who created it; his last name was German.

[camlan]

German chocolate was not invented/developed in Germany. It gets its name from the American person who created it; his last name was German.

And German chocolate cake is not from Germany--it was a cake recipe that used German's chocolate.

[hermanne]

Paint can freeze and looks like solid putty. When it starts to unthaw, it goes to the consitancy of cottage cheese.

Your post brought back memories. My parents used to store paint in our unheated barn.

[RebeccainGA]

Learned this one this weekend - if you wrap plastic wrap around a banana's stem, they stay fresh longer. Awesome when I buy that GIANT bunch from Sam's.

Also, one I've gotten a lot of mileage out of lately - if you pour regular table salt and a little Dawn (it works best, but I suppose others may work as well) into a cast iron skillet, use a plastic scraper (I got mine for $1 at a kitchen store) you can get all the burnt on stuff in a cast iron pan out without hurting the seasoning of the pan. I have been cooking a lot more the last few weeks, and my cast iron is getting a workout!

[sunnygirl]

Margaret Thatcher was responsible for the invention of whipped ice cream (when she was a chemist she worked on the project that ultimately developed that technology).

Napoleon was responsible for the invention of margarine (he decided to sponsor a contest to get people to come up with butter alternatives, as butter was in low supply; the only entrant came up with margarine).

[lady_disdain]

While crossing the Rubicon with an army is associated with Julius Cesar, he was, in fact, following the example of Lucius Silla (who marched on Rome twice).

[Snooks]

Learned this one this weekend - if you wrap plastic wrap around a banana's stem, they stay fresh longer. Awesome when I buy that GIANT bunch from Sam's.

Also, one I've gotten a lot of mileage out of lately - if you pour regular table salt and a little Dawn (it works best, but I suppose others may work as well) into a cast iron skillet, use a plastic scraper (I got mine for $1 at a kitchen store) you can get all the burnt on stuff in a cast iron pan out without hurting the seasoning of the pan. I have been cooking a lot more the last few weeks, and my cast iron is getting a workout!

My cast iron pan confuses me because I'm not sure how clean it's supposed to be so I just don't use it now.

[JenJay]

Learned this one this weekend - if you wrap plastic wrap around a banana's stem, they stay fresh longer. Awesome when I buy that GIANT bunch from Sam's.

Also, one I've gotten a lot of mileage out of lately - if you pour regular table salt and a little Dawn (it works best, but I suppose others may work as well) into a cast iron skillet, use a plastic scraper (I got mine for $1 at a kitchen store) you can get all the burnt on stuff in a cast iron pan out without hurting the seasoning of the pan. I have been cooking a lot more the last few weeks, and my cast iron is getting a workout!

My cast iron pan confuses me because I'm not sure how clean it's supposed to be so I just don't use it now.

Ours is all black and looks dirty but if you run your finger across the bottom it feels smooth and your finger will stay clean. Usually we just give it a rinse, rub a plastic scrubby brush or paper towel around on it and dry it by putting it on a burner set to medium until all the water has evaporated. If you have something stuck on it so badly that it needs a scrub what we've done is simmered water in it for about 5 minutes to loosen the gunk, clean it as mentioned, then rubbed a bit more grease into it before warming it to dry. I don't know if that's "right" but we've had it for years so it must not be "wrong"? 

[Geekychick1984]

When eating a banana, it's best not to pull the "tab" part of it.  You should open it from the bottom - pinch it, and you can easily pull it open.  I think that's how other primates do it.

I like doing it this way, because it's less stringy, I don't have to worry about the "tab" breaking off, and I don't have the problem of not being able to open it if it's not ripe enough.

[mmswm]

Learned this one this weekend - if you wrap plastic wrap around a banana's stem, they stay fresh longer. Awesome when I buy that GIANT bunch from Sam's.

Also, one I've gotten a lot of mileage out of lately - if you pour regular table salt and a little Dawn (it works best, but I suppose others may work as well) into a cast iron skillet, use a plastic scraper (I got mine for $1 at a kitchen store) you can get all the burnt on stuff in a cast iron pan out without hurting the seasoning of the pan. I have been cooking a lot more the last few weeks, and my cast iron is getting a workout!

My cast iron pan confuses me because I'm not sure how clean it's supposed to be so I just don't use it now.

Ours is all black and looks dirty but if you run your finger across the bottom it feels smooth and your finger will stay clean. Usually we just give it a rinse, rub a plastic scrubby brush or paper towel around on it and dry it by putting it on a burner set to medium until all the water has evaporated. If you have something stuck on it so badly that it needs a scrub what we've done is simmered water in it for about 5 minutes to loosen the gunk, clean it as mentioned, then rubbed a bit more grease into it before warming it to dry. I don't know if that's "right" but we've had it for years so it must not be "wrong"? 

Right and wrong are debatable.  The only "wrong" is to actually wash cast iron.

I re-cure my cast iron pretty much every time I use it.  After I do what's described above, I use a paper towel to put a thin layer of bacon grease on the pan and then pop it in a 200F oven for 30 minutes or so.

[VorFemme]

While crossing the Rubicon with an army is associated with Julius Cesar, he was, in fact, following the example of Lucius Silla (who marched on Rome twice).

And was married to one of his aunts or great aunts, if I recall correctly!