Whether eaten cold to garnish a salad or eaten hot as an accompaniment to chicken pilaf, rice remains an essential ingredient in all cuisines around the world. Extremely easy to prepare, this sushi centerpiece is even Asians’ favorite food. Whatever the recipe, rice always brings a touch of flavor and aroma to our dishes.
But if we love it on the plate, it has more than one trick up its sleeve and it is not only used in the kitchen. Yes, beyond its nutritional benefits for the body, this cereal has many interesting properties to exploit, both for health and for many other things at home.
It’s not every day that we learn about the little-known uses of these small grains of rice with unexpected benefits. Many of you are already using their absorbent power to save a smartphone that accidentally fell into water. But many people don’t know that rice is great for fighting mold in cupboards, removing rust from metal utensils, or cooking water as a powerful fertilizer for plants. And the list of its virtues is still very long. But, by the way, what about this strange trick: why would you put rice in a sock and heat it in the microwave? The answer is just below.
The rice in the microwave sock trick?
Everyone already knows the famous trick of putting your Smartphone in a cup full of rice if it has fallen into water. Most of the time, especially if the phone has only been wet for a few seconds, this method works wonders!
Now, the trick we present to you is unusual to say the least: it consists of putting grains of rice in a sock before heating it in the microwave. We can well imagine your expression of amazement. How can this technique be useful?
In truth, what many don’t know is that rice can be used as a hot or cold compress when you have muscle and joint pain. Indeed, this cereal helps relieve some acute pain in the spine, back, legs, arms or even other parts of the body.
And this is where our trick comes in: all you have to do is pour a cup of rice into a tightly tied sock and heat it for a minute in the microwave. If you want the rice to be hotter, leave the sock on for an extra 30 seconds. Then, remove it and place it directly on the areas of your body that cause you pain.
Repeat this procedure 2 or 3 times a week. And you will feel that the muscle pain will gradually disappear.
NB : if you want the sock to act as a cold compress, fill it with rice grains, tie it well and leave it in the freezer for an hour. You can then use it directly after taking it out of the device.
How to clean thermoses and jars with rice?
As we said above, rice is an unexpected domestic ally. Here are some interesting uses:
Do you regularly use thermos flasks, especially in winter, to keep your coffee or any other drink warm? It is actually very practical, whether in the car, in the office or while travelling. Only problem: coffee stains are very difficult to clean and the smell is often persistent in the thermos. The solution? Against all expectations, it is precisely rice that will come to your aid.
How do you clean a coffee-stained thermos? It’s simple: pour a few tablespoons of rice into it, add hot water, mix well, actively shaking the thermos and leave for a couple of hours. Then you just need to rinse it well with clean water. You will find that the stains are completely gone and the rice has deodorized the container perfectly.
Another effective method at home: if you want to clean the vase in the living room, especially the one that has a very narrow neck and does not allow the sponge to enter for effective cleaning, rice can save your day. Pour a few grains into the jar, add a little dish detergent and half a glass of water. Shake well before rinsing.
The rice grains have cleaned out all the dirt inside: your jar is clean and shiny again!