Archive for 2010
Pure Vanilla Extract is 35% Alcohol
I made vanilla crème brulée a few weeks ago and I used a lot of pure vanilla extract, almost twice the amount the recipe suggested. I did a Grand Marnier flambé on top and although it tasted great, the best part was the excuse to buy a blowtorch.
Now, when you buy something labeled “pure”, you expect it to match the definition of pure, “unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.” But, that’s not what you get with pure vanilla extract.
In the United States, the FDA requires Pure Vanilla Extract to contain alcohol if it’s going to be called “pure.” Specifically, it must contain at least 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon.
It turns out this is not a rip off, alcohol actually helps extract the flavor from the vanilla beans. Not only that, vanilla extract gets better with age, maturing in about 2 years.
Alcohol free versions are available, but will not be labeled as “pure.”
Broken Secrets | Written By: Chad Upton
Sources: dictionary.com, wikipedia, FDA, Arizona Vanilla
Photo: Jocelyn | McAuliflower (cc)
Use Your Watch as a Compass
I remember in third grade science class, my teacher asked for a helper who had a watch with a second hand. I volunteered because my watch had two hands, the first one and the second one. I was really embarrassed when she explained that the second hand was actually a third hand that measured seconds.
Watches are more jewelry than necessity these days. Many young people don’t wear watches because their cell phone keeps the time. But, if you do have an analog watch, you can use it as a compass. If you don’t have an analog watch, you can draw one in the dirt or picture it in your mind.
Let’s say you’re lost in the woods, or maybe you’re just lost on Wood street in Chicago. You know it’s getting close to dinner time and you were going to meet your friend by the lake for dinner. You know the lake is East, but you don’t know which way that is. So, you think back to this post on BrokenSecrets.com. (more…)
Start Your Lawn Mower in One Pull
If your mower is hard to start or runs rough, this secret is for you.
I get a lot of these secrets from my dad and he gave me this one last spring. My mower ran a little rough and it took a couple hard pulls to get it going. Within a few starts after this secret, it was starting with one easy pull.
The secret is pretty simple: use premium gasoline!
I know what you’re thinking, “I’m not made of money!” But, this is a very affordable experiment to try. In your car, it costs significantly more to use premium fuel, so you’re probably not going to use it unless you have a high performance car that requires it. But, the fuel your lawn mower burns might only cost a few extra dollars per year for premium.
The benefits to your mower are as easy as 1, 2, 3:
- Starts easier
- Runs smoother
- Lasts longer
The proof is in the pull. Now that it starts easily and runs smoothly, I know it’s going to last longer and that’s worth a few more dollars per year.
The same applies to your car. If your car engine runs rough, you should give mid-grade or premium fuel a try. Your engine may sound noticeably better, idle smoother and start much easier too. If not, then it’s a waste of money.
In fact, the FTC says that premium fuel is a waste of money unless your car requires it or runs rough without it. If neither your mower nor car engine improve with premium fuel, then stop using it.
Broken Secrets
Written By: Chad Upton
Photo: yewenyi (cc)
Sources: Louisiana.gov, FTC
Stop Cords from Falling Behind Your Desk
At some point, everyone with a rechargeable gadget will curse gravity as the cord falls behind their desk. This is extremely annoying, mostly because you never want to go under your desk if you don’t have to; although, you’ll probably find some other lost treasures when you do.
A friend shared this secret with me recently and it blew my mind: use binder clips to catch the cables.
I bought a pack of Medium Binder Clips at Staples (24 @ $2.79) and I weaved my cables through — they work perfectly. If your cable slides through easily, you may need to tie a very loose knot in the cable or even better, put a couple zip-ties around the cable to stop it from falling through.
Broken Secrets | Written By: Chad Upton
Caffeine Makes Headache Medicine Work Faster
Not all, but some medicine actually contains caffeine to make it work faster, particularly headache relief medications.
I went to CVS pharmacy and snapped this picture of their headache relief formula.
As you can see, the main ingredients are acetaminophen (aka “Tylenol”) and Aspirin. But, there is a significant amount of caffeine too.
At 65 mg, that’s about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. Caffeine allows faster absorption of these drugs and makes them 40% more effective according to Web MD. That means you don’t need to take as much, saving you some money and reduces side effects.
Although it reduces the amount of painkiller you need to take, it raises the amount of caffeine you consume. This creates a slight risk of additional headaches due to caffeine withdrawal when you stop. Be sure to read the package directions and not take more than recommended.
Broken Secrets | Written By: Chad Upton
Sources: Web MD, International Coffee Organization, WP Caffeine, WP Codeine,
Extend the Life of Printer Ink Cartridges
If you’ve got an ink jet printer then you’re likely spending a lot of money on ink. Most of these printers use expensive and sophisticated ink cartridges. These cartridges monitor usage and estimate the amount of ink remaining. The estimate is usually conservative, meaning it indicates you are out of ink before you’re really out of ink.
If you reset this memory then you can keep printing until the cartridge is actually empty. Depending on the brand and model of cartridge, this reset is actually really easy. If you look above the small circuit board on the cartridge, there is sometimes a pinhole reset button, kind of like the paperclip eject hole on most cd rom drives.
Check out the following video to see a demonstration.
I should also note that not all cartridges can be reset in this way. Here are a couple of sites that show other methods of resetting some cartridges.
Doing a cartridge reset is also useful if you refill your own cartridges, since the cartridge may report that it’s empty even after you refill it. If you do a lot of color printing, you may consider generic cartridges or even a continuous ink system:
I should also mention that laser printers have become extremely cheap. I rarely print in color, so a black and white laser printer is very cost effective for me. When I need to print photos, there are lots of drug stores or department stores that do a great job for a low price. If I need to print color documents, there are many great places to get that done at a reasonable price too. With a $100 laser printer, you’re often able to print thousands of pages of text on the toner cartridge that is included.
Big thanks to Derek Santos for sending the video and inspiring this post.
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Hot Dog Etiquette
Summer is fast approaching and I know everyone is looking forward to lots of weekend barbecues, parking lot tailgates and company picnics. It’s always fun when there is plenty of beer, brats and BBQ sauce.
But it can also be serious; some outdoor cooks are very protective of their secret sauce and grilling technique. To lighten things up, here’s a secret you can share with everyone.
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) has published a guide to hot dog etiquette. According to the American Meat Institute, the NHDSC website “is a fun, practical informational resource to consumers…” (more…)
Aluminum Foil Retainers
Aluminum foil is amazing when you think about it.
It’s indispensable in the kitchen and all the good Halloween costumes require it. So, it’s no surprise there are a lot of aluminum foil secrets. For example, most people don’t realize there is a proper use for aluminum foil in the microwave, the FDA even has guidelines for it.
But, there is one aluminum foil secret that everyone needs to know about: the aluminum foil retainers. There are perforated retainer tabs on the side of the aluminum foil box. When pushed in, these tabs hold the roll in place while you unroll it.
Maybe it’s too much to ask, but I wish they pre-pushed these tabs at the factory — I went years without noticing them. Then again, maybe it’s the manufacturer’s inside joke; now that has been foiled.
Broken Secrets | Written By: Chad Upton
Photo: redbell20j
The Gas Arrow
Rent, borrow or commandeer an unfamiliar car and you’ll need to gas it up eventually.
You know your own car like the back of your TV remote, but you’ve got nothing on this car. The gauge is near empty when you realize you have no idea which side the gas cap is on.
You’ve got a 50/50 chance, so you wing it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that says, “this ain’t my car” better than stopping on the wrong side of the pump.
That’s why they invented the gas arrow. Look for the arrow on the gas gauge, it points to the side of the car where the gas hole is.
Of course, not all cars have this arrow. Some people will also say that the pump icon indicates the side of the gas cap with the pump handle, but that’s not universally true.
My Dad shared this secret with me a few years ago. I shared it with a few friends, some of them shared with a few friends and if all goes well, everybody will know about the gas arrow and other little known facts. That’s what this site is all about.
Broken Secrets
Written By: Chad Upton
Source: My Dad
The Space Bar Scrolls Down in Your Browser
This is an awesome week and I mean that figuratively. The Book of Awesome arrives in stores this Wednesday and I wanted to celebrate by sharing some broken secrets from the website 1000AwesomeThings.com.
One of my favorite “Awesome Things” is “Learning a new keyboard shortcut.” Since I’m talking favorites, I want to share one of my favorite keyboard shortcuts: the space bar.
If you’re reading this in a web browser or you do a lot of reading on the web, this is one shortcut you should learn before all others. To scroll your browser down exactly one page, press the space bar. To scroll up one page, hold shift while you press the space bar.
It’s that simple, happy reading.
Broken Secrets
Written By: Chad Upton
Photo: jakebouma (creative commons)
Broken Secrets 