This Brilliant Hack Will Make Your Cheese Last Longer

...And more thrifty ways to put a pantry staple to work all around the house.

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butter hacks - stop cheese from getting mold
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Use butter to keep mould off cheese

Why waste good cheese by letting the cut edges get hard or mouldy? Give semi-hard cheeses a light coat of butter to keep them fresh and free of mould. Each time you use the cheese, coat the cut edge with butter before you rewrap it and put it back in the fridge.

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butter hacks - get sap off of hands
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Remove sap from skin using butter

You’ve just gotten home from a pleasant walk in the woods, but your hand is still covered with sticky tree sap that feels like it will never come off. Don’t worry. Just rub butter on your hand and the gunky black sap will wash right off with soap and water.

You’re not just imagining it: Find out why Canadian butter is harder than it used to be.

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butter hacks - remove marks from a doll
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Zap ink stains on a doll’s face

Uh-oh, one of the kids used a pen to draw a new smile on that favourite doll’s face. Try eliminating the marks by rubbing butter on them and leaving the doll face-up in the sun for a few days. Wash it off with soap and water.

Discover 13 cleaning hacks that take the hassle out of housekeeping.

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butter hacks - cut sticky foods cleanly
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Cut sticky foods with ease

Rub butter on your knife or scissor blades before cutting sticky foods like dates, figs, or marshmallows. The butter will act as a lubricant and keep the food from sticking to the blades. Brilliant!

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butter hacks - stop a pot boiling over
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Prevent pots from boiling over

You take your eye off the pasta for two seconds, and the next thing you know, the pot is boiling over onto the stovetop. Keep the boiling water in the pot next time by adding half a tablespoon of butter or rubbing the butter around the top of the pot.

Here are more kitchen hacks that will change the way you cook.

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butter hacks - swallow a pill more easily
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Help the medicine go down

If you have a hard time swallowing pills, especially large ones, coat them lightly with butter first. This should help the pill slide down your throat.

Check out 10 home remedies that are actually backed by science.

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butter hacks - lubricate a hinge
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Fix a squeaky door

Butter makes a surprising but effective substitute for WD-40 when you’re looking to take the squeak out of a noisy door. Simply rub the butter on the door hinge. This lubricates the metal to stop the squeak.

These genius home hacks will stretch your decorating dollar.

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Butter hacks - remove gum from hair
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Get gum out of hair

You’ve undoubtedly heard that peanut butter can get sticky gum out of hair, but its peanut-less hack can work the same magic. Rub the butter over the gum, letting it absorb into the hair before trying to slide the gum out.

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Butter hacks - tame frizzy hair
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Use butter to treat dry hair

If your hair has turned dry and brittle, a small amount of butter can return it to its glossy shine. Massage the butter into your hair, then cover your hair with a shower cap for about a half hour. Shampoo as usual, and rinse all the butter out.

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Butter hacks - make ghee
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Make ghee

Ghee is butter that has been clarified, so only the pure butterfat remains. Since the milk solids have been removed, you don’t need to refrigerate it. Try this recipe for ghee, and you can use it as a butter substitute in slow-cooking recipes and high-heat dishes, since it has a higher smoke point than regular butter or cooking oils.

Discover more cooking hacks to save time (and money) in the kitchen.

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12 Ways You Didn't Know You Could Use Butter
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Upgrade your coffee

Odd as it may sound, some coffee drinkers add butter to their coffee instead of milk or cream. It’s particularly popular with people on the keto diet, which stresses high-fat, low-carb meals. Some nutritionists are skeptical, but others say the fats in the butter can actually help keep you fuller longer.

Considering a carb-reduced diet? Add these 30 low-carb recipes to your repertoire.

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Butter hacks - remove a stuck ring
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Remove stuck rings with butter

Whether your fingers have swelled up from the heat or you just wanted to wear a cute ring that you know doesn’t quite fit, you’re now stuck—literally—with a ring that won’t budge. Cover the ring with butter before carefully sliding it off your finger.

Now that you’re familiar with these butter hacks, check out 40 amazing new uses for aluminum foil.

Reader's Digest
Originally Published on Reader's Digest

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