how to keep things from boiling over

  [ At least on the stove top. Yesterday was proof that I haven't yet conquered it in the oven 8-/ ]

   Recently, as a pot of potatoes was just reaching the boiling point

   I remembered a tip I had read real recently on Tammy's blog. In THIS posting, Tammy had written, "To keep potatoes from boiling over when cooking, put a streak of butter around the pot on the inside, at the top. "
   "Hummm... I wonder if I can still add butter around the top and still have it be effective?" ... "Worth a try!"  I got a paper napkin and rubbed it on the butter sitting in the butter dish, then smeared it all the way around the top bit of the pan (just below the rim).
    My 'plan' had been to stand there and watch, to see what happened. But you know how often 'plans' go awry in my life. I ended up being called out of the room, and not returning for ten (10) minutes.
   As I reentered the kitchen, I was expecting to see quite the mess. But  I  Didn't!!! :-) This is what the boiling pan of potatoes looked like.

   Nothing had risen above that line of smeared on butter! :-D And for the record, it had not been smeared on thick enough to even see. I had just started smearing by one handle and went around the pot till I was back to where I had started, leaving no easily visible evidence that I had even been there.
    There was no mess! I was so-o-o thrilled!

    A few days later, as I was boiling up a really big batch of wide egg noodles, the potato incident came to mind and I wondered if the butter trick would work for noodles as well. "Worth a try!!"
    So using the exact same methods, I tried. I even left the burner set on high, seeings how I was trying to speed up the completion of this meal.
     And it worked!!! :-D

   I tell you folks, I am ever so grateful that Tammy shared this wonderful tip with us!!! From now on, every time I'm cooking something on top of the stove, which has the possibility of boiling over, it's going to have the inner top of it's pan buttered!!! I'm serious! I find buttering the inner top of a pan, far more enjoyable than cleaning up the over flow later!!!

    As for over flows in the oven -
    Next time I will put what I baked yesterday in a larger pan!!!   But thankfully, the mess WAS easy to clean up. I remembered Brian saying that his mom always put sheets of foil down in the bottom of her oven, before baking up a big meal. So I had tried it. Let the oven cool off. Remove the foil. Wa-la!!!

     To help keep any smoking down while the item which over flowed is still baking, HEAVILY sprinkle salt on the spill. Cuts the smoke in no time. And, if you'd forgotten to put in the foil, it crystallizes the spill, which makes it easy to scrape/scoop out later with a solid bottom, metal pancake type spatula. ;->
      

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I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

  ~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven'  (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)'  (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
  ~  "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes'  (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).
 ~ "Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits", hosted by Susan, at 'Permanent Posies / Creative Chaos' (http://permanentposies.com/)
 ~ "Totally Tasty Tuesdays", are hosted by Mandy, at 'Mandy's Recipe Box' (http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace'  (http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/).
   ~ "Foodie Wednesday('s)", are hosted by Bibi, at 'Daily Organized Chaos' (http://www.dailyorganizedchaos.com/). 
   ~ "These Chicks Cooked Link Party", hosted by Katie L, at 'This Chick Cooks' (http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com)
 ~ "Full Plate Thursday('s)", are hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/).  
  ~ "Foodie Friday('s)", are hosted by "Gollum" (aka: Michael), at 'Designs by Gollum' (http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/)  
 ~ "Simply Delish Sunday('s)", are hosted by KB and Whitesnakes, at 'KB and Whitesnakes Home' (http://kbandwhitesnakeshome.blogspot.com)