Soak bamboo skewers in water for 15-30 minutes to keep them from burning when grilled.

NPR: Grilling Your Dessert

To make the basic Japanese kelp stock one of the easiest ways to bring it to your cooking simply soak the kombu leaf in water overnight.

WSJ: Kelp Wanted

Li urged us to soak our feet in hot water before bed, to fight jet lag, and to eat extra fruit, which might balance the European infusion of bread and cheese into our diets.

NEWYORKER: The Grand Tour

Soak them in a sink full of cold water, swish them around to loosen any dirt, remove with a slotted spoon, and drain well in a colander.

CNN: Keftes de Prasa (Leek Fritters)

Swish the clams gently in the water and let soak for a few minutes, then lift them out with a wire-mesh skimmer and place them in the other pot of cold water.

NPR: Recipes: 'The Summer Shack Cookbook'

Soak the matzohs or bread slices (remove the crusts) in water and squeeze dry.

CNN: Keftes de Prasa (Leek Fritters)

The diatom skeletons of which the mineral is composed are able to soak up huge quantities of oily materials such as lanolin and nitroglycerine, in the same way that a sponge soaks up water.

ECONOMIST: Pest control