HINTS
BURNED-ON FOOD is more easily fought with vinegar. Keep a spritzer (an old hairspray container works well) filled with 1 part white vinegar & 1 part tap water. Let burnt pot cool, then spritz with vinegar solution, cover & let sit. If burn is bad, pour in a splash of undiluted white vinegar, cover & let sit. If burn is really bad, add 1 part vinegar & 1 part water, cover & bring to a boil. Let simmer 5 min.
CLEAR COUNTER-TOPS A wonderful motivator for freeing your inner cook. so give yourself room to work. Cooking in a kitchen without the tiresome accumulations of life is liberating, so avoid creating a situation where liquid can crash into paper. Experience the energy clearing the decks allows.
CUTTING BOARD Reserve one side of your cutting board for onion and garlic, the other for everything else. Usually there is a wood burn on one side, you could make your own with a hammer & a grommet. Place a damp dishtowel under a cutting board or bowl to keep it secure while chopping or whisking.
DISHWASHING Fill pots & pans with hot, soapy water (except egg & milk dishes) before sitting down to eat so that pot-washing is easier. Don’t stack dishes to avoiding getting the bottoms of plates & glasses greasy; dish washing will be easier. If you soak dishes in a sinkful (or potful) of hot, soapy water, clean-up will be a snap.
FIRST AIDÂ FOR MINOR BURNS (I’m Not a Doctor; this is a Common Sense Suggestion and not Medical Advice)
ALOE Not for eating, but for minor burns. An aloe plant gracing the kitchen is first aid in a pot. Break off a section of leaf, split in half & rub over the dry, burned area. Aloe relieves the sting & helps to heal. Burns that break the skin should be treated by a medical professional. Aloe replenishes itself and, aside from purchasing the original plant, it’s a way to add a low-maintenance element of the outdoors to your kitchen or other moderately sunny window. ICE First response to a minor burn, whether it is from boiling water, or a hot pot, oven or stove surface. Time is the greatest factor here; drop everything & get to the freezer or at least the cold water tap. Cooling with water or ice diminishes the pain & redness until you can get to some aloe (see Aloe, above). Burns in small children or that break the skin should be treated by a medical professional.
FIRE IN THE KITCHEN (I’m Not a Fireman; this is a Common Sense Suggestion and not Anti-Arson Advice) To extinguish a fire, pour baking soda on the flame. Better advice might be to keep towels, clothing (sleeves especially) away from stove burners. NEVER put things on the stove or cooktop except cooking containers.
FOLLOWING RECIPES Make a photocopy of whatever you’re using at the time and tape it to your kitchen cabinet at eye level. (Put tape on a piece of clothing before taping to a painted or wood surface to protect fine cabinets from damage, or use blue painters’ tape.) Highlighting the steps you’ve taken will allow you to keep from losing your place. File recipe pages in a loose leaf binder to create your own working cookbook. You can even keep a diary on the reverse listing when you made the dishes and your thoughts and observations about cooking.
SERVING FOOD HOT Especially in wintertime, fill serving bowls with hot water & let sit to warm them before filling with food for the table. Place plates in sink and run hot water on them for 1 min & dry before putting on table.
WORKING CLEAN This means not only cleaning up as you go, but washing your hands before engaging in preparing food. Like most people, we tend to accumulate dishes in the sink — first sentence to the contrary — so before diving into cutting a zucchini or setting the table, go wash a dish, especially after you’ve been you-know-where.
- When cooking egg or milk dishes, run cold water into used plates, cups & bowls. The cold water will dissolve the milk & egg proteins, making washing them easier. Even if they’re going into the dishwasher. Glassware with a milky coloring? Undissolved protein. Rinse just-used vessels before loading dishwasher, or stack for hand washing.
