The knowledge that accumulates over time, and experience, is many times more effective than more complex theorems solved in a laboratory. Not that it detracts from science. On the contrary, I ponder it as the only way to restore the lost balance on Earth, but I recognize that it still does not explain all of man’s conflicts nor does it offer all the answers to the simple problems —but difficult to solve— that we women face in our daily life.
It is in those moments when we need that advice from our grandmothers who carry the unquestionable guarantee of their lived years. Here I leave you some, which although they are varied, have defied the passage of time and technological advances.
Old tricks from home
If you have bought a new slab with colored designs, wash them with water and vinegar. This trick is not just to clean them, but to remove any lead residue left over from painting. Lead is one of the metals harmful to human health.
Never clean marble floors with chlorine or another abrasive product because you will remove their shine. They are shiny if you do it with soapy water and then rinse them. And for the preparation of this water (it also works wonderfully when washing white pieces), dilute soap chips in hot water and that’s it.
If the water does not flow freely and forcefully from your shower check the little holes in the shower because it usually happens that they get clogged with magnesium salts, and others that are dissolved in the water. Unscrew the watering can and if it is metal, boil it for 15 minutes in a ratio of ½ cup of vinegar to four cups of water. If it is plastic and does not withstand hot water, leave it overnight in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
When the rain soaks you and your shoes wet, fill them with tightly wrinkled newspaper, put them to dry in a cool and shaded place, away from any source of heat. This way they won’t warp. By the way, boil some eucalyptus leaves and drink the slightly sweetened infusion. That will serve to cut the cold.
If you are going to use spices such as cumin and coriander, their flavor will stand out more if you pass them through hot oil before adding them to the food.
And since we are in the kitchen, it is important to know when to add salt to each dish. Soups, stews, stews and casseroles are given their “touch” at the beginning of cooking; to meats, when they are half done or immediately after removing them from the heat; and to legumes, viands and vegetables, in the water in which