Spudtastic - 8 Surprising Uses for the Humble Potato

1) Lightbulb broken in the socket? To easily remove it without losing a finger, cut a potato in half, and push it into the broken glass. The lightbulb should then easily twist out ready for you to replace it.

2) Potato Printing
This was a half-term favourite in my house growing up. Cut the potatoes in half and draw your design on the inside, then carefully cut it out leaving just the silhouette to make an inexpenisve stamp. Dip the stamp in poster paint and you're ready to print. Top Tip: Get the kids to print onto a large sheet of paper for cute homemade wrapping paper!

3) Vodka!
We've had one for the kids, now here's one for the grown ups! Home brew is very "in" right now, get ahead of the trend and make your own vodka. Follow this link to see how http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxwriXGXS1A

4) Fix an over-salted sauce
It's often said that your should be careful with seasoning as you can always add more, but you can't take it away...well that's not strictly true!!
Add a few chunks of raw potato to the pan while its on the stove, leave for a few minutes then remove the potatoes, and the excess salt they absorbed.

5) Polish your silver
For this one you don't even need the whole potato! Boil the potatoes as normal, drain them off but save the cooking water to soak your silverware. Leave the silver in the water for around an hour, before rinsing, drying and buffing. They'll shine good as new!

6) Potato Face Mask
Potatoes are said to be great for your skin, alleviating acne and minimising wrinkles! Mash raw potatoes to a paste with a little water and apply as a normal face mask, leave for 30 minutes then rinse. for clearer, smoother skin. A couple of slices on your eyes will help reduce puffiness too!

7) Feed your Geraniums
One for the green-fingered. Make a small hole in a raw potato, and insert a geranium stem, then plant in the garden. The nutrients in the potato will feed the geranium and help it flourish.

8) Defog your goggles
Probably best to do this before you hit the slopes or you might get some strange looks!! Rub a slice of raw potato over your ski mask to stop them misting up on the piste. Alternatively, run a few potatoes through a juicer, and decant the liquid into a spray bottle for a handy defogging solution.