Dear Heloise: This may be a hint that many are aware of already, but it is new to me: freezing entire bulbs of garlic. I never realized how much easier it makes the garlic to peel, because the skin falls right off! It's also easier to slice when it's so cold. Finally, you can remove as many cloves as you need and simply refreeze the rest for use another day. No more wasted garlic that has gone bad.-Ellen P., via email
You can freeze garlic bulbs (whole), or you can chop it and wrap it in a plastic freezer-safe bag or plastic wrap. With garlic as an ingredient in so many dishes, it makes sense to keep some in the freezer.-Heloise
CANDY PICNIC
Dear Heloise: To keep the kids from eating too much candy, my wife came up with a candy picnic. After a week of one or two daily Halloween sweets, they put out a blanket, dump the bounty and eat as much as they want for 30 minutes while giggling. The remaining candy goes to work with a parent for all to share. The kids don't feel cheated, and everyone else gets a treat when they visit the office. Much better than "young me" hoarding candy until the Easter Bunny came.-Tony C., via email
SOUP STOCK
Dear Heloise: I like to make chicken and turkey stock in large quantities. I remove grease from the stock by placing slices of bread on top when the soup has slightly cooled. Once the grease is absorbed, I can lift out the bread onto a plate, grease and all.-Paula K. in Florida
CANNING HINT
Dear Heloise: When canning a product, I write the year on the lid so I know what year it was processed. When I use the product and the canning jar is empty, I save the lid. After cleaning the jar, ring and jar lid, I let it air-dry. I then replace the ring and lid on the jar. This saves the jar from getting chipped and also keeps the jar clean so that the next time I want to use the jar for canning, it requires little cleaning. At that time, I throw away the used lid.-Sandy F., St. Mary's, Pa.
SPATULA STIR
Dear Heloise: I have given up on stirring soups, spaghetti sauce and chili with a spoon. I've found that a spatula works much better at getting into the corners.-Kelly H. in Florida
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