Annie Watson

Annie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Ask. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book 'Healthy Eating Through the Garden' will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Annie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.

How many times should I run vinegar through my coffee maker?

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How often should you clean a coffee pot with vinegar? The short answer – For simplicity sake it’s best to just run some vinegar through a brew cycle once every month or so. You don’t have to think about it and therefore it’s easy to add this into your regular cleaning schedule.

Can vinegar damage cast iron?

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Don’t fill your cast-iron cookware with wine or vinegar. A splash for sauce or deglazing is OK, but tossing a significant amount straight into the pan undiluted will ruin your cookware, and your health.

Can you use regular bags in a trash compactor?

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According to AAA Polymer, using bags specially manufactured for trash compactors is required to withstand the immense force the compactor uses to compact the garbage. Regular trash bags were not designed for the amount of force trash compactors use.

Can you use cast iron as a baking stone?

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Cast Iron Pan Our skillet pizza cooks up in a cast iron pan on the stovetop, but you can also use a cast iron pan in the oven to produce a crispy pizza crust too. Like the baking sheet, a large cast iron skillet preheated upside down can pretty much exactly replicate a pizza stone in the oven.

How do you store bird food?

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Always store your bird seed in a cool and dry location outside of your home. Store bird seed in rodent and insect-proof containers. Never mix old seed with new seed. During periods of warm weather, store only the amount of seed that your birds can consume over a two-week period.

Does an electric water heater have a dip tube?

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Dip tubes are important to the operation of your gas or electric water heater. The dip tube is a long plastic tube that fits into the cold water inlet of the water heater and stops at about eight inches above the bottom of the tank. With a broken dip tube, it’s difficult to get enough hot water in your home.