Kitchen

Baking sheets are extremely versatile for baking, broiling, roasting and much more. Combine a sheet with a wire rack and you’ll be able to perfectly cool baked goods, drain foods post-frying and make oven-cooked bacon. Avoid these common mistakes to keep them in their best condition. Sheets in the Dishwasher. An aluminum sheet pan will discolor in a dishwasher. They will also warp over time and leave them with a splotchy texture. It’s best to hand-wash these and always refer to the best cleaning methods based on the material. Incorrect Utensils. A metal utensil on a nonstick pan is a recipe for disaster. It will cause scratches and damage over time. Stick to wooden or silicone utensils for these kinds of pans. If you’re in the possession of uncoated aluminum sheet pans then it’s perfectly fine to use metal utensils. Older Baking Sheet Use. Not every browned baking sheet should be tossed out! In fact they brown food better than newer shiny ones. It’s always possible to clean even the dirtiest baking sheets. Warped Sheets. If a sheet pan is warped then it’s better to get rid of it. You can tell a baking sheet is warped if you hear a popping sound in the oven when it bakes. This means the sheet is no longer laying flat and can result in your food cooking unevenly. Oils will drip to one side, leaving your food parched on the other side. Quality Sheets. Not all sheets are created equal. A flimsier sheet is bound to warp much faster and you’ll end up needing to replace them more quickly. Look for durable, warp-resistant baking sheets that’ll last you years of problem-free baking. Source: the Kitchn

Every inch of your kitchen is important and begging to be maximized. Wasting space in one area will lead you to compensate for it in another. It’s a never ending domino effect of consequences, leading to frustration and lack of efficiency. Here are some of the key pinpoints people often waste space the worst. Vertical Space. Vertical storage is available nearly everywhere in a kitchen including cabinets and the pantry. A shelf-rise in a cabinet can give you the instant shelves you need to store necessary pots or pans. Tiered shelving in pantries allows you to see everything at first glance. Walls are also prime real estate! Shelves and hooks can be placed here for even more storage opportunities. Stacking Instead of Filing. A stack of baking sheets and cutting boards can be a nightmare. It also takes up more space than it should. Instead of forming these into unorganized mountains, turn them on their side and file them vertically. Tension rods are a great DIY solution for filing. Ignoring Backs of Doors or Cabinet Sides. A simple hook on the back of cabinet doors can provide a perfect place to store dish gloves, pot holders and more. Try hanging a rail on the side of a cabinet to sort out a space for cookware and utensils. You can even add hooks or magnetic strips to the bottom of upper cabinets for mugs and metal-lidded jars. Holding Onto Things For Too Long. One of the worst offenders for a kitchen’s organization is saving things you shouldn’t be. Reclaim wasted space by going through all kitchen possessions and tossing or moving things you don’t need. Methodically approach each section one at a time, such as all your mugs or utensils. Store rarely used appliances on the top shelf of a closet until it’s time to pull them out. Source: the Kitchn

The French press is a popular choice for many coffee drinkers to perfect their cup of coffee. Brewing time can be adjusted to suit a person’s needs, while also eliminating paper filters, providing a more robust flavor. A French press places coffee grounds in the bottom of the glass and allows them to seep in hot water. Once it’s been brewed, the plunger is slowly pressed down and the metal filter traps the grounds. Just like drip coffee makers, a French press should be cleaned regularly. At the least, after every use to remove grounds and then a deeper clean once a week. Remaining coffee oils can turn your next cup rancid. Here’s how to clean yours. What You’ll Need: Sink or bucket Automatic dishwasher Microfiber cloths Wooden or plastic spatula Dishwashing liquid with a degreaser Distilled white vinegar Citric acid powder Hydrogen peroxide Dishwasher detergent Directions: Empty the Coffee Grounds: Most of the coffee grounds will be concentrated at the bottom of the carafe. Use a wooden or plastic spatula to loosen the grounds so they can be emptied easily. Do not use a metal utensil as that can leave scratches. Rinse Components With Hot Water: Rinse out the few remaining coffee grounds in the press with hot water. Leaving the filter and plunger connected, rinse them well with hot water. Add Dishwashing Liquid: Once the grounds are rinsed away, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, preferably a brand that includes a degreaser. Add Hot Water: Fill the carafe half-full with hot water. Put the plunger/filter into the carafe and gently plunge it up and down about three times to help remove oils and residue. Empty and Rinse Well: Pour the soapy water down the sink and rinse each component well with hot water. Dry the French Press: Separate the components and allow them air-dry in a dish drainer. Or, use a lint-free microfiber cloth to dry each piece. How to Deep Clean: Empty Coffee Grounds and Rinse Well: Dispose of the coffee grounds and rinse the press well with hot water to remove all the loose grounds. Disassemble the Components: Unscrew the filter from the plunger. You may need to rinse the filter again to remove any remaining coffee grounds. Prepare a Cleaning Solution: In a sink, large bowl, or bucket, prepare one of these mixtures: Mix two cups of hot water, two teaspoons of dishwashing liquid, two teaspoons of citric acid powder, and two teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide. Mix one cup of distilled white vinegar and three cups of hot water. Soak the Filter and Plunger: Completely submerge the filter and plunger in one of the cleaning solutions and allow them to soak for at least four hours or overnight. Wash the Carafe and Lid: Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and fill the carafe about half-full with hot water. Use a microfiber cloth to thoroughly wash the interior of the carafe.If you see white spots or deposits on the interior of the carafe, fill the carafe with three parts hot water and one part distilled white vinegar and allow the mixture to sit in the carafe overnight. Wash the lid in a bit of soapy water. Rinse Well and Dry: Once all of the components have completed the required soaking time or cleaning, rinse each one well with hot water. Allow the pieces to air-dry in a dish drainer or dry with a microfiber cloth. Source: the Spruce

Aluminum foil has some common misconceptions about it. Firstly, it’s not actually made of tin, even though it’s frequently referenced as tinfoil. Most foil was made of aluminum at its debut, a lighter and less expensive material. Here’s what you should know about aluminum foil. Foil has a matte and shiny side, which is purely aesthetic from production. There’s one exception for non-stick foil, which is better for cheesy and doughy foods. Check the box to see which side has the coating. Aluminum foil is recyclable just like aluminum cans. If your local center accepts foil, be sure to rinse off any food and keep it flat, not crumpled in a ball. You can use foil to sharpen scissors. Fold a piece of foil in half twice to make four layers. Then snip the foil with a pair of scissors a few times to clean and hone the blades. Most of the time, boxes of foil have perforated tabs on both ends. You can push these toward the center to hold the roll in place as you rip off a piece. Heavy-duty foil is 50 percent thicker than standard foil. It’s less likely to tear or break, making it worth the higher price tag. Source: HGTV

If you’ve just bought yourself a bottle of champagne and decide to leave it in the fridge before you enjoy it, you may actually be ruining it. You should only be sticking champagne or sparkling wine in a fridge if you plan on enjoying the bottle within three to four days. But if you won’t be drinking it for more than a few days, you’re better off skipping the refrigerator. If the bottle sits in a fridge for weeks, the cork can dry out due to the lack of humidity. When the cork dries out, it’ll loosen up and release the seal against the bottle. The champagne will oxidize faster, changing it’s aroma. Aroma refers to the tiny odorous compounds that can be smelled when sniffing a bottle. The aroma and taste work together to create a wine’s flavor, any changes here will also affect the impression of it. You’re better off storing bottles of champagne in a cool, dark place with a consistent temperature, such as a wine cellar. If you plan on enjoying the bottle, simply place it in a bucket filled with ice 15 to 20 minutes beforehand. Source: House Beautiful

Thinking of renovating your kitchen in the near future? You should also consider the possible positive contribution this could have on your home’s value. Not every redesign or renovation is a profitable one. To maximize the financial return, keep to the basics and avoid trends. A high-cost kitchen remodel doesn’t always automatically translate to high returns. Here are a few of the projects that pay off. Kitchen Paint Picking the perfect color makes for a lively, pleasant space. It’s one project that is relatively inexpensive with a great return value. Keep it timeless with a traditional all-white kitchen color scheme. You can also go in the opposite direction with a chic black kitchen. A Feng shui-inspired kitchen keeps colors cool, relaxed and neutral. Upgrade Cabinetry The last thing you want your cabinets to be is dated. To attract the maximum value from your kitchen, you should put cabinets at the top of the list. You don’t necessarily need to tear everything out and buy new cabinetry, rather update it with a fresh new paint color. There are also several low-cost projects such as handcrafted wood cabinet pulls that can drive up their value. Cabinet refacing is also great to visually alter the prominent areas of doors and drawer fronts. Add a New Backsplash A kitchen’s backsplash is an ideal investment, since the investment is low while the visual impact is high. Most backsplashes are DIY projects and with a glass or metal tile, you’ll be sure to attract attention. There are less expensive alternatives such as wallpaper, tile decals, or laminate flooring planks that can be completed in a day or two. Hang New Pendant Lights Lighting is often ignored, but can bring two benefits in one. It helps to illuminate your kitchen while also bringing in a new centerpiece to the design. Pendant lighting is bright and center, and can add much needed personality to the space. If you’re going with pendant lighting you should always go big and bold. Be sure to scale these to fit your space to not overwhelm the rest of your kitchen. Source: the Spruce

Most coffee enthusiasts will agree that the perfect cup starts with freshly grounded roasted coffee beans. Grinding the beans at home will provide the most flavor, however it will leave behind oils and grounds that need to be cleaned. An electric grinder will often come in one of two ways, with a blade or flat serrated disks known as a burr grinder. Whatever the type may be, it should be cleaned out to prevent any oil build-up which can spoil the flavor of your coffee. If you’re using your grinder every day, it’s best to clean out your grinder weekly. What You’ll Need: 1 Microfiber towel 1 Sink or large bowl 1 Stiff-bristled bottle brush 1 Non-abrasive sponge 1/4 cup Uncooked rice 1 Dishwashing liquid 1 Coffee grinder cleaning tablets (optional) How to Clean a Blade Coffee Grinder: Pour one-fourth cup of dry, uncooked rice or the recommended amount of the grinder cleaning tablets into the hopper of the blade grinder. Turn on the grinder and run it until all of the rice or tablets are reduced to a fine powder. Once the rice is pulverized, turn off the grinder and unplug it from the wall outlet. Dump the pulverized rice into a trash can. Give the grinder a few taps on the side of the can to help loosen any rice powder that is trapped in the hopper. Dampen a lint-free microfiber towel and wipe down the interior of the hopper. Take extra care around the blades. Dampen the towel to remove any fingerprints or grime from the exterior of the grinder. How to Clean a Burr Coffee Grinder: Since most burr grinders have a large hopper to store coffee beans, cleaning should be done when the hopper is empty. Remove the hopper and wash it, the lid, and any removable sealing gaskets by hand in a sink of hot, soapy water. Rinse well with hot water and dry with a microfiber cloth. If possible, turn on the grinder and let it run for a few seconds to pulverize any remaining bits of beans caught in the burr blades. Immediately unplug the grinder. Following the owner’s manual, remove any parts (except the burr) that come in contact with the coffee beans like the bin that catches the coffee grounds. Hand wash the components in a sink of hot, soapy water using a non-abrasive sponge, rinse with hot water, and dry with a microfiber towel. Remove the flat burr disks or the conical burr. This may require a screwdriver. Use a stiff bottle brush to loosen and remove the coffee grounds that are stuck to the burr surfaces. Use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe down the burrs and absorb any oils. Once every component is clean and thoroughly dry, reassemble the coffee grinder and it is ready to use. Source: The Spruce