03/01/12

Pastry chefs say it's best to roll dough, make chocolates and do baking prep work on marble countertops since it stays cool to the touch. If you don't have a marble countertop and don't want to make the investment, head to the scrap heap. Countertop fabricators often have slabs of marble waste left over from the holes they cut to fit sinks when installing new countertops. Those slabs can be purchased for a few dollars -- or you can get them for free if you become friendly with your local fabricator.

02/29/12

There are lots of compost bins you can buy at the store that feature tight-fitting lids, pretty designs and integrated carbon filters to absorb odors. However, instead of buying one, you can always repurpose an old stockpot into a compost bin. A stainless steel one works best since it can be washed, but any pot with a tight lid will work to keep odors and insects at bay. If you don't have a stockpot available, you can typically find used ones at any thrift store.

02/28/12

Who knew that those little cable boxes in our homes could eat up more power than a refrigerator or air conditioner? Since the cable box is on full-tilt power 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it uses a lot of power; add in DVRs and non-Energy Star-rated TVs, and you've got a recipe for energy disaster. The best solution is to turn them off: Plug the TV and cable box into a power strip and power it down every night before bed. Flip the switch in the morning -- it should only take 45 seconds for the whole system to reboot -- to cut down on energy savings by a third.