#safely.

New Post has been published on http://awesome-facts.net/ysk-for-survival-in-the-wild-the-universal-edibility-test-how-to-determine-if-a-plant-can-be-safely-eaten/

YSK for survival in the wild, the Universal Edibility Test, how to determine if a plant can be safely eaten.

YSK for survival in the wild, the Universal Edibility Test, how to determine if a plant can be safely eaten.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php#uet

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/figures/fig9-5.gif

Separate the plant into its various parts—roots, stems, leaves, buds, and flowers. Focus on only one piece of the plant at a time.

Smell it. A strong, unpleasant odor is a bad sign.

Test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant on your inner elbow or wrist for a few minutes. If your skin burns, itches, feels numb, or breaks out in a rash, don’t eat the plant.

If the plant passes the skin test, prepare a small portion the way you plan to eat it (boiling is always a good bet).

Before taking a bite, touch the plant to your lips to test for burning or itching.

If there’s no reaction after 15 minutes, take a small bite, chew it, and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. If the plant tastes very bitter or soapy, spit it out. If there’s no reaction in your mouth, swallow the bite and wait several hours. If there’s no ill effect, you can assume this part of the plant is edible. Repeat the test for other parts of the plant; some plants have both edible and inedible parts.

See more at: http://www.backpacker.com/survival/universal-edibility-test/#sthash.OFB6sQWX.dpuf

New Post has been published on http://awesome-facts.net/lpt-how-to-safely-deep-fry-your-turkey-without-burning-down-your-house/

LPT: How to safely deep fry your turkey without burning down your house

LPT: How to safely deep fry your turkey without burning down your house

I've been deep frying for several years now, and here are some tips I've collected over time. By the way, if you've never tried deep fried turkey, it's AMAZING. Once you try it, you'll never go back to roasting.

Every year you hear about idiots burning down their houses or decks due to improperly or unsafely deep frying their turkeys.

The easiest way to prevent this is to use an electric deep fryer instead of a propane based one. With an electric deep fryer, there's no open flame, and the biggest danger is splattered or spilled boiling oil (which is dangerous too).

But if you're going to do it old school with a propane tank and a burner, here's how to be safe.

First, make sure you don't overfill the pot with oil. Put the bird in by itself, fill it with water until the bird is completely covered. Take it out and mark the water line. Now you know how much liquid it takes to cover your turkey. Make sure the turkey is NOT in the packaging when you do this.

Use peanut oil, not vegetable oil. Peanut oil has a smoke point of about 450 degrees and will not spontaneously catch fire at the temperature needed to deep fry the turkey.

Fill your pot to the line you marked, and turn on your burner, after making sure there's no dripping oil on the outside of the pot. Get it up to about 400 degrees farenheit.

This is the most important step, and the one that everyone skips. Before you put the turkey in, TURN OFF THE BURNER. This way, if there's an accident and some oil spills over, it won't start a fire.

SLOWLY lower the turkey into the pot. It usually takes me about 1 – 2 minutes to get it in, because it will start bubbling ferociously. You will notice that before putting the turkey in, the oil will be completely still – it doesn't bubble like water when it boils. Be assured you don't watch to touch it however.

Before putting the turkey in, PLEASE make sure it is both dry (pat dry inside and out with a paper towel), and thawed. Water and boiling oil don't react well, and ice and boiling oil will get you an exploding turkey. I like to pat dry, let it sit at room temp for an hour, then pat dry again before putting it in.

Make sure you use whatever devices your deep fryer comes with to get the turkey in, be it a basket or a stand, most have big hooks to hold onto, make sure you wear an oven mitt too.

Once the turkey is in, turn the burner back on. You'll lose some temperature due to the coldness of the turkey and having turned it off for a few minutes, that's fine. It will get back up to temp shortly. Make sure there's no spilled oil first!

When the turkey is done, time to take it out. This is where everyone usually screws up again. TURN THE BURNER OFF FIRST! If there's no open flame, you can't start a fire. Once it's off, SLOWLY take the turkey out, let the oil drip off, put it on a platter or roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil for 20-25 minutes to let it finish cooking on the counter.

The oil will remain hot for a long time, so make sure it's somewhere safe. When it cools, strain it back into it's container through some cheesecloth so you can reuse it.

All of this of course should be done outside on concrete or level grass. Don't do it in your garage, don't do it on your deck, and jesus christ don't do it in your house!

For more safety, like I mentioned above, use an electric deep fryer. With the exception of turning it off, all the tips above are still valid to avoid splattering boiling oil.

Good luck and happy thanksgiving!

New Post has been published on http://awesome-facts.net/lpt-request-how-to-safely-shrink-hand-knitted-clothing/

[LPT Request] How to safely shrink hand-knitted clothing.

[LPT Request] How to safely shrink hand-knitted clothing.

A friend of mine knitted me a really nice winter a hat a few years ago that was lovely and warm. The only problem is that now it's stretched out a bit over time making the knit looser and not nearly as warm. Is there a way I can shrink the hat a little bit without running the risk of ruining it?

New Post has been published on http://awesome-facts.net/lpt-safely-package-fragile-items-for-shippingtransport/

LPT: Safely package fragile items for shipping/transport

LPT: Safely package fragile items for shipping/transport

I work for a major shipping company. This practical advice is preparatory to the craziest part of my working year. It derives from four years of experience and a so-far perfect track record of no damages.

Do not choose your box first. Safely wrap the fragile item in bubble wrap first, securing it around all edges, and only then can you get an accurate idea of the box you need. If you do it the other way around you will under-protect your item.

If it's dishes, glass, or electronics, you want not to be able to see the color of the item through the bubble wrap- figure a minimum of two inches on each surface.

If possible, extremely fragile stuff is best double-boxed.

You do not want to hear any rattling or feel the contents shift. Wrap in bubble first, then nest it in an immobilizing layer of crumpled paper- newspaper is great for this.

Packing peanuts are the ENEMY. They break down during transit as they jostle. Their usefulness is directly linked to how efficiently they take up space to immobilize your stuff. When they break down, they settle and do not protect properly.

Single-corrugated boxes like shoeboxes or the ones large items come in from big-box stores are NOT, repeat NOT made for shipping. Companies that send you stuff this way are taking a gamble. Don't make that mistake with Grandma's Glass McGuffin.

DO NOT weave the box lids together, half of one flap up and half down, as some people like to do. This is actually less secure. Simply close the box the way it normally wants to go and tape it in an H shape- one down the middle and one across each open side. Trust me. I know it looks like not much but it really works better.

Is your package over thirty pounds? Get a really nice box. Like, a double-corrugated one. It'll be super thick and heavy but you will thank me for it later.

Wondering if your box is packed up well enough? Imagine it falling from about the height of your waist. Now your shoulder. Most commercial shipping conveyors are about that high up. Now imagine it landing on edge. On corner. Does it survive? How about if the professional athlete of your choice gives it a good kicking? Those are my litmus tests.

If it's liquid, double-bag it. If it's a musical instrument, be sensible and put it in a hard case… But first, loosen the strings. If it's fragile- here's the weird one- DON'T put fragile stickers on. Doesn't matter who you ship with, the guys in blue brown OR purple; every company has a few bad apples and while they do tend to get fired right quickly, a FRAGILE sticker is like an unholy beacon to that kind of person.

Plan ahead. Don't wait until the afternoon before it has to be delivered.

That's what I've got for now.