MisterBest
Everyday
The ordinary things, done the way someone who knows would do them.
- How do I fall asleep fast when my mind won't stop racing at night?Use the military method. Soften your face, unclench your jaw, and drop your shoulders. Let your arms and legs go heavy, then slow your breath. Picture…
- How do I stop rereading lines and read faster?To read faster, slide your finger under each line a little faster than feels comfortable and let your eyes follow it down. This steadies your gaze and…
- How do I stop mindlessly scrolling apps without willpower or app blockers?Turn your phone's screen to grayscale. On iPhone, open Settings, Accessibility, Color Filters, and select Grayscale, then set a triple-click of the si…
- How do I use a fan to actually cool down a hot room at night?Point the fan out the warmest window at sunset to push trapped heat outside, and open the coolest window across the room to pull cooler night air in. …
- How do I stop feeling car sick as a passenger?Car sickness comes from your eyes and inner ear disagreeing about motion. To stop it, put your screen down and look far ahead at the horizon, toward w…
- How do I start a task I keep rereading and skipping on my list?A task you've reread three times isn't hard, it's too big. Rewrite it smaller until you can start without deciding anything else — 'sort the garage' b…
- How do I stop a mosquito bite from itching fast?Heat a spoon under hot water until it's warm but not burning, testing it on your wrist first. Press the warm spoon against the mosquito bite for twent…
- How do you tell if a watermelon is ripe from the outside?Turn the watermelon over and look at the field spot, the flat patch where it rested on the ground. A butter-yellow field spot means it was vine-ripene…
- How do I get rid of fruit flies with vinegar and dish soap?Fill a short glass with an inch of cider vinegar, add one drop of dish soap, and leave it uncovered overnight. The vinegar smell draws the fruit flies…
- How do I keep iced coffee from getting wateryFreeze leftover coffee in an ice tray instead of using water cubes. Pour last night's pot into the tray and freeze overnight; these cubes melt into mo…
- How do I keep strawberries from getting moldy in the fridge?Give strawberries a vinegar bath: mix one part vinegar with three parts water and soak the berries for two to three minutes to rinse the skin. Then pa…
- How do I get wrinkles out of a shirt fast without an iron?Put the wrinkled shirt in the dryer with two or three ice cubes, set high heat, and run it for ten minutes. The melting ice turns to steam that the dr…
- How do I pack ten days in one carry onBefore folding, count the complete outfits your trip actually needs, not the clothes you own. Because you re-wear and repeat, ten days rarely means te…
- How do I pick the juiciest lemon at the store?Pick the lemon that feels heaviest for its size. Between two same-size lemons, the heavier one usually has thinner skin and more juice, while the ligh…
- How do I soften cold butter fast without a microwave?Slice fridge-cold butter into thin, flat pieces and spread them in a single layer on a plate at room temperature; they soften in about five minutes. T…
- How do I make my pancakes fluffier instead of dense?Swap the melted butter in your pancake batter for a neutral oil like sunflower or canola, measure for measure. Butter's water and milk solids weigh th…
- How do I clean my shower glass without scrubbing?Right after showering, while the glass is still hot and wet, mist your usual cleaner over the whole panel, wait ten minutes, then squeegee top to bott…
- How do I fix oily split garlic pasta?Pull the pan off the heat, then add a splash of starchy pasta water — about a quarter cup — and toss hard for thirty seconds. The starch binds the oil…
- Why won't my heavy cream whip into peaks?Cream that won't whip is usually a temperature problem, not the cream. Chill your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes before whippin…
- How do I get the smell out of my gym shoes?Shoe odor is living bacteria in the fabric, not dirt, so a cold rinse only moves it around. Machine-wash the shoes on the hottest cycle the care label…
- How can I tell if my saffron is real or fake?Drop a few saffron threads into room-temperature water and wait about 30 seconds. Real saffron releases colour slowly, turning the water golden-yellow…
- How do I make quick pickles without canning?Make quick pickles without canning by pouring a cold brine of one cup vinegar, one cup water and one tablespoon kosher salt over thinly sliced cucumbe…
- How do I break up ground beef into small crumbles?Use a potato masher instead of a spatula. As soon as the ground beef hits a hot pan, press the masher straight down, lift, and repeat across the pan f…
- How do I stop vegetables from rolling when I cut them?Cut a thin slice, about 1/4 inch, off one side of the vegetable to make a flat face, then set it down on that face before any other cut. A flat base w…
- How do I get my roast potatoes crispy?Add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per 2 quarts of water when you parboil the potatoes. The mildly alkaline water breaks down their surface. Drain,…
- How do I make hard boiled eggs that peel easilyStart the eggs in water that is already at a rolling boil, not in cold water. Lower cold eggs in gently with a spoon, cook about 11 minutes, then move…