Dear Heloise: Our city has a recycling program for cans and plastics, but there are rules that the items need to be clean without any food residue. Since we live in the desert, I don’t want to waste water when washing these items. After dinner, I usually wash some dishes in the sink; then afterward, I rinse out the recyclables in this water and toss them in the recycle bin.
— J.B., Tucson, Arizona
CHARGING HEARING AIDS
Dear Heloise: I wanted to comment on Paul H.’s letter regarding charging hearing aid batteries when the electricity goes out. His idea of a small battery station is a good one.
The last two sets of hearing aids that I have gotten came with their own charging station and contained batteries. When the charging station is fully charged, it can charge the hearing aids at least three times without being plugged into electricity. These came with the hearing aids at no extra charge.
I wasn’t aware that their charging stations had batteries until I read the literature that came with each set of hearing aids. Your readers might have the solution to charging their hearing aids without realizing it, which would be the charging station that came with their hearing aids. If not, it might be worth it to buy one.
I was able to keep my hearing aid batteries charged during the recent fires we had in Southern California so that I could hear during the blackouts and evacuation orders that applied to my family. When I had hearing aids with replaceable batteries, I always had at least a month’s worth of batteries available.
— J.R., Porter Ranch
small FURNITURE ASSEMBLY made easy
Dear Heloise: A lot of small furniture assembly calls for an Allen wrench or a hex key, which always comes with the assorted screw. But I bought an Allen wrench set that comes in a handle, which folds neatly up. The handle makes it much easier to grip the wrench so that you can tighten the screws more easily.
— Tim Hammond, via email
THE MAYONNAISE METHOD
Dear Heloise: If you want a nice, moist turkey, try this: Rub the turkey all over with a generous amount of mayonnaise before cooking. Make an aluminum tent over the turkey and bake at 325 F for the calculated time. Remove the aluminum tent about 30 minutes before the turkey is done cooking, and you’ll have a tasty, moist turkey!
— R.C., in Colorado
WILD RICE
Dear Heloise: Where does wild rice come from these days?
— Todd, in Indiana
Todd, what we call “wild rice” isn’t really rice but a grain-producing grass. It’s native to North America, mainly Wisconsin and neighboring states. Like rice, wild rice grows in water and has a very similar taste. Wild rice can grow in lakes and ponds but must be harvested by hand because it is too delicate for machinery.
— Heloise
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