A Better Mousetrap

Sometimes I stumble on a better way of doing things. I remember my parents referring to this as a "better mousetrap." Some friends call these "life hacks." None of these things are about catching mice...yet.

Could boiling an egg be done better? I am embarrassed to admit that I couldn't remember how many minutes to boil a soft-boiled egg, so I looked it up in the collective memory, aka Google. It turns out there is an easier way to cook a "soft boiled egg!" Steam is more consistent, less likely to break the shell and a little bit quicker. Now I know how to cook an egg just how I like it best: Put a little water (1/2 inch) in a saucepan. Put on a lid and cook for 6 minutes. Not instant, but close!

To accompany the egg, perhaps some bacon. Bacon can be extraordinarily messy to cook. This is much easier to clean up, and just as delicious! Heat the OVEN to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes. Presto!

Not every life hack is about food. It just seems that cooking and eating is a big part of our lives in this time of Covid. Entertainment is another. My family "cut the cable" for our TV. Now we use the internet with a little bit of over-the-air TV. We absolutely realize that watching TV over the internet can be an easy way to end up with an infected, virus laden computer. We don't need or want this on our home network! So, what is the answer? Our "TV computer" is not a part of our home network. It holds no vital information beyond our Netflix log in.

Now the TV computer isn't a young or powerful machine. Lately its internal fan needed to run noisily and almost continuously. We will eventually replace some of the computer's innards or even build a new one, but meanwhile it runs quietly with the help of a fan.

Do you know of a "better mousetrap?"  I would love to hear about it!