Rice is one of the most popular cereals, and aromatic pilaf is a favorite food of many. But not everyone knows that it is suitable not only for cooking. We will tell you about the ways of using rice for other purposes, which can be useful on the farm.
1. Save the smartphone-"drowned man"
In the case when the smartphone has suddenly “headlong” bathed in a puddle or bath and there is no way at the moment to contact the service center, you can try to dry it by immersing it in a bag with dry rice. This cereal has good absorption properties and will absorb moisture that has seeped into the machine. A previously injured smartphone must be dismantled: the battery, as well as SIM and memory cards are removed. Not only the apparatus itself is placed in a bag with rice, but also the battery, and the container is hermetically sealed. Drying takes 2-3 days, while the smartphone needs to be turned over from time to time.
Useful information from Novate.ru: This method does not guarantee a complete resuscitation of electronics, it will only slow down the appearance of corrosion, so the smartphone must still be brought to the service center. Moreover, the apparatus is unlikely to fall into distilled water, and all other liquids contain various impurities. And after drying, they will settle on the board and destroy the contacts.
2. Protect spices from moisture
When storing spices, moisture is unacceptable - this shortens their shelf life and changes the texture from crumbly to lumpy. Therefore, it is highly undesirable to pour seasonings into a saucepan or frying pan directly from the bag, in order to avoid moisture from fumes entering the package. It is better to take the right amount of spices with a dry knife or spoon. If the seasonings are still lumpy, add some raw rice. The grains will draw in moisture and the spices will regain good flowability.
3. Protect tools from corrosion
When storing any tools, be it handheld or electric, it is important to keep the workshop dry. Otherwise, even a simple rasp can quickly rust and the electric drill fail. Rice can be used as a desiccant in workshops by placing a small bag of dry cereal in a toolbox. Periodically, once every 2-3 months, the cereals are changed to fresh. Hand tools that are prone to corrosion can be stored immediately in a jar of rice.
4. Clean the grinder
During use, the grinder inevitably absorbs oils from the coffee beans being ground. Over time, they decompose, the bowl of the appliance acquires an unpleasant odor and this impairs the taste of the coffee. A quick, effective and inexpensive way to tidy up your grinder is to grind dry rice in it. The grains will not only cleanse and deodorize the bowl, but also sharpen the dull knives or millstones of the apparatus. Similarly, you can clean and sharpen other devices: blender, spice grinders.
5. Accelerate the ripening of fruits
Unripe fruits are left at room temperature until they reach the desired condition. But you can speed up the ripening if you "bury" them in dry rice. This method came to us from Indian housewives and is based on the property of rice to release ethylene, the so-called "ripeness" hormone. Fruit placed in a container with cereals should be checked regularly, at least once a day, in order to prevent over-ripening and spoilage.
6. Make a heating pad
Rice, like salt, keeps heat well and cools slowly, which makes it an excellent filler for a heating pad. All you need is to sew a small bag and fill it with cereals. It heats up quickly in the microwave, and can be useful in different situations: for warming up procedures for colds, to relieve muscle pain, or as a regular heating pad when the room is cold and the heating has not yet been turned on. Likewise, a bag of rice can be used as a cooling compress by placing it in the freezer.
7. Determine the oil temperature
If you are not sure that the deep-frying oil is hot enough, you can use a few grains of dry rice as an indicator. If they drown, then the oil is not hot enough. If the rice grains immediately float up and the oil starts to bubble, you can begin to fry the food.
8. Clean dishes of irregular shapes
Vessels of non-traditional shapes can be difficult to clean clean from the inside, and even a special brush does not help, since it does not reach all the recesses. In this situation, rice will also help out, which will serve as an abrasive agent. 1-2 tablespoons of cereal are poured into the dishes (depending on the size of the container) and warm water with a detergent is added. The neck is closed and the vessel is shaken vigorously many times, trying to get the grains into all the recesses.
9. Bake even cakes
Deformation of the dough during baking is a common phenomenon: it blows up in bubbles and slides off the walls of the container. To keep the cakes and bases for baskets in shape, they are baked "under load". The dough is distributed over the container, pricked with a fork and covered with a sheet of parchment paper. The form is filled with dry rice, which becomes "oppression", and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Then the paper with cereals is removed, and the dough is baked until tender.
Helpful advice: Used rice is no longer suitable for cooking, but it can be poured into a jar and reused again as a weight for baking.
10. Make air fresheners
The absorbent and deodorizing properties of rice make it an excellent base for air flavors. It is very simple to make them: add 20 drops of any essential oil (or mixture of oils) to half a glass of dry cereal, mix well, pour into a beautiful jar and put in the room. From time to time, the rice is shaken to enhance the aroma and periodically changed to a new one, about once every 3-5 months.
11. Color the egg
One of the interesting ways to paint eggs for Easter is based on the use of rice. Dry cereals are laid out in containers or bags, liquid dye of different colors is added and shaken vigorously so that all the grains are evenly colored. Next, boiled eggs, still hot or at least warm, are laid out in containers with colored rice, shaken again so that they are completely covered with cereals and left for a while until the pattern is fixed on the shell. After that, the rice is carefully removed and nice variegated eggs are obtained.
12. "Draw" with grains
Rice is an excellent material for children's creativity. It can be painted in a variety of colors, and little ones can “paint” pictures by applying glue to paper and spreading grains. Children are happy to tinker with cereals, and this contributes to the development of motor skills and sensation in the child.
13. Make a knife stand
Rice grains look beautiful and with their help you can make an original knife holder that will play both a functional and aesthetic role. For crafts, you will need a tall transparent container. A layer of glue is poured onto the bottom - it will fix the lower grains and protect the ends of the knives from dulling. Then rice is poured into the container and that's it, the work on creating the stand is finished.
14. Take care of your skin
In the cosmetic traditions of Southeast Asia, rice water takes pride of place. It is used for cleansing the face, rinsing hair, and as a base for various masks. Rice baths are very popular, softening and smoothing the skin. For the procedure, the grains are crushed using a coffee grinder or blender. Two tablespoons of rice powder are placed in a nylon bag (or sock), dipped in a hot bath and shaken well until a white suspension appears. They soak in water until it cools down, and at the end of the session with rice powder from a bag they cleanse the body like a scrub, gently rubbing it over the skin.
There are also tips, how not to deny yourself the usual dishes, but not to gain weight.