| How to Make a Frozen Bagel Taste Freshly Baked Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:00 PM PST Bagels are a great food to enjoy at home or on-the-go, and storing them frozen is a smart way to keep bagels fresh for longer. When you're ready to enjoy a bagel, take one out of the freezer and let it defrost for a few hours before baking it in the oven for the freshest tasting option. If you don't have time to do that, pop a frozen bagel straight into the toaster or use the microwave to heat it up before adding your favorite toppings. [Edit]Defrosting and Baking the Bagel - Defrost the bagel at room temperature for 2-3 hours. If the bagel was individually wrapped before it went into the freezer, leave it in its wrap while it is defrosting. If it wasn't, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil when you take it out of the freezer to help it retain its moisture level while it's defrosting.[1]
- You could also let the bagel defrost overnight, which could especially come in handy if you want to eat a bagel first thing in the morning.
- Preheat your oven to 10-15 minutes before you're ready to eat. Once your bagel is defrosted, turn on your oven and set it to the appropriate temperature. Give the oven 5-10 minutes to fully preheat.[2]
- If you prefer a less-crispy exterior, set the oven to instead of .
- For an extra-crispy bagel, set the oven to .
- Sprinkle the exterior of the bagel with water. Wet the tips of your fingers and flick the water onto the sides of the bagel. Repeat 2-3 times so that each side is even. This will create a little bit of steam in the oven and give your bagel a crispier crust.[3]
- If the bagel is already sliced, it's okay if some water gets onto the interior of the bagel—it won't hurt anything.
- Cut the bagel in half if it isn't already sliced. Use a serrated knife or a mechanical slicer to halve the bagel. If you're using a knife, place the bagel flat on the countertop and cut horizontally through the middle of the bagel. If you're using a slicer, simply insert the bagel and push down on the blade's handle.[4]
- Be careful when slicing the bagel that you don't accidentally cut your hand.
- Place the bagel on a baking sheet with the sliced sides facing up. Position the bagel halves so that the interior of the bagel is facing up so that the heat from the oven will cook it more evenly. Keep the exterior of the bagel against the baking sheet so it gets crispier.[5]
- You can also bake bagels whole if you prefer. Just keep in mind that the interior of the bagel won't get crispy and browned at all.
- Bake the bagel in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Every oven bakes things at a slightly different rate, so check the bagel after 10 minutes to see if it is done yet. If it doesn't have much color on the top, cook it for an additional 5 minutes. It is done when it's lightly browned on top, though feel free to cook it for longer if you prefer a toastier bagel.[6]
- If you're baking an unsliced bagel, it should still need just 10-15 minutes to bake on the outside and heat all the way through.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the bagel cool down. Use oven mitts to safely remove the baking sheet and set it down on a protected surface. Give the bagel 3-4 minutes to cool off before you pick it up and add your toppings of choice.
- Don't forget to turn off the oven when you're done using it.
[Edit]Toasting the Bagel - Take a bagel out of the freezer and unwrap it. If you wrapped the bagel individually before freezing it, simply pull one out of the freezer and discard its wrapper. If it was frozen along with other bagels, open the container, take one out, and reseal the container before placing the rest of the bagels back into the freezer.[7]
- If you can't bake a bagel, toasting it is the next best option. It'll crisp up the exterior and hopefully leave the interior nice and chewy.
- Put the bagel into the toaster and set it to the desired level of doneness. Some toasters even have bagel-specific settings that you can use. Keep in mind that you can always toast a bagel more, but if it is overdone you can't make it less toasted.[8]
- Every toaster is different, so use your best judgment when deciding what setting to use. It should be a bit higher than what you would use for toast since the bagel is thicker than sliced bread.
- Use your favorite bagel toppings to create a satisfying meal or snack. Once the bagel is done, remove it from the toaster and set it on a plate. It'll be really hot, so be careful to not burn your fingers. Try out some of these great bagel toppings:
- Cream cheese (plain or flavored)
- Peanut butter
- Nutella
- Egg
- Smoked salmon and capers
- Pizza sauce and cheese
- Smashed avocado
[Edit]Microwaving the Bagel - Pull a bagel out of the freezer. If the bagel was wrapped individually, take it out of its wrap and throw it away. If it was stored in bulk with other bagels, take it out and rewrap the rest of the bagels before replacing them in the freezer.[9]
- Microwaving a bagel is a good way to quickly heat it up straight from the freezer. Keep in mind that it won't produce a crispy exterior, though. If you do want that crispy outside, opt for the toaster or bake the bagel in the oven.
- Sprinkle warm water onto the bagel. It may seem counterintuitive, but adding some water to the bagel will keep it from drying out too much in the microwave. If the bagel is pre-sliced, keep it whole during this step. Dip your fingers in warm water and flick it all over the exterior of the bagel.[10]
- You could also wrap the bagel in a moistened paper towel for an even chewier bagel. Leave the paper towel in place while the bagel is in the microwave.
- Put the bagel on a microwave-safe dish. Separate the bagel halves and put them face-side up on a plate. If you choose to not use a plate or dish, set them on top of a paper towel in the microwave to keep them from sticking to the surface.[11]
- If the bagel is unsliced, you could either slice it before you microwave it or wait until afterward.
- Microwave the bagel in 20-second increments until it is cooked through. The total cooking time depends on your microwave, but it usually takes about 1 minute and 15 seconds to 2 minutes to thoroughly cook through. Test how done it is by poking the doughy section with your finger—if the bagel still feels cold or hard, it's not done yet.[12]
- Be careful when taking the plate out of the microwave as it may be hot to the touch.
[Edit]Freezing Bagels Properly - Slice bagels before freezing them so they're ready to eat at any time. Use a serrated bread knife or purchase a mechanical slicer to make separating bagels a quick and easy task.[13]
- Wrap bagels individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Wrapping the bagels individually before freezing them prevents freezer burn, which is a surefire way to ruin the flavor of the bagels. Use enough material to fully cover the entire bagel.[14]
- Freezing the bagels removes moisture from them. Wrapping them up will help them retain a bit more moisture than they would if you froze them all together.
- Place all the bagels into a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Once the bagels have been wrapped individually, you can store them all together in the same big plastic bag. Just make sure to use a bag that is resealable and preferably made for use in the freezer.[15]
- If there are too many bagels and you can't seal the plastic bag, separate the bagels into 2 or 3 packages.
- Store bagels in the freezer for 6-12 months for the best quality of taste. Ideally, try to use the bagels within the first week of freezing them for the freshest taste. But if you need or want to store them for longer, go for it![16]
- This is a great way to store bagels that you buy or make in bulk.
- Label the bag with the "frozen on" date so that you remember how long they've been in storage.
- Discard any bagels that are discolored or develop freezer burn. Technically, the bagel will still be safe to eat as long as it has been frozen properly, but it probably won't taste very good anymore.[17]
- Freeze bagels within 2-3 days of making them or buying them.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Defrosting and Baking the Bagel - Oven
- Plastic wrap or aluminum foil (optional)
- Serrated knife or mechanical slicer (optional)
- Baking sheet
- Oven Mitts
[Edit]Toasting the Bagel [Edit]Microwaving the Bagel - Microwave
- Microwave-safe dish
- Paper towel (optional)
[Edit]Freezing Bagels Properly - Serrated knife or mechanical slicer
- Plastic wrap or aluminum foil
- Resealable plastic bag
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Write With Your Opposite Hand Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST Becoming ambidextrous has all kinds of advantages, especially for writing. If you injure your dominant hand, for example, you can easily switch to your other hand when you need to write. Learning how to write with your opposite hand takes a lot of time and practice, but many people do it successfully.[1] Start small. Trace your hand and draw simple shapes to get your non-dominant hand used to write. Then advance to writing out the alphabet and simple sentences. Strengthen your non-dominant hand by doing more daily tasks with it regularly. With some patience, you can successfully learn how to write with your opposite hand. [Edit]Warming Your Hand Up - Hold the pen or pencil the same way you do with your dominant hand. The first step to changing your writing hand is holding the pen or pencil properly. This can be difficult if you've never done it before. Use the same grip as you would use with your dominant hand. This trains your non-dominant hand to use a writing instrument.[2]
- For a reference, sit down and hold the pen in your dominant hand. Then trade hands and try to mirror the way you held the pen in your dominant hand. Take a picture of your dominant hand holding a pen if you need more guidance.
- Don't hold the pen tightly. This is a common mistake people make when using their non-dominant hand. A tight grip makes your writing worse and also stresses your hand muscles.
- If you're learning to write with your left hand, it's common to smudge your writing. Use a pen without gel ink. Also avoid erasable pens. These varieties smudge much worse. Hold the pen from the tip so your hand rubs on the page less.[3]
- Trace your hand as a warm-up exercise. Once you're holding the pen with your non-dominant hand, do simple tasks to introduce it to writing. Place your dominant hand down on the paper. Then trace around it with your non-dominant hand. This loosens your hand up and trains the muscles in this hand to write.[4]
- Turn to a new page and repeat this activity a few times before moving on. It will feel awkward at first. Continue until you feel more comfortable holding and moving the pen in your non-dominant hand.
- Draw simple shapes when you feel more comfortable. After loosening your hand up with a tracing exercise, move on to making shapes without something to trace. Turn to a fresh page and draw simple shapes like a square, circle, and triangle. Focus on forming these shapes as legibly as possible. Draw shapes until you run out of room on the page, then switch to a new page if you feel like you need more practice.[5]
- Work slowly when you draw these shapes. Pay attention to forming the shapes, not working quickly. Speed will come with time. Right now, train your muscles to get used to writing.
- If you need a reference, draw these shapes with your dominant hand first. Then switch hands and try to copy these shapes.
- Make a connected line of waves across the page. After you feel comfortable drawing some disconnected shapes, move on to a more connected design. A wave shape requires more precision than simple shapes. Start by using your dominant hand to draw a line of connected waves across the page. Then switch hands and try to copy this design with your non-dominant one. Start a new line when you reach the end of the page.[6]
- Another design to draw is a line of upward loops like a cursive lowercase "L". Extend these loops across the page.
[Edit]Forming Letters and Sentences - Begin your exercise by writing out all the letters of the alphabet. After you're comfortable forming shapes, train your hand to form letters. Write out every letter in the alphabet, both the capital and uppercase versions. Work slowly and focus on forming the letters. When you're proficient at writing the alphabet, it's easier to string the letters together into words.[7]
- Write on loose-leaf or notebook paper and try to stay between the lines. Write large at first. Extend your letters through two rows instead of one.
- When you're just starting out training your non-dominant hand, begin every practice session with this exercise.
- Write out simple sentences. Once your hand is used to forming letters, put those skills to use by forming sentences. Something simple like "I am writing this sentence with my left hand" gets your hand moving and accustomed to forming words. Then write more sentences until you fill up a page.[8]
- Repeat writing each sentence a few times before moving on to a new one.
- Copy sentences out of a book or magazine if you can't come up with your own at first.
- If you aren't ready for sentences yet, try just writing out your name a few times.
- Switch back to your dominant hand to observe how it writes if you get stuck. Inevitably, you'll run into a word or shape that your non-dominant hand just can't seem to form. This might happen a lot in the beginning. If you do get stuck, give the pen back to your dominant hand. Write the same thing with this hand and observe how it moves. Also notice how your hand feels and the muscles you use for this task. Then give the pen back to your non-dominant hand and try to copy these motions and feelings.[9]
- Write with your dominant hand in front of a mirror to get a better view of how it moves and forms words. Try to copy these motions with your other hand.
- Practice mirror writing. Mirror writing is an exercise where you write a word with your dominant hand, and then write it backwards with your non-dominant hand. The two words next to each other look like they're in a mirror. Start off writing in print. Then advance to doing this activity in cursive.[10]
- As a very advanced technique, some people write the same word in opposite directions at the same time. Try this out when you feel confident in your ability with both hands.
- Track your progress by writing in a notebook. Learning to write with your non-dominant hand takes time and practice. In the beginning, your writing might be nearly illegible. It's easy to get discouraged, but keeping track of your progress helps you see how far you've come. Do all your exercises in a notebook. When you feel like quitting, flip back to the earlier days when you were just starting. Compare that to where you are now. You've almost certainly gotten better, and you'll keep getting better as long as you practice.[11]
[Edit]Strengthening Your Non-Dominant Hand - Do exercises for your non-dominant hand. Since you use your non-dominant hand less often than your dominant one, its muscles are much weaker. This makes it harder to write well with your non-dominant hand. Increase this hand's strength by doing hand exercises that work these muscles and improve your dexterity.[12]
- Warm up and stretch your hands before working them out to avoid injuries and pulled muscles.
- Doing bicep curls with dumbbells strengthens the muscles in your wrists and forearms. Squeezing hand grips specifically targets your hand muscles.
- Something simple like squeezing a stress ball will also help strengthen your hand. Do this while you're watching TV or on your daily commute.
- Learn an instrument that requires both hands to play. Many instruments require coordination between both hands to operate. Play one of these instruments to improve your overall dexterity and get used to using both hands together.[13]
- Guitar, for example, requires you to strum with one hand and fret the strings with the other. Since both hands need to work together, this activity improves your coordination. Other choice include bass guitar, piano, and drums.
- On many stringed instruments, you can flip them upside down and play them the opposite way with your other hand. When you get proficient enough, try this exercise to further strengthen your non-dominant hand.
- Use your non-dominant hand for more daily tasks. Any activity you do with your non-dominant hand strengthens it and gets your body used to using it. This will benefit your writing. Start doing more activities with your non-dominant hand to train yourself to use it in your daily life.[14]
- Try brushing your teeth and holding a fork with your non-dominant hand.
- Buttoning your shirt with your non-dominant hand is a good exercise that requires more precision.
- Don't do activities that could be dangerous if they aren't done correctly. For example, driving with your other hand isn't safe until you're very proficient with it.
- Remember to write large at first. Making small letters will just smudge your writing in the beginning. Focus on forming the letters clearly before trying to make your writing smaller.
- Take your time. Speed will come with time and practice.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Make Your Christmas Lights Flash to Music Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST You've probably seen videos of Christmas lights that are synchronized to music. One of the most-watched YouTube videos of all time — PSY's "Gangnam Style" — has even made it into a Christmas lights extravaganza. If you want your own lights to blink to the tune of your favorite song, then you have to make a plan and get the equipment that will help you impress your friends and create a dazzling display. You'll need a whole lot of time, lights, and tools to pull it off, but the end result will surely be fantastic. - Decide how big you want your lights show. You can decide to have your lights draped across your whole home, either inside or outside, or choose specific spots on your house and in your front garden. Keep the following in mind while you're planning your lights show:
- A channel is a unit of lights that can be controlled individually. For example, a single bush in your yard may be a channel if you drape one set of lights over it.
- All the lights in a channel work as a single unit. Unfortunately, you can't flash an individual light bulb.
- 32 to 64 channels is a good size to start with if you're never programmed lights to music before. Any bigger than that, and you'll probably curse the day you ever decided to take on the project (or the day your spouse made you take it on).
- Stock up. The best time to buy lights is the day after Christmas. Often, you'll find lights that were normally priced around $2 a strand fall to $0.50. Check out Walmart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot, K-Mart, and other department stores for the best deal. Use the internet to price-hunt.
- Obtain a control system. You will need hardware that hooks up to your computer. You can buy a system completely built, a kit, or a full do-it-yourself system.
 - A fully built system will work right out of the box. It will cost you about $20 - $25 per channel. A fully built system can be purchased from online vendors. Choose this option if you do not want to do any electrical work (especially soldering), or don't have the slightest clue about where to start.
- A kit is a little more hands-on. It will cost from $15 or so per channel, but it's pretty much the same thing as a fully built product without the enclosure. Because it is very simple to place an electronics board in an enclosure, this may be a great option if you're looking to save money. Some vendors sell everything you need to build a control system, including the bare circuit board and the parts. If you are willing to solder a little bit, try this
- A DIY system costs roughly $5 per channel and up. The price depends on how much you actually do yourself. A system consists of a controller, which communicates with your computer, and solid state relays (SSRs), which actually switch the lights. SSRs can be bought or made yourself. With a DIY option, you will spend lots of time making your hardware, but the cost savings should make up for it. You'll also have the ability to totally customize your hardware, and will be able to fix problems easily.
- Get help. This can be a very big and complicated project, and often can seem overwhelming if you're just getting started. Have interested friends or family members help you, or sign up for help at some of the forums listed below.
- Depending on the degree of difficulty, give yourself anywhere from 2-6 months of prep time before you can expect your lights show to be fully operational. It may sound like a lot of time, but you'll need it.
- Get software. For the low-tech layman, you'll be able to buy software that will help you program your lights. There is also free software available for Do-It-Yourself systems (see the links section). If you're ambitious and more of a tech-wizard, you may wish to hand-code a program in almost any major programming language. Note, however, that you won't be able to use this option for pre-built products, as most of their protocols are closed-source.
- The software that you choose will basically break the song you're syncing your lights to into very short segments (.10 second), letting you program each channel of lights to turn on, turn off, fade, twinkle or shimmer. There are essentially three commercial options for software.
- Light-O-Rama is the vendor for most residential lights displays. It is, however, pretty complex, and can take as much as four hours per minute of the song to program 32-48 channels.
- Animated Lighting is more expensive but easier to program. Some residential light displays and most commercial ones choose Animated Lighting.
- D-Lights is the second from the least expensive of the bunch, but you need to have some passing familiarity with and knowledge of control systems and electrical engineering.
- Hinkle's Lighting Sequencer is actually a free software that is simple yet powerful on incandescent light bulbs, LEDs, and RGB LEDs.
- Design your display. Design the actual outside portion of your display. Common elements to include are:
- Mini lights or net lights go on landscaping.
- Icicle lights or c-series lights usually go on the roof.
- Mini Trees are two- to three-foot-tall trees, often made of tomato cages wrapped in lights of one or multiple colors. Arranged in a line or a triangle, they are very useful in an animated display.
- A Mega Tree usually consists of a large pole with lights extending from the top to a large ring around the base. Again, it is very useful in animation.
- Wireframes are metal frames with lights attached.
- Blow molds are plastic lighted sculptures of deer, Santas, etc. They are usually placed throughout the yard.
- C9 Lights are bulbous, colorful lights that usually go on the yard perimeter.
- Program your show. Here comes the time consuming part! Decide on music that you will synchronize to, then start programming on your time grid. Don't do everything at once. This will probably take a couple of months, depending on the length of your show and how many channels you have. How program your show varies, depending on the software program you choose.
- Let them hear you. Use a way that will create a spectacular sound yet keep everybody at peace. Speakers playing the same music over and over again would drive the neighbors crazy, so in most cases you will need to broadcast over an FM frequency. Please see the warnings section at the bottom of this page.
- Respectfully inform your neighbors of your plan to create an animated display; having the neighbors on your side is important if you want your display to last long enough for other people to see it.
- Stick to a single showing at the top of the hour, once or twice a night. If the neighbors know that the display will only last three minutes, and will show nightly at 8 and 9 PM, they'll probably be more understanding than if you blasted it regularly from 6-9.
- Get powered up. Make sure your home has enough outside power to run your lights. A typical mini light strand, for example, draws about 1/3 amp. Speaking of power, computerizing your display will have a lower electric bill than a static display since not all the lights are on at once. Please see the warnings section at the end.
- Publicize. Put a sign in your yard. Make a website. List on a display listing site. Tell your friends. Doing all this work will not be worth it if no one comes to see your display. Don't go to extremes, but make sure people know about you.
- Again, inform your neighbors that you are publicizing your display. They'll be much more accommodating if they know your plan to attract attention from around the neighborhood.
- Maintain your display. Go outside every morning and check your display. Repair or replace broken lights or damage caused by weather or vandals. Make sure things are ready to run that night.
- Finished.
- Use your time wisely. This is a big project, so don't be afraid to get help or try to do things more efficiently. Try to take your time for checking your lights and making sure there are no fire hazards!
- Get people who know their electronics to help out, maybe someone in your neighborhood is a pro at this. Who knows?
- Signing up for the forums at Christmas lighting sites is a good idea. You will get help from others and help others.
- Talk to neighbors, police, and your homeowners association about possible issues with traffic flow, noise, etc. It is much easier to prevent problems than to correct them. However, make sure they understand that there might be problems, not that there will be problems. People need to know what to expect, but don't stress things so that they shut you down before you even start up your display!
- FPGAs make fantastic custom control devices, which can hook between an RS232 connection on a PC and a relay board for the lights. An entry level Spartan 3e Xilinx demo board is around $150.
- If your neighborhood has a lot of pets and kids, make sure your set is kids and pet-friendly to avoid any injuries.
[Edit]Warnings - Be considerate. Your neighbors may not appreciate you flashing lights or loud music at night, so you should turn them off at some point during the evening. Some areas may have laws about lights or sounds at certain times. Some would recommend that you start and stop the same time each night (or each day(s) of the week. For example, Sunday through Thursday, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, and Friday - Saturday from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Send letters to neighbors asking if they have any problems with the times.
- Use a control system appropriate for your locale. Many countries use voltages higher than in the U.S., sometimes with different power line frequencies. Some places may even need lights with voltage-reducing transformers. Check with the manufacturer of your product, or the designs you followed, to see if your control system is acceptable for your locale.
- This is time consuming. Start at least 6 months in advance, more for DIY systems.
- FM Transmitters may or may not comply with FCC rules. The transmitters will broadcast at a very low power, so they should not cause any interference. The FCC allows you from the transmitter without a license.
- When you are dealing with lights you are dealing with high-voltage. United States line voltage (115 volts AC), in the right place and amount, can kill you. Always use a GFCI on any circuit that is outside, including your lights, for your safety and the safety of the public.
- Do not do anything to the Belkin other than extend the antenna. Building an amplifier is not recommended. If the transmitter causes anyone to have interference, your only choice is to shut it down.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]Quick Summary |
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