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Beer lovers already know that beer doesn’t keep forever. But already after three months, the usual taste can be lost. To prevent this from happening, you should store beer properly.

Longer taste experience

Storing beer – and storing it properly – ensures a longer taste experience and the usual color. The popular barley juice likes it dark and cold: beer should be stored at around five to 15 degrees – shaking is also forbidden!

Different beers, different shelf lives

But not every beer is the same: it’s the production that makes the difference! Beers with a higher alcohol content have a longer shelf life than beers with a lower percentage by volume. After just three to six months, the alcoholic beverage can lose a lot of its taste.

Beer consumption can promote diseases

Beer is a stimulant and consumption should be viewed as such. Scientists believe that drinking too much beer promotes disease. It is one of the risk factors for obesity or alcohol-related diseases.

Annoying and unsightly: Your cutlery comes out of the dishwasher dull and rusty. Even the stainless steel knife seems to be rusting. The aluminum foil trick can help.

This is how the aluminum foil trick works

You can use the aluminum foil trick to prevent rust film. You take a piece of aluminum foil, crumple it into a ball and put it in the cutlery basket of the dishwasher. Then you do the dishes as usual. After washing, your cutlery will shine like new.

Why this works: The rust film settles on the aluminum foil, which oxidizes more easily than stainless steel. It attracts the rust film, so to speak, and your cutlery is spared.

Of course, aluminum foil can’t work wonders for older, scratched cutlery on which the rust has already really set in. But you will certainly see a certain shine effect. You can also use rust magnets as an alternative to aluminum foil

Alternatively: What to do against rust film?

You can do this to prevent rust film: If you want to avoid rust film, you must not put anything in the dishwasher that can rust. Unfortunately, this is only partially possible. Even the smallest parts, such as rivets on the handle of a stainless steel pan, are enough to cause rust.

Incidentally, the dishwasher itself can also rust on crockery baskets or if the covers are damaged. It is therefore best not to leave your dishes damp in the dishwasher for long. Moisture accelerates the setting of the rust film. If you can, always unload the machine immediately after rinsing. Or at least leave the door of the machine open so the dishes dry and the steam can escape.

Traditional candles are increasingly taking on new forms: faces, bodies, cubes. But you can also pour the unusual candles yourself. We explain how to do it.

1.1 Material selection: Everything at a glance

When choosing your materials, there are a few things you should keep in mind. For example, when choosing the wax, you can choose between waxes of different origins. That’s what we’re going to talk about in more detail in the next paragraph. In general, to cast wax you need:
for the heat source: a medium saucepan and container or bowl for a double boiler
Bees, paraffin or stearin wax (like pallets?)
or like wax residues from home
as you like: wax color and/or glitter
Perfumes or oils for scented candles
a mold for casting: a jam jar, a toilet paper roll, or a pre-made mold
Wicks and wooden sticks (depending on the mold)
If you have taken care of all this, you will not be missing anything to pour candles. Now we will show you what you should pay attention to when choosing wax and shape.

1.2 Material selection: The right wax

The most popular waxes for pouring candles are paraffin, stearin or beeswax. As a by-product of petroleum, paraffin wax is the most commonly used in Germany. However, paraffin (wax) is often criticized. Not least because of their chemical composition. The EU Chemicals Regulation (also known as the CLP Regulation) is a global system for the classification and labeling of chemicals. She classifies paraffin as harmless to humans, but emphasizes that it also depends on the use and the further composition. However, this does not necessarily mean the paraffin in candles. Because this is also found in cosmetics and medicine, for example. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for remains of this to end up in nature. Because paraffin is environmentally friendly, petroleum, definitely not.

Stearin wax has a higher melting point than paraffin, so it’s not quite as sensitive to heat and has a longer shelf life. Stearin wax is less polluting, but more expensive. It is obtained from vegetable or animal fats, mostly palm oil or coconut fat. Incidentally, both paraffin and stearin waxes are colorless.

A wax of natural but animal origin is beeswax. Therefore the candles are not vegan. On the other hand, organic beeswax candles are probably the most environmentally friendly alternative. But it is also the most expensive raw material to produce. In addition, beeswax already comes with a golden-yellowish color. As you can see, unfortunately none of the waxes are really sustainable or vegan, which is why you can first look around for wax residues at home. You can use both colored and colorless candle residues. Watering works just as well and you usually already have them at home.

1.3 Material selection: the right shape

Depending on the purpose of the candle, you can use different shapes. You can easily use toilet paper rolls from home to mold your candles and then easily remove them from the roll. Aluminum foil, which you can shape like a bowl, is also suitable for smaller shapes.

If you want to pour scented candles or colorful candles, jam jars are good for this. You can wrap them up with a lid and give them away as gifts. You can also observe the color gradient for candles made of colored wax, and the glass alternative is always sustainable.

If you would like to dare to make large, unusual candles, you can probably still get some shapes online. These range from bodies and faces to a wide variety of shapes. It’s worth browsing. Since the process of making the candles is always the same, you can first try your hand at the toilet roll and then individual shapes.

2.1 Preparation: heat source

There are different ways to heat wax. We will introduce you to the safest and cleanest option. This means that candle casting can also be carried out with small children without any problems, under the supervision of adults.

In order to melt the wax of your candles, you need to set up a water bath. To do this, take a medium-sized saucepan and add a few glasses of water to a heatproof container to melt the wax, or a few more to melt in a bowl. You put your bowl on the pot with water, you put the container in it so that part of it lies or stands in the water.

Once this is done, you can add your wax to the bowl or container and begin melting it. Occasional stirring should be enough to get your wax runny. One benefit of heating your wax in a water bath is that you can easily keep it warm or reheat it.

2.2 Preparation: Prepare the wick

Without a good wick, there is no long-lasting candle. But that is not an obstacle either. We will show you how you can make a wick quickly and easily at home and how to properly prepare this or a store-bought one for watering.

Make a wick yourself: You can easily make a candle wick yourself. For this you need yarn made of pure and thick cotton (this is important!). Once you have chosen your shape, you can first adjust and cut your yarn to length. Then you take your cut yarn and dip it completely into your wax except for a few finger widths (leave the top free) and wait for the first pass until it is well soaked. Then let your wick cool down briefly before repeating the process three to four times. Then let your wick cool down before you use it. Finished!

Prepare a store-bought or homemade wick: You can attach your wicks, whether you have made them yourself or bought them, to one side of the wooden stick and place this over the opening of your mould. This way your wick won’t slip or fall into the wax when pouring and you can easily pour without worrying about your wick slipping.

3.1 Casting: procedure

Now let’s get to the watering! Once the wax has melted, you can color it, add essential oils or glitter. Note that the wax is initially clear and later white. Therefore, you should use moderation with the intensity of your color. You can also place multiple containers in a water bath to pour different color gradients. To do this, you wait after each layer of paint until it cools down. Now it’s about how your candle should ultimately look like.

For smooth candles, the wax should be hot and very runny. This creates a smooth candle shape when pouring, just like you know from the drugstore. To pour matte candles, you should wait a while after heating your wax until it has cooled down a bit, but of course it is still liquid enough. This creates the matte effect of your candle.

Now let’s get to the fun part. You can simply let your poured candles cool down in the molds. Ideally, you’ll give them a day to really solidify.

3.2 Creative casting

We would now like to briefly introduce you to a special way of designing your candle despite its original shape. So you can pour candles with a great optical effect without any effort.

Ideally, use a vessel that has the familiar candle shape. You can also use a toilet paper roll, but you can only see your result afterwards. Therefore, jam jars are ideal for observing the pouring. Then color wax in two containers with at least two colors or leave one colorless or white. Then lay the wick together with the wooden stick over your glass.

Tilt your glass and pour the first layer of paint into the glass. Pour until the wax takes the shape of a pyramid or triangle. Let the layer cool and then take the container of the other color. Now turn your glass in the other direction and pour out the free part. You can repeat this alternately before you recognize the triangle pattern and your glass is filled.

4. Your candle as a decoration or gift

After a few runs, you should be able to make candles fairly easily, which is why you can make candles for yourself as well as for family and friends.

Beautifully cast candles in the form of bodies are increasingly found as decoration in our living rooms. Colorless or single-colored candles are simple and give your living room table style. Colorful candles are perfect as a decoration in the garden for long summer nights. Even poured scented candles give your room a Christmassy scent in winter.

Therefore, you can also give your candles nicely wrapped as homemade gifts. Individually selected shapes can be used for family and friends in advance. This gives your gift a personal touch. As you can see, the production is not too difficult and time-consuming, the result is all the more beautiful. Have fun!

Everyone knows oatmeal for breakfast. But did you know that you can also use them in the bath to promote health?

Oatmeal as a power source

Oats are considered very healthy. Muesli, porridge with fruit, delicious smoothies or as a baking ingredient – you can prepare and consume oatmeal in different ways. These contain more iron than meat, lots of magnesium, biotin and B1. Silicic acid and silicon are also included. In addition, oats are considered to be one of the best sources of dietary fiber.

So it’s no wonder that oatmeal is good for your intestines as well as your hair, fingernails and nerves.

The effect of oatmeal in the bath

But oatmeal is not only suitable for internal use, but also for external use. The vitamin E, ferrous acid and other substances contained in oats have an anti-inflammatory effect, soothe the skin and protect against the effects of UV radiation. An oatmeal bath is particularly suitable for people with sensitive skin and problems such as eczema and neurodermatitis. The bath can bring relief for acne, sunburn, itching and insect bites, because oatmeal also contains substances that soothe itching. Otherwise, they help to make dry skin soft and supple again.

You can add finely ground oatmeal or colloidal oats directly to the bathtub. Alternatively, you can fill a sock with oatmeal and attach it to your bathtub’s faucet; this variant saves you a time-consuming cleaning of the bathtub. Then let the water flow through the sock with the flakes.

You don’t have to do without the beneficial effects when you shower. Take the socks with you in the shower, soak them briefly and rub your skin with them. Leave it on for a short time and then rinse it off.

Caution: who should not sit in the oatmeal bath

But be careful: an oatmeal bath is not suitable for people with gluten intolerance, as allergic reactions cannot be ruled out. If you have sensitive skin, you should bathe with oatmeal at most twice a week, otherwise you will dry out your skin.

Tip: You can also make a face mask out of oatmeal or apply an oatmeal and water mixture directly to red areas.

Freezing wine: how it works and why you should try it

Freezing wine: how to do it

“In Vino Veritas – The truth lies in the wine.” So wrote the Greek poet Alkaios of Lesbos. The philosopher Plato wrote: “Wine is a gift from the gods, they gave wine to man out of mercy.” Man has been making wine from grapes for centuries. The varieties are almost innumerable, everyone will find their favorite wine. But what do you do if there is still wine left at the end of the evening? Once opened, you can’t keep it for long. The taste wears off pretty quickly. But there is an option: Freeze. However, the wine is then less suitable for drinking.

There are several variants. One of them is to put the wine in an ice cube tray and then freeze it. Then, when you prepare a dish that requires wine, you simply take the appropriate amount of ice cubes and add them. This gives the sauce a light wine note. You can also use it for baking, but here the rule is: thaw beforehand. Alternatively, if a large amount of red wine has accumulated, you can use it for mulled wine or punch. Under no circumstances should you freeze wine in the bottle, it could burst.

No matter which variant you choose: you save money and don’t have to throw away your good wine.

If you plan your move properly, you can avoid mistakes and save a lot of time at the same time!

Good planning: Here’s how!

Remember the address changes. These affect banks, insurance companies, but also friends and family. The residents’ registration office and the kindergartens and schools must also be informed and all people who move must be re-registered. In addition, you should plan many things several weeks before the move so that there is no stress later.

If you organize the following things some time before you move, you are guaranteed to be on the safe side and you can move into your new apartment completely relaxed:
Do you need a moving truck? Rent it in good time and find out about the prices.
Get enough moving boxes and packing materials. You can gradually collect newspaper or organize it with friends and family.
Pack a bag with a toothbrush, a change of clothes and deodorant so that you can get to the most important things immediately after the move without having to search.
Organize enough helpers for the moving day early on! It is often difficult to carry the heavy furniture alone or in pairs.
Compare and find out more about moving companies. These can sometimes be very expensive.
Plan enough time for the renovation of your old apartment. Painting, cleaning and handing over the apartment often take a lot of time.

You can avoid these mistakes

In addition to good planning, you can also avoid some mistakes when moving:
Don’t pack too heavy! Many make this mistake. You would like to fill the boxes as full as possible, but then you can hardly lift them or they even break on the ground. Therefore, always pack light and heavy things mixed up in a box and check whether you can still lift it.
Don’t use bags to pack: Bags are often difficult to carry and not really fit much. It is best to pack everything that is possible in boxes.
Do not forget to label: If you do not label the boxes correctly, you will have to spend a lot of time and nerves afterwards to put everything back in the right place. Make it easy for you and your helpers and label everything well, with room information and content. So you always have an overview.
Don’t forget your helpers! A moving day can be long and tiring. Don’t forget to provide your helpers with enough food and drinks. It doesn’t matter whether you order a pizza for everyone or make something yourself.
If you pay attention to these things, you will certainly have a relaxed move without any big surprises! Good planning and organization are the decisive factors.

Low-carb nutrition – i.e. a diet with no or only a few carbohydrates – is no longer an insider tip. But which ingredients can be used to replace bread, pasta, and the like in everyday life? The siblings Alex and Anne from “Eating Without Carbohydrates” is also dealing with this question. In an interview, they tell us more about their favorite recipes, how their blog came about and why a low-carbohydrate diet doesn’t automatically mean giving up.

How did the idea for “food without carbohydrates” come about?

Alex: The whole idea was a mixture of a bet with my sister and my nutritional situation at the time. I created several Facebook fan pages with my sister. To put it simply, “Eating without carbohydrates” had several hundred fans practically overnight…and without any posted content – ​​so it was clear to me that I urgently needed a website with recipes. Fortunately, I’m a media designer and was able to implement it directly in a night session.

Why do you eat low carb?

Alex: For me personally, low-carb is the perfect balance for my training days. Because on these days, carbohydrates are not only allowed to me but also an integral part of my diet. Understanding what happens in the body with the right amounts of nutrients is just plain fun. Anne is more vegan/vegetarian-oriented.

What can we expect from “eating without carbohydrates”?

Anne: We geared the recipes and the whole concept behind “food without carbohydrates” to the long-term goal of a healthy diet. This means that carbohydrates are of course also allowed here. The name is not to be taken literally. However, we do not limit the amount to a few grams per day (as with many other low-carb diets), but are a bit more generous. What we want to convey: is low-carb with “eating without carbohydrates” is not a diet, but a long-term and balanced form of nutrition.

So low-carb and indulgence don’t have to be a contradiction in terms?

Anne: No, absolutely not. Especially if you still have some leeway with the carbohydrates. The thought that enjoyment is neglected here is actually more than wrong.

What (positive/negative) memories do you have of your first attempts at cooking?

Alex: Especially in the area of ​​”low-carb baking” it took a while. A lot went wrong here at the beginning. The worst but also the funniest memory is an exploded mug cake from the microwave.

So I would recommend the baking area to advanced low-carb fans. Precisely because a lot of conventional foods (such as flour and sugar) have to be replaced here, this is not so easy. Just because another product (and there are many) has the suffix “-flour” does not mean that it can also be used 1:1 like normal flour. Otherwise, it would be very useful. It doesn’t matter whether it’s almond flour, coconut flour, or guar gum…each behaves differently in terms of water retention and quantity.

In most low-carb dishes with very common ingredients, however, the ingredients do not differ from other “normal” recipes. So there are no difficulties with the preparation here – provided you can cook a bit.

How did you learn to cook in the first place or was it in your genes?

Anne: We actually always cooked together with the family when we were children. For us, it was just time together in the kitchen and then eating. So I would say that we learned cooking skills from grandma, grandpa, and our parents. Incidentally, these do not go beyond any normal limits. If you are interested in it and have fun with it, that’s actually all you need.

Do you have to be strict with yourself to eat like you?

Anne: No, and that’s exactly what our concept is: It’s by far not “as strict” as comparable diets or programs. Of course, discipline is also part of it on many days and you have to clench your teeth from time to time, but after these situations, you feel all the better. And if you don’t make it, that’s part of it as well. Unfortunately, the quality of life should not be included.

no garden? You can also plant potatoes on the balcony. We’ll tell you how to do it!

Potatoes for the balcony – the preparation

If you want to grow potatoes on your balcony, success starts with the preparation. It is best to use ripe potatoes for planting. It’s best to buy seed or seed potatoes from a gardening store. For planting on the balcony, let them pre-germinate in a box in a dark, cool place. This can already be done in March and takes about four weeks.

The right location is important. Potatoes like it warm and light. But make sure that they are not directly in the midday sun. Use vegetable soil or regular garden soil that you have mixed with some compost for the potatoes. So your plants have enough nutrients. Your potatoes also need enough water and space: Potatoes want to spread and always need a lot of water. The soil should not dry out.

Plant bag, bucket or tub: you need that

If you have prepared everything and the sprouted potatoes are ready, you can almost start. But first you have to decide whether you prefer to work with plant bags, buckets or tubs:
Plant sacks: You can buy special plant sacks in specialist shops, but you can also use plastic sacks made from strong PVC fabric. Even rice or jute sacks are suitable for planting potatoes.
Buckets: Buckets or closed tubs are also suitable as long as they are large enough. In order for you to be able to harvest enough potatoes, your container should definitely have a volume of ten liters and a height of about 40 centimeters.
Pots: As with the plant bags, you can also get plant pots from a gardening store. Here you need dark-walled plastic buckets that are as high as possible so that the soil is warmed up well by the sun’s rays.
It is important, no matter which planter you choose in the end, that you ensure sufficient drainage. Potatoes do not tolerate waterlogging, which is why an additional drainage layer made of gravel is worthwhile. For drainage, you can equip your planters with a hole or some slits before filling. Then the water can drain well.

Growing potatoes on the balcony: Here’s how

With the right equipment, you can now plant your own potatoes step by step:
First fill the drainage layer in your planter (think of suitable holes or slots beforehand).
Now you fill in a 15 centimeter high layer of soil that has been enriched with sufficient nutrients.
Now you can spread the seed potatoes evenly over the soil. About four potatoes per pot. Fill in enough soil to just cover the tubers.
Keep everything moist.
After about 14 days, the potatoes are already 15 centimeters high. If the plants have reached a height of 30 centimeters, you can refill 15 centimeters of soil. After that, you can add soil twice more at intervals of 10 to 14 days. This will cause your plants to form more tubers and new shoots further up the shoots.
After about three to four months, the first potatoes are ready to be harvested. At the latest when you watch the leaves of the plants wither, it is time to harvest. Potatoes can usually be harvested from May to October, depending on when and how they were planted. Simply empty your planter. Then you can enjoy your first own balcony potatoes.

Splinters under the skin are easier to remove with simple home remedies. This is how it works and you should pay attention to this.

Tweezers, baking soda and warm water will help

The splinter can usually be removed with tweezers. It is important here that it is sterile so that no germs get under the skin. You should also disinfect your hands beforehand. Some dexterity is required to grip with the tweezers. If you’re too rough, the splinter can break up into smaller pieces that are even more difficult to remove. Important: Do not push the splinter out, as this will push it even deeper under the skin. However, some splinters are so small that other means are required.

The first home remedy of choice is baking soda. To remove the splinter with baking soda, you will need 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 band aid or gauze bandage, and some water. The water needs to be mixed with the baking soda to form a paste-like liquid and then applied over the splinter. Cover the treated area with a plaster or gauze bandage for a few hours. Either the splinter has dissipated or you can now pull it out more easily with tweezers.

You can also detect splinters better with warm water. Place the injured area in a bowl of warm water several times a day. The splinter is easier to see when it is swollen, so that you can then remove it with the tweezers.

Other home remedies: tape and olive oil

The adhesive tape solution is also worth trying. For this you need strong adhesive tape, which you stick to the affected skin area. Then pull the tape off in the direction in which the splinter comes out of the skin. Ideally, it then sticks to it and is no longer in your finger. If you’d rather skip this more painful method, you might want to try olive oil. If you let this soak into the skin for a few minutes, you can better grab the splinter with the tweezers.

The bottle method is ideal for fingertip splinters. To do this, fill a bottle with hot water up to about one centimeter below the bottleneck. Then press your fingertip on the opening of the bottle. The warm water pushes the splinter out of the skin and can then be pulled out with tweezers.

If you have successfully removed the splinter, you should clean the wound again with disinfectant or alcohol. If no home remedy has served its purpose and your skin has been reddening for a long time around the splinter, you should have the whole thing looked at by a doctor. Incidentally, it sometimes helps to simply get a second person to help you pull out the splinter.

The hiit workout is becoming increasingly popular. Especially as a beginner you should pay attention to a few things during the training.

The hiit workout for beginners: definition and process

The abbreviation “Hiit” stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Translated, this means something like high-intensity interval training and thus already fundamentally defines what it is actually about. You can choose between two forms: One possibility is to switch between exercises that are highly intensive and exercises that are more relaxed. Alternatively, intensive training intervals can be interrupted with short breaks.

Before training begins, it makes sense to do a quick warm-up. This does not have to be a long process: it is enough if the muscles are warmed up for about five to ten minutes with easy exercises. This way you can avoid injuries and start the exercises optimally.

Basically, the Hiit workout is suitable for everyone. The training goal can be set individually and the training success can be achieved through the right motivation. Especially at the beginning, the workout is particularly strenuous for the body; However, if you stay on the ball, the body will adjust to it after a certain time.

Inspiration: This is what a hiit workout could look like

The hiit workout can be designed as you wish. Ideally, you can choose the sports that you also enjoy: In this way, the highly intensive training also has a fun factor. Suitable sports include cycling, running, jumping rope, weightlifting or classic circuit training with exercises such as squats or burpees.

As a beginner, the duration of a training session should be around 20 minutes. Depending on the training progress and resilience, the duration can be slightly increased on a weekly basis so that you can achieve maximum effects. The number of repetitions per interval can also be varied according to the level of training.

For example, an idea for a beginner hiit workout at home would be 20 seconds of hard work followed by 30 seconds of rest. For example, you can choose jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, squats, burpees and planks as exercises. You can then repeat this in four intervals to fill the 20-minute training time.

Equipment needed for a hiit workout

When it comes to efficient training, many people initially think of classic training with fitness equipment. However, hiit training follows a different concept, making it highly attractive to a large audience.

Most of the exercises amount to training with your own body weight. Equipment is therefore not necessarily required: You can carry out the workout whenever and wherever you want. Duration, time and location can be determined by yourself: Training outdoors is also possible. The training also collects a plus point because it is so inexpensive.

If you still want to train with training equipment, this is also compatible with the Hiit workout. Depending on which exercises you want to do, a sports mat*, resistance bands, kettlebells* can be used as equipment.

What does the hiit workout bring?

Compared to typical cardio endurance training, hiit training should be able to boost fat burning even more effectively. This is achieved by stimulating the metabolism: a plus point for anyone who wants to achieve rapid training success.

The metabolism should be boosted so much by the strong stress phases that a so-called “afterburn effect” occurs. This means that fat and calorie burning continues the day after your workout

Muscle building can also be achieved through exercises that require heavy muscle strain. Hiit training can therefore increase endurance and stimulate the build-up of muscle mass.

Possible mistakes in the hiit workout: You should pay attention to this

In order for the Hiit workout to be able to produce maximum success, it is important to give the body time to regenerate. Ideally, the regeneration phase should last at least one day so that the body can be fully loaded again during the next training session. It is recommended to do the training about twice a week at the beginning. Advanced users can also increase the training to three or even four units.

The training itself should not be underestimated: the body is repeatedly subjected to maximum stress. Especially as a beginner, you should be careful not to overdo it right away, but to start with fewer repetitions and gradually challenge yourself more. To avoid injuries, you should make sure you do the exercises correctly. It is also important to always repeat the exercises on both sides of the body: This way you avoid one-sided training.

If you want to achieve your goals, you should not only pay attention to the training itself, but also to your diet. Even if the metabolism is stimulated by physical activity, the basis for success is a balanced and healthy diet.