50 Fun Facts About Life Skills

To what internal temperature does US health guidance say chicken must be cooked?

The figure comes from the US Department of Health and Human Services and applies to all poultry, to kill bacteria and parasites.

What temperature range do food safety agencies call the bacterial 'danger zone'?

Perishable food left in that range for more than a couple of hours should be thrown out rather than reheated.

The US FDA says a home refrigerator should be kept at or below what temperature?

The freezer should be at 0 °F (-18 °C); the ideal range for perishables is 37 to 41 °F.

Roughly how long does an egg need to boil for the yolk to fully set?

Soft-boiled eggs come out earlier with the yolk still liquid; hard-boiled ones are the base of egg salad and deviled eggs.

At sea level, water boils at what temperature?

Up a mountain it boils cooler: about 200 °F at 6,250 feet, which is why high-altitude recipes take longer.

Pasta cooked "al dente" is cooked how?

The Italian phrase means "to the tooth"; a short cooking time only became the norm for pasta in the mid-19th century.

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

That is the traditional definition in most places, so a recipe calling for a tablespoon of salt wants three teaspoons.

What should you never do to a grease or cooking-oil fire?

Water scatters the burning oil and spreads the flames; a lid, a damp cloth or baking soda cuts off the oxygen instead.

What does baking soda do in a cake batter?

It needs an acid such as vinegar, cream of tartar or citric acid to react with; the gas bubbles give cakes and quick breads their texture.

Which two household chemicals should never be mixed because they react to produce toxic chloramine gases?

Mixing bleach with acidic cleaners such as limescale removers is just as dangerous, releasing chlorine gas.

Most of the Americas dial 911 for emergency services. What number does most of Europe use?

Britain's 999, introduced in London in 1937, is the world's oldest emergency number; 112 also works from most mobile phones worldwide.

At what rate should chest compressions be given during CPR on an adult?

Compressions should also be 2 to 2.4 inches deep; going faster than 120 can actually reduce blood flow back to the heart.

What is pressing sharply below a choking person's diaphragm from behind called?

American doctor Henry Heimlich is usually credited with developing it.

How should an unconscious person who is still breathing be placed?

Lying on the back can let the airway close or fill with vomit; thousands die each year from airway obstruction when the original cause was survivable.

What is the right way to stop a nosebleed?

Pressure should be held for at least five minutes; leaning forward stops blood running down the throat.

An AED, the defibrillator found in airports and gyms, is designed to be used by whom?

Automated external defibrillators talk the user through each step; in the US, Good Samaritan laws protect people who use them.

Why is carbon monoxide called the "silent killer"?

It is produced by incomplete combustion from furnaces, stoves and engines, which is why homes need CO detectors as well as smoke alarms.

How long does the World Health Organization say you should wash your hands with soap?

If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the fallback, as long as hands are not visibly dirty.

If no soap and water is available, how strong does hand sanitizer need to be to work?

It only works if hands are not visibly dirty or greasy.

What does the SPF number on sunscreen measure?

Franz Greiter introduced the sun protection factor in 1974; his original glacier cream is estimated to have been SPF 2.

The classic FICO credit score runs between which two numbers?

Only about 1.2 percent of Americans held a perfect 850 in 2019; the rival VantageScore switched to the same range in 2013.

What makes compound interest different from simple interest?

Simple interest, by contrast, never adds the interest back to the principal, which is why compounding makes debts and savings grow faster.

The "rule of 72" is a quick way to estimate what?

Divide 72 by the annual interest rate: money at 6 percent doubles in about 12 years.

In the popular 50/30/20 budget, what does the 20 percent go to?

Fifty percent of net income goes to needs and 30 percent to wants.

What does APR on a loan or credit card stand for?

It expresses the finance charge as a rate for a whole year rather than a monthly figure, so offers can be compared.

How does a debit card differ from a credit card?

That is why fraud on a debit card can overdraw a checking account immediately, while a credit card is borrowed money billed later.

Which US tax form does your employer send you by January 31 showing your wages and the tax withheld?

The W-4 is the one you fill in when hired to tell the employer how much to withhold; the 1040 is the return you file.

What is the purpose of the W-4 form you fill out when starting a job?

The more allowances you claimed on the old form, the less was withheld each paycheck.

On a check, what is the person or company being paid called?

The drawer is the person writing the check and the drawee is the bank ordered to pay it.

When a tenant moves out, what limits a landlord's deductions from the security deposit?

Deposits are one of the biggest sources of landlord-tenant disputes and litigation.

On a laundry care label, what does a triangle with two diagonal lines through it mean?

An empty triangle allows any bleach; a fully crossed-out triangle bans bleaching altogether.

Which fabric needs water or steam to iron out wrinkles properly?

Water loosens the bonds between cellulose fibers; permanent-press blends were invented to cut down on ironing.

Jumper cables are color-coded. Which clip goes on the battery's positive terminal?

Connecting in the recommended order matters because it reduces the chance of a spark igniting hydrogen gas from the battery.

A "donut" space-saver spare tire should not be driven faster than roughly what speed?

They also are not meant for long distances; get the real tire fixed or replaced soon.

How should you tighten the lug nuts when putting a wheel back on?

Alternating seats the wheel evenly on the hub; a breaker bar helps loosen nuts that were overtightened.

Unlike a fuse, what can you do with a household circuit breaker after it trips?

Small breakers have a manual lever to switch off or reset; if one keeps tripping, something on the circuit is faulty.

What does a GFCI outlet, the kind with test and reset buttons found in kitchens and bathrooms, do?

It compares current in the line and neutral wires and trips when they do not match, which is how it protects against electrocution near water.

If a plunger will not clear a stubborn toilet clog, what tool is the usual next step?

Chemical cleaners are for sinks and tubs; the flanged toilet plunger is shaped differently from the flat kitchen kind.

What length are the work intervals in the Pomodoro time-management technique?

Francesco Cirillo named it after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used as a student; after four pomodoros you take a longer 15 to 30 minute break.

The Eisenhower matrix sorts tasks by which two qualities?

Eisenhower's line was that the urgent are not important and the important are never urgent, which he credited to an unnamed college president.

What does RSVP on an invitation ask you to do?

It abbreviates the French répondez s'il vous plaît, literally respond if it pleases you.

In the US, UK and Canada, what is a traditional business handshake supposed to be like?

Customs vary widely elsewhere, so it is worth checking before a trip abroad.

How long is a résumé typically expected to be?

It should highlight only the experience that matches the job description; in Europe and Asia the longer curriculum vitae is more common.

Which hiring method do studies find better predicts who will do the job well?

Unstructured conversations feel friendlier but are less accurate at picking suitable employees.

Which of these countries drives on the left, even though it was never part of the British Empire?

Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal and Mozambique also drive on the left without a British colonial past; Myanmar switched to the right in 1970.

In the first-aid mnemonic RICE for soft-tissue injuries, what does the 'C' stand for?

Rest, ice, compression and elevation; the acronym was introduced by Gabe Mirkin in 1978, who has since recanted his support.

In the UK's five fire classes, a Class B fire involves what?

Class A is organic solids, Class C flammable gases and Class D combustible metals; cooking fats and oils are excluded from Class B.

Ionization smoke detectors typically rely on which radioactive isotope to ionize the air?

The amount used is small enough to be exempt from regulations that govern larger radioactive sources.

In which room of a home is a heat detector considered more suitable than a smoke detector?

Cooking fumes trigger false alarms, so heat detectors are the standard advice for kitchens.

The 'stop, drop and roll' technique is meant for what situation?

Advice pamphlets stress it is not for smoke-alarm situations, which call for immediate evacuation.