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It doesn’t matter whether the cooking oil is running low in the supermarket, you don’t have any more at home or you simply want to do without oil: With the help of a few tips, frying can be done without any oil at all.

This is how you succeed in frying without oil

If you don’t have any oil at home, you can’t find any in the supermarket or you just want to do without it, the question arises: How do you fry without oil? There are different possibilities. With some methods, however, you have to reckon with the disadvantage that the aroma can change slightly because the fat is no longer used as a flavor carrier.

So that nothing burns, it is first of all important to use the right pan. Coated pans are usually made in such a way that the food in them does not burn over low to medium heat; even if you don’t use oil.

Alternatively, you can also use mineral water for frying. It is important that you choose water with as much carbonation as possible and replace the oil in a ratio of 1:1. Proceed as if you were using oil: Before you put the food to be fried in the pan, heat the water slightly. Once the water has evaporated, you can add another small sip.

More methods of frying without oil

Another way to fry without oil, but without skipping the fat, is to use butter or margarine. To avoid burning the butter or margarine, you should only heat it over a low heat. In order to also pay attention to environmental aspects, it is advisable to use a plant-based margarine with plant material from regional cultivation. In comparison, butter has a very energy-intensive production process behind it and comes off worse in the ecological balance.

To fry at higher temperatures without oil, you can use parchment paper. It makes sense to cut the baking paper to the size of the pan and only then fry the vegetables or something similar in it. However, since the baking paper can only be used a few times before it crumbles, it is more sustainable from an ecological point of view to use permanent roasting foils. These can be washed off and can be an ideal replacement for a pan coating.

It is up to you which method you use. You can also try different methods and then decide which one works best for you.

Lifestyle

Curious Household Tip: Cleaning The Shower With Potatoes – What Does it Do

Clean the shower with a potato? What does the strange household tip bring?

Why would you clean your shower with a potato?

If the potato is already a useful helper here, it can do even more in the shower. If you have a shower with walls or doors made of glass, treat them with a potato to give them a natural impregnation. This ensures that water and dirt roll off the surface and do not stick to it.

Of course, this impregnation doesn’t last forever, but you save yourself having to grab a wiper and towel every time you shower. Another advantage: The potato is an absolutely environmentally friendly and inexpensive household item that you can use at any time without hesitation.

You don’t even need very fresh potatoes for this, but you can also use specimens that are already germinating a bit. This is irrelevant for the cleaning process itself. This way you can also use sprouted potatoes for yourself at the same time and don’t have to throw them in the trash.

Clean the shower with the potato: That’s how it’s done!

So that you can clean your shower in an environmentally friendly and quick way with a potato in the future, you only have to do a few simple steps:
First, clean your shower of all previous limescale stains and water residue. Make sure the shower is completely clean.
Use a raw potato for the subsequent impregnation. It’s best to peel them so you don’t get dirt on your hands or the walls of the glass.
Now cut your potato in half and rub all the glass walls and the doors of the shower stall with the cut inside. Rinse again with water. This will remove any remaining streaks from the remains of the potato and the shower cubicle will not smell of the tuber afterwards.
The next time you take a shower you will notice how the natural lotus effect kicks in and the water rolls off. The sap of the tuber acts as a kind of impregnation agent and makes it difficult for the dirt to stick. Repeat the process after a few showers so that the impregnation is renewed.
This simple method can save you a lot of time and nerves in the future. You are also doing something for the environment at the same time and you can leave expensive bathroom cleaners on the shelf without hesitation. Tip: You can also soak heavily soiled clothes with unsalted potato water. This makes it even easier for dirt to be removed during the subsequent wash cycle.

Lifestyle

Using Dishwasher Tabs to do Laundry – Does That Really Work?

When the detergent has run out, simply use a dishwasher tab – is that possible? Here you can find out what happens if you resort to this emergency solution and what it looks like in the opposite case.

Dishwasher tabs: That’s what’s in them

Dishwasher tabs contain some useful ingredients that make the tabs interesting for cleaning other areas of the household. They contain, for example, soda to remove dirt and bleach to prevent discoloration.

If you opt for dishwasher tabs from the discounter, you should opt for the cheap version under 3 euros. These tabs contain a particularly large number of ingredients that you can also use to clean other areas of the household. But be careful: you should always wear rubber gloves.

To remove dirt and limescale residue from your washing machine, you can simply put a tab in the empty machine and run a wash at 60 degrees. Caution: You should never put detergent in the dishwasher the other way around. The detergent foams too much and there is a risk of a flood in your kitchen.

Dishwasher tabs for washing clothes: is that possible?

Due to the bleach they contain, dishwasher tabs are also suitable for removing stains and gray haze from clothing. All you have to do is put the laundry in the machine with two tabs and then start washing. Afterwards, however, you should wash your clothes one more time with ordinary detergent, as the bleach is not ideal for the skin.

If you accidentally discolored your clothes, you can use the tabs to remove discoloration. Simply place 3 or 4 tabs in hot water and soak laundry in the mixture overnight. The next day you should wash your laundry again with detergent.

Dishwasher tabs should therefore only be used for white or light-colored laundry that has become unsightly. The tabs can make light-colored clothing shine again.

Household tip: Here you can use dishwasher tabs for cleaning

As already mentioned, dishwasher tabs contain some ingredients that are perfect for cleaning around the house. Here you can use the tabs:
Toilet: You can easily remove urine scale from your toilet using the tabs by dissolving the tab in a bowl of warm water and then leaving the solution in the toilet overnight.
Drain: Instead of pipe cleaner, you can simply mix about 3 liters of boiling water with a tab and slowly pour the solution down the drain.
Tiles: Mix a tab with warm water to form a thick paste and work this into the grout of the tiles. Be sure to use colorless tabs.
Burnt pots and pans: Simply put the tab and water in the pot or pan and heat up. After a few hours, you should be able to easily remove the burnt residue.
Oven and microwave: Again, you can simply mix the tab with water and then use the solution to wipe off. Then you should wipe with clear water.

health

Does Muscle Burn More Calories Than Fat? This Really Helps With Weight Loss

Those who want to burn calories and lose weight often start a diet. But sport is also important for success, which is due to the high calorie consumption of the muscles. Building muscle can help with weight loss.

Muscles have a higher energy requirement

Appropriate nutrition after training is crucial for building muscle. In particular, in addition to proteins, the calorie requirement must also be considered – “muscles need 100 to 200 kilocalories more energy per day in order to guarantee the build-up at all

Interesting is the high consumption of kilocalories of muscle mass. However, this is necessary, because the muscles have to be “supplied with blood, supplied, warmed up and ultimately also activated by the metabolic process all day long and that costs energy.” A kilo of muscle mass requires about 50 to 100 kilocalories per day, explains the Froböse.

Muscle also differs from fat in terms of weight: muscle is about 13 percent heavier and therefore requires significantly more energy. The big difference: “Fat is a passive organization.”

Burn Calories: Weight Loss by Building Muscle

The high calorie consumption of the muscles can be taken advantage of. Building muscle is also crucial for losing weight. Froboese explains this in a separate blog post

In it he describes that losing weight is a slow process with many small steps. In particular, he recommends beginners and returnees “start with two cardio and three strength units per week.” He’s not talking about several hours, the main thing is muscle building: “The fact is: If you want to burn excess fat, you have to build muscle.” As a result, losing weight initially stagnates, but the weight may even increase.

Nevertheless, the muscles are important because they help to get to the fat reserves faster. At rest, the body uses very little fat. But: “The more muscle I have, the more calories I burn – even when I’m resting,” he explains. If the body burns more calories in a day than it gets from food, it goes to the fat reserves – and the weight loss process begins.

Food

Does Low Carb Shorten Life Expectancy? Study Reveals Surprising Things

Low-carb diets are trending. But not only the kilos disappear with the diet, but also the life expectancy. In a study, US researchers found that people on the low-carbohydrate diet die up to four years earlier.

Diet: Carbohydrates are not the problem

The result of the study: It is not the few carbohydrates that lead to increased mortality, but the alternative diet and the resulting increased consumption of animal proteins and fats. So if you eat them instead of pasta, bread and potatoes, you can die up to four years earlier.

But low-carb can also be positive: If you eat more vegetable fats and proteins than animal fats, mortality falls. You live longer. According to the researchers from Boston, the amount of carbohydrates is also decisive for life expectancy: “Our results show a relationship between life expectancy and carbohydrate intake. Life expectancy is greatest in people with 50 to 55 percent carbohydrate intake,” the scientists conclude.

Food

Food Rescue Tips: How Long Does Our Food Keep?

The best before date (MHD) is often understood as an expiry or use-by date. However, this is a big mistake. The Hamburg consumer advice center gives useful tips on how to save food and how long it can generally be eaten.

Risk of confusion between the best-before date and the use-by date

However, food that is actually bad no longer belongs on the plate. Food infections or mold toxins are not to be trifled with. More than 200,000 people fall ill every year, mainly due to poor kitchen hygiene, insufficient heating or insufficient cooling, according to the Hamburg consumer advice center. When stored and at the right temperature, foodstuffs can often still be eaten without significant losses in taste and quality or any health risk. As a rule, the food is still edible after the specified best-before date.

The consumer advice center points out that there are two different information on the expiry date. Specifically, the best-before date (MHD) indicates the point in time up to which the manufacturer can guarantee that the food will retain its properties such as smell, taste and nutritional value. However, this always refers to unopened – i.e. completely airtight packed – and correctly stored goods.

The use-by date, in turn, indicates by what point in time a perishable food such as minced meat must be consumed in any case. Food such as raw meat can pose an immediate health risk after just a short time and is therefore marked with the use-by date.

Shelf life of food: This is how long grain and dairy products, drinks, fruit and vegetables can be kept

When it comes to the shelf life of bread, a distinction must be made between fresh bread from the baker and home-baked and packaged bread from the supermarket. The latter lasts much longer – even beyond the best-before date.

Packaged Bread:
Thanks to the enzymes used in production, they can be kept for up to eight weeks and generally still edible after the best-before date has expired
Tip: store in airtight packaging at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. The cold temperatures spoil the bread faster

Fresh bread:
Wheat bread*: can be kept for up to three days
Mixed wheat breads*: keep for three to five days
Mixed breads: keep for four to six days
Mixed rye breads*: keep for five to seven days
Rye breads: keep for six to ten days
Rye meal/wholemeal breads*: keep for eight to twelve days
Tip: it is best to store the bread in clay or stone containers and wipe them out regularly with vinegar. Place sliced bread cut side down and do not refrigerate

The useful life of grain products

Grain products are generally still edible after the best-before date has passed. However, if the best-before date is a little longer, the products should be checked for appearance, mould, smell and, of course, taste before consumption.

Noodles:
Hard and dry noodles can be kept for a very long time after the best-before date has passed
Fresh pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for between three and four weeks
Egg noodles should no longer be eaten after the best-before date
Tip: Make sure it is stored dry
Rice:
Can be kept for up to two years. The following applies: Because of the lower fat content, white, polished rice has a longer shelf life than brown rice
Tip: store dry and airtight
Flour:
Wholemeal flour and meal: shelf life between three and four weeks
Very fine flour: shelf life between two and three months
Very coarse flour: can be stored for up to more than a year
Tip: always store dry, cool, dark and above all tightly closed
Muesli and cornflakes:
Can be kept for months after the best before date has passed
in the event of mold growth, the entire muesli must be disposed of
Tip: always store dry and tightly closed

The lifespan of beverages

Some drinks, such as wine, can be kept for a very long time after the BBD has expired. In general, these are all drinks, but they should be checked for appearance, smell and appearance before consumption.

Mineral water:
Unopened, the bottles can be kept almost indefinitely
Tip: store in a cool, dark place. Plastic bottles in particular should be protected from direct sunlight
Cola:
Can be kept long after the best-before date has passed
However, cola can eventually lose carbon dioxide in PET bottles
Tip: always store in the dark

Juices:
In glass bottles: up to one year after the expiry date
In boxes: up to eight months after the expiry date
In plastic bottles: can be kept for up to three months after the best-before date
Once opened, it only lasts a few days
Tip: always store in a dark and cool place
Beer:
Generally good for months after the expiry date
Pasteurized, heavily hopped beers with a high alcohol content have a longer shelf life
Tip: store in a dark and cool place, avoid strong temperature fluctuations
Wine:
Shelf life varies greatly depending on alcohol and acid levels or cork
Can be kept between one year for normal quality wines and ten years for Beerenauslese wines
Red wine generally has a longer shelf life than white wine. If the bottles are stored horizontally so that no oxygen can get to the cork, red wine will last for many years (and is said to keep getting better)
Tip: store in a cool place and protect from direct sunlight

Milk and milk products – that’s the shelf life

As long as the milk or milk products are unopened, they can still be kept past the best-before date. But once they’re open, caution is advised.

Milk:
Unopened milk packs: best for approximately three days after the best-before date
Raw milk: two to three days after the best before date
Pasteurized milk: Shelf life approximately six days after the expiry date if refrigerated and unopened. Can be kept two to three days after the expiry date if opened
UHT milk: closed, keeps for around eight weeks after the best-before date, opened for around two to three days
Tip: store in a dark and cool place

Butter:
Stored cool: stable up to three weeks after the expiry date
Tip: It is best to store the butter in a butter compartment in the refrigerator in a porcelain or plastic butter dish
Cheese:
Whole pieces of cheese: can be kept for several weeks after the best-before date
Fresh cheese that has been opened or individual slices: can be kept for up to one week after the best-before date
Shrink-wrapped cheese slices: can be kept for up to three weeks after the best-before date
Cheese with a low water content has a longer shelf life
Tip: store in a dark and cool place and separate from other foods. The packaging should not be airtight
Yoghurt and quark:
Unopened: 10 to 14 days past the best before date
Once opened: 3 to 4 days after expiry of the best before date
Tip: store in a dark and cool place
Cream:
Unopened: Can be kept for about four weeks after the expiry date
Once opened: 3 to 4 days after expiry of the best before date
Tip: store in a dark and cool place

Perishable foods: fruits and vegetables

There is no best-before date for fruit and vegetables as they are among the perishable foods.

Fruit and vegetables generally do not have a particularly long shelf life, as their high water content makes them very susceptible to mould
if mold is severe, you should always discard the entire quantity of affected food – even the pieces where the mold is not obvious are likely to be affected
Tip: keep local varieties in the fridge and tropical fruits at room temperature. Apples and tomatoes should always be stored separately from other fruits and vegetables as they release ethylene. As the Hamburg consumer center explains, the plant hormone would accelerate the ripening process of the other fruits and they spoil faster as a result.

Food

Does Caffeine Help With Lack of Sleep? – Study With a Clear Result

A recently published study examined how caffeine counteracts the loss of performance caused by lack of sleep. The result is clear and underlines the importance of sleep.

How caffeine affects cognition during sleep deprivation

It is well known that sleep deprivation has negative effects on cognition. The research team led by psychology professor Kimberly Fenn therefore investigated to what extent the increase in caffeine can counteract this.

The 276 subjects were initially asked to complete a simple task that required little attention. There was also a difficult task to solve in which the participants had to complete several steps in a specific order – no steps could be skipped or repeated.

“We found that sleep deprivation impaired performance on both task types and that caffeine intake helped people successfully complete the easier task,” study author Fenn said in a Michigan State University news release. However, the intake of caffeine mostly had little effect on the more difficult task.

Conclusion: Caffeine cannot replace sleep

While caffeine can help you stay awake and get a task done, it does little to prevent procedural errors that can lead to medical errors or car accidents, for example. “Caffeine increases energy, reduces drowsiness, and may even improve mood, but it certainly doesn’t replace a full night’s sleep,” says Fenn.

Food

Does The Time of The Meal Matter? Experts Have Unequivocal Opinions

Eating in the evening makes you fat? This opinion is widespread. But is that really true? Here you get the answers.

Link between weight gain and late eating? Experts have been researching the question for a long time

In 1985-86, a study (Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals) was conducted that recorded the dietary habits of 1,802 women. It showed that no connection could be established between a late meal (after 5 p.m.) and weight gain, according to the DGE. Even in a larger study (NHANES-I) from 1982 to 1984, in which the eating habits of 7,000 men and women were observed, even after ten years of follow-up (follow-up study of NHANES-I), no connection could be found between eating in the evening and the body weight development can be determined.

In another study from 2002, researchers compared the eating habits of overweight and non-overweight women. The overweight women ate more meals a day than the normal-weight women. In addition, the overweight women ate more volume in the evening compared to the normal-weight women. However, this study only indicates that overweight women not only ate late, but generally ate more. But not that they are fat because of their late eating habits.

Another 2004 study analyzed 7-day consumption logs from a total of 900 women and men. This study also showed that people who eat more in the evening already had a higher energy intake during the day than subjects who ate most of it in the first half of the day. It also found that subjects who ate a larger, more nutritious breakfast ate less food during the day and evening.

Researchers cannot link obesity to late night eating

These studies show that eating out at night does not automatically make you fat. However, the time at which you eat food still plays a role. Because if you eat a lot and plenty of it early on, you will show less hunger during the day. It has been proven that people who eat a decent breakfast have a lower energy intake during the day and also in the evening. Despite these results, according to the scientists, more research is needed in this area in order to be able to speak of reliable knowledge. However, the daily calorie intake still determines whether you gain or lose weight. If this is too high, you gain weight – no matter when you eat.

The results of a small 1997 study on weight loss support eating late meals to preserve lean body mass, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. For this purpose, researchers observed ten women in a weight loss program. They found that eating a large breakfast leads to slightly greater weight loss than a large evening meal. However, a large dinner resulted in better preservation of lean body mass.

So the secret isn’t skipping dinner: it actually has benefits for the body. This makes the widespread assumption that it makes you fat a myth. On the other hand, it makes much more sense to eat a balanced breakfast. A balanced breakfast fills you up early in the day. Thus, this variant prevents food cravings during the day.

health

Coffee Enjoyment in Abundance: How Many Cups of Coffee a Day Are Still Healthy – and When Does it Become Dangerous?

Coffee is one of the most popular hot drinks. The average person drinks three cups a day in this country. But is that still healthy?

From how many cups is coffee harmful?

The caffeine contained in coffee boosts bodily functions, increases hand rank, expands the bronchi and promotes concentration. Whether caffeine can kill is also easy to answer – yes, it can. A quantity of several grams becomes dangerous. The stimulant affects everyone differently. Not only in terms of the effect, but also in terms of how long it takes the body to break down the caffeine. While it takes some people just a few hours for caffeine to be metabolized, for others the process takes much longer.

When it comes to blood pressure, high blood pressure patients have nothing to fear, Professor Wolfram Delius assures the pharmacy umschau. Coffee increases heart rate, but to a manageable extent. With regular consumption, this effect is even weaker. The thesis that coffee is a “water stealer” has also been refuted. The diuretic effect cannot be denied, but it is due to the large amounts of water that you consume when drinking coffee. Nevertheless, Delius emphasizes that it is better not to drink coffee before measuring your blood pressure. Although studies always say that coffee should support heart function, the professor points to the lack of data. Under certain circumstances, those affected can feel cardiac arrhythmias more strongly after drinking coffee. What is certain, however, is that coffee lowers the risk of diabetes. “This is shown by large observational studies,” says Dr. Young Hee Lee-Barkey, Senior Physician at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen.

Can coffee even prolong life?

nutritionist dr. Anna Flögel, who researched at the German Institute for Human Nutrition in Potsdam, emphasizes “If you live unhealthily, for example because you smoke or drink alcohol frequently, coffee does not make you healthier.” Researchers have now discovered the maximum amount of coffee you should drink per day before it becomes unhealthy: with too much coffee, the risk of a heart attack increases significantly. While men consume an average of 3.6 cups per day, women only drink 3.2 cups of coffee. Researchers at the University of South Australia have investigated whether these amounts are dangerous to health.

There are still many myths and theories surrounding the popular hot drink. One side warns against too much coffee, the other side even claims that it has a healing effect. According to recent studies, drinking coffee could reduce the relative risk of death. In addition, filter coffee is said to help against high cholesterol levels, and in one German city people with liver disease are even asked to consume up to six cups of coffee a day. The “University of South Australia” has examined more closely whether coffee is really harmful”. The researchers used values from the British Biobank: data from a total of 347,077 people aged between 37 and 73 were recorded and evaluated.

Global coffee consumption: three billion cups a day

“Around three billion cups of coffee are drunk every day worldwide. Knowing the limits of what is good and what is bad is essential,” says Professor Elina Hyppönen. She is Director of the Australian Center for Precision Health at the University of South Australia Cancer Research Centre. She also says, “As with many things in life, it’s all about balance; if you overdo it, your body will pay for it.”

Risk of heart disease increases with too much coffee

The study found that drinking more than six cups of coffee increases the risk of heart disease by up to 22 percent. More precisely: The study found that too much caffeine can lead to increased blood pressure. This is considered a precursor to serious heart disease. A certain dose can therefore also have negative consequences for health. The study was the first to provide a recommendation for the maximum amount of coffee you should drink per day.
As with most things, the same applies to coffee: as long as you don’t overdo it, drinking it every day is not harmful to your health.

health

Asparagus Season Begins: Why Does Urine Smell so Bad After Eating Asparagus?

September 29, 2025

Asparagus is delicious and, thanks to valuable ingredients, also healthy. But as soon as you eat it, the delicious dish turns into a pungent smell in the toilet. Why is that?

The problem: Urine smells bad after eating asparagus

If only it weren’t for that unpleasant acrid smell when you go to the toilet, shortly after eating asparagus. However, fewer people are affected by this than is commonly thought.

The phenomenon of asparagus urine only occurs with every second person. The reasons can be very different. “Methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulphide compete in asparagus urine for the most unpleasant note,” says an article in the magazine Chemie in our time.
The foul-smelling substance trio is quite familiar to our nose: It also gives human biogases such as flatulence, mouth and athlete’s foot odor unpleasant notes.

Why does urine smell after eating asparagus?

Asparagus, whether white or green, contains asparagusic acid, which is initially odorless. However, if this is broken down, a sulphur-containing compound is formed which is excreted in the urine – with a corresponding odour.

However, this breakdown product only occurs if you have a certain enzyme – and not everyone does that. The genes decide who has this enzyme and who doesn’t. Only about 40 percent of people have such a gene that is able to produce the enzyme.

Still others can’t even smell the smell. The Apotheken Umschau writes that those affected then probably have a mutation in an odor receptor gene. But don’t worry, it’s neither bad nor dangerous.

Asparagus urine resembles skunk secretion

“The smell is harmless and not a sign of illness or poisoning,” reports Stefan Lorkowski, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Jena, to the Apotheken-Umschau. Stuffing when going to the toilet is still unpleasant. No wonder, since the substance is similar to the chemical compounds in the dreaded skunk secretion.

Only 15 minutes after enjoying an asparagus meal, it starts to smell. Nothing can be done about it. However, drinking plenty of water helps flush the breakdown products out of the body quickly.

Incidentally, the problem that the pee gives off a strange smell after eating asparagus is not new: reports of smelly asparagus urine have been around since the middle of the 17th century – a time when sulfur and sulfates were used as fertilizers for the first time.