photo by roadsidepictures
Part of being frugal is finding ways to use things that most people would throw away. Not only are you less wasteful; you end up saving money by not buying new products that serve the same purpose. One item you might throw away is the plastic-bag liner from cereal boxes. They’re durable and can hold up to being reused. So next time you empty a box of cereal, consider pulling the bag out. Then simply shake out the crumbs, wipe it clean and fold it up until you’re ready to use it. I like to use them when I am making roasted potatoes. I used to use a plastic baggie. I place my cut potatoes into the bag, add olive oil and seasonings, shake and then place onto my baking pan. How do you reuse your cereal liners? What about the box? Here’s a few ways to get at least one more use.
TO-GO BAG: Add them to your canvas shopping bag. When grocery shopping for produce, use your own liner for fruits and vegetables instead of the plastic bags in the produce department. Going to the beach? Use them to hold a wet bathing suit until you get back home.
KEEP BAKED GOODS FRESH: They’re good enough to keep cereal from going stale and are great for storing your baked goods, such as cookies and homemade bread. Simply clip it closed with a clothespin or tape, or staple it to seal. Out of baggies? Wrap your sandwich in a cereal liner. Going to be in the car for a while? Pack snacks in the cereal bags.
FRIDGE AND FREEZER STORAGE: Place herbs or lettuce in the bags to keep them fresh in the refrigerator. Place butter and margarine wrappers inside to grease pans. If you’re making hamburger patties to freeze, cut sections of the liner and put them in between the patties so they don’t stick together. Works better than wax paper. You can use them as an additional layer around the food stored inside freezer bags. You can use them for frozen cookie-dough logs, too: Make your cookie dough. Line the dough in the center of the cereal bag and roll it into a log shape. Later, you can pull from the freezer and slice and bake. They make great marinade bags, too.
MINI TRASH BAG: Great for the car to hold trash or kitchen scraps.
COOKING HELPER: Use to cover your dough when rising, as a breadcrumb “shake to coat” bag for meats or as a bag to hold baking ingredients — such as cookies or nuts — that need to be crushed with a rolling pin. You can cut a liner open, place it on your counter and use it when you need to roll out dough. Cut them to fit and line your cookie tins. You can use the sheets on the bottom and to separate the layers. They can be used as icing bags because they’re sturdy. Partially fill the bag with your icing, snip a corner and fold down the top. When baking sticky recipes such as no-bake cookies or chocolate-covered treats, place them on a plastic cereal bag to cool and harden. They’re great to use around chicken when you need to flatten it, too.
译文:
让谷物食品包装袋重获新生
节约的诀窍之一是废物利用。如此，不但减少废弃物品，也省了购买同样功能物品的钱。举例而言，大家会扔掉装谷物食品的包装内袋。其实它们结实耐磨可以重复使用。所以呢，下次你清空一盒谷物食品的时候，不妨试着取出内袋，倒出袋底的多余麦片，将其擦拭干净并折叠起来以备用。我喜欢用它们做烤土豆。之前我要为此浪费掉一只塑料袋。现在？我会把切好的土豆放入空出的食品内袋里，加些橄榄油和调味料，摇匀，再取出土豆放入烤盘。你会怎么使用你的包装内袋呢？还有装麦片的盒子？以下是些废物再利用至少一次的方法。
一袋便携走天下
把它们塞进帆布购物袋。用自己带的袋子而不是超市生鲜部提供的塑料袋购买蔬果。要去海边玩？用它们装湿泳衣带回家正好。
轻松留住好味道
它们既然能成功保持谷物食品不变味，对保存烤制食品等口感也很有效。饼干啊，手工制面包啊，都可以用它来装。然后用衣服夹子或者胶带封住，订一下也成。此法可谓简单易行。手边袋袋不够用？用谷物食品内袋包三明治吧。要去坐车了？装小零食正合适。
冷藏冷冻两相宜
把配菜或莴苣放入冰箱的时候用它们做保鲜袋。装入黄油和植物黄油的包装纸，回头用来抹油锅。如果你要做些汉堡包的面胚冷冻起来，把包装袋剪开隔在中间，面胚就不会粘在一起。嗯，比蜡纸好使。可以用来给冰包里的食品加裹一层。还可以用在冻饼干面团中。方法如下：做好饼干面团后用包装袋卷成长条状。要用的时候从冷冻室里取出切开，就可以烤制了。用来做腌菜袋同样不错。
垃圾小袋显神通
很适合装车内杂物或者厨房垃圾。
厨房帮手处处行：
面团发酵的时候用它们覆住面团；装入肉类，可以为其均匀裹上面包糠；装入饼干、坚果等烤制原料，然后擀面棍压碎。揉面的时候，不妨在灶台上垫上一个剪开的包装内袋。也可以剪开它们来垫饼干桶。这些薄膜可以垫在饼干桶底部，也可以分隔食品。它们很牢，所以能充当冰袋的角色。袋子里放入冰块，不要装满，剪开一个角，顶部折叠，好了。曲奇饼或者巧克力饼等粘粘的点心在烤制后装入食品内袋，可以待其冷却变硬。你要是需要拍松鸡肉，它们来装正好。