10 Ways With…Sugar

Here at My Appliances we like to make life as easy as possible for you, by bringing you new and inventive ways to use your store cupboard essentials. With that in mind, our ’10 Ways With…’ series should solve all your cooking woes. But it’s not all about food prep; those household staples can be used in all manner of ways.

We’ve looked at what you can do with vinegar, eggs, lemons and more – and today we’re focusing on just what you can do with sugar to ensure you enjoy even better value from that bag you have lurking in your cupboard. Read on…

1.Make Sweets – Your first thought when you’ve got an excess sugar might be to mix up a cake or two – but what about sweets? Turn your home into a confectionery shop and try making some retro delights like these.

2. Trap Wasps – Boil water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Then, just fill a jar with it and leave it in the kitchen to attract any wasps which may have made their way inside. They’ll fly in and find themselves stuck; you can then release them back into the wild.

3. Give Flowers a New Lease of Life – If your shop-bought bunch of flowers didn’t come with one of those packets of liquid food, don’t worry. Simply mix two tablespoons of vinegar with the same quantity of sugar and pop it in your vase for perfectly-nourished blooms.

4. Make Jam – The school holidays is the perfect time to get in the kitchen and whip up some lovely treats with your kids. Why not have a go at making jam? It’s really easy and a great way to use up leftover fruit.

5. Clean Your Coffee Grinder – Pour a couple of hundred grams of sugar into your coffee grinder; doing so will eliminate excess oils and odours.

6. Alleviate Pain – Been stung or bitten by a pesky critter or two? Simply mix equal parts sugar and water and apply to the area, leaving on for around 20 minutes.

7. Make a DIY Lip Scrub – Exfoliate dry and flaky lips with a homemade sugar scrub. You can buy these in the shops for around £5 a pop – or you could mix sugar with honey and coconut oil and save yourself some dosh!

8. Keep Cakes Fresh – Store your freshly-baked sponges in an airtight container with a handful of sugar cubes and you’ll find they’ll stay fresh for longer.

9. Tidy Up Grass-Stained Trousers – Too much fun in the sun? Been rolling around with your little ones in the park again? Tidy up grass-stained trousers with a little sugar and water. Make a paste, apply on the stain and let it sit for around an hour before washing off – et voila!

10. Soothe Your Little One – Now here’s a great tip for you. A Pediatrics study found that babies who were given a sugar/water solution (into the mouth, or on a dummy) before an immunisation managed the pain a lot better than those who only received water.

Did you enjoy these tips? There’s more where those came from; just keep an eye on our blog.

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Until next time…