Alternate Uses For Plain White Sugar

I ran across these uses for plain white sugar in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine (which I really love because it delves deep into the how and why of cooking food – almost like a science lesson in the kitchen!). In addition to the facial scrub recipe I shared with you (which actually uses brown sugar), these are great ways to use a common household item to solve a common household problem!

As an extra bonus, do you know how to keep or make brown sugar soft again? You can either store it in a terra cotta container, add an apple slice to the bag, simply microwave it for about 30 seconds, or bake on a sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for a few minutes. Any or all of these methods work nicely.

Keep Cookies Soft

Sugar absorbs moisture, so adding several cubes of sugar (or a little pill bottle filled with sugar to your cookie jar will keep them moist, soft and chewy. This is perfect for cookies like snicker doodles or chewy chocolate chip.

Make Your Hands Smell Good

After you’ve chopped pungent ingredients such as onions or garlic, scrub your moistened hands with a bit of sugar. You may have to leave the sugar on your hands for a minute or two in order to totally get rid of the smell.

Relieve Burns

We’ve all burned our tongues on a hot food or liquid before; next time try placing your tongue on a spoonful of sugar. When the sugar crystals hit your tongue, they will begin to dissolve right away and pull out the heat.