Stains are a natural byproduct of FUN cooking. THE MESSY GOURMET LAW: The messier you are while cooking, the more stains, the more fun it is to cook ..the better your creations taste. It is just one of those unexplained phenomena.. like blue cheese.

Unfortunately, there comes a time when we have to clean up the mess. This is usually what your spouse is for, but just in case, here are some helpful tips.

• Wash your hands with toothpaste gets rid odors. Not only will your hands have that minty smell but that Crest Tartar + Whitener gives your nails an extra polish.

• Keep recipe clippings handy and free from stains by storing them in small photo albums.

• Ever had a piece of eggshell drop into the uncooked egg? Scoop that piece out using an eggshell half -- works better than a spoon!
  Egg shells are also useful in cleaning glass bottles. Break the shells into pieces, drop them into the bottle with a few drops of detergent and a bit of water, shake vigorously, then rinse with water.

• Cleaning up the excess gravy or sauce in pots or pans results in an interesting dilemma. You can always rinse or soak the gravy away in your sink, but think about the waste. Think about the starving people in this world. Think about how good that gravy tastes. You can try spooning out the gravy, but save your energy for more passionate endeavors. Another option is using you fingers. Unhygenic, not to mention "gross". The only option is to use bread. Think of bread as the edible wheat sponge. You not only clean your pots and pans but enjoy it in the process.Mmm..

• How can you remove those pesky red tomato sauce stains on your tupperware (or any plastic dish)? First, lets understand what causes the stain. The culprit is a chemical that gives tomatoes their beautiful red color: lycopene. For those who passed organic chemistry, it is a HUGE hydrocarbon with gazillions of double bonds. For some reason (if you know (email us) it discolors plastic cookware. To remove this stain soak the cookware in bleach which will kill the lycopene.

Reader Contributions:

The tomato stain debate:

Before the fact:

• Before cooking tomatoes, spray the container with "Pam" first & it won't stain.(contributed by Dore Goldman)
  
• Cheaper solution: If you soak the container in very cold water for a few minutes before adding the ingredient, there will be no stains when you take it out. (contributed by Helen O'Brien)

• You can also leave the tomato stained item (Tupperware, white shirt...) out in the sun a few hours and the stain will vanish. Ta-da! (contributed by Élisa-Line Montigny)
  
• After cooking with tomato sauce, rinse the container out with cold water before washing it with the hot water and soap, to get tupperware clean - sans stain. (contributed by Julie Miller)

Mystery Mess: