Clean as you go. Rinse out bowls and other utensils as you use them. This will help if you have limited kitchen space. This will also minimize stuff to clean later on.

Have a damp rag ready so you can wipe spills as they occur. Don’t leave hot grease to cool or they will be very difficult to remove later on.

Have a dumping bowl or bag ready. You can put all the peelings, and other kitchen waste here as you cut and prepare ingredients.

Maximize the use of your utensils. Measure dry ingredients first before wet so you won’t have to use different sets of measuring cups or spoons, or rinsing utensils twice.

Clean the floor only when everything is done.

Are you preparing to stock your pantry with food for the winter or before a storm but you want to be as thrifty as possible without being skimpy on your preparation? Here are some tips on how to do exactly that:

Canned goods are your new best friends. The most nourishing and most filling canned items are tuna, ham, and chicken. These are good sources of protein. Just make sure that you buy stuff that have at least two more years to go before their expiration date.

Dried mashed potatoes, pasta, and rice are excellent sources of carbohydrates which won’t spoil easily. Again, check the expiration date to make sure that you stock food that will still be safe and edible when you do consume them.

If you grow your own vegetables and fruits, then make sure that you save enough to pickle, can, or have fruits made into jams. You can also try your hand into drying some fruits. You don’t have to buy from the store if you do this. Even without a disaster, you can easily use these easily for your winter meals and nutritious snacks for children.

Believe it or not, but the office refrigerator can be a source of office discord, especially when stuff owned by others are being nicked by anonymous co-workers. To prevent this silly, but real, problem from happening. Here is what you will need to do:

Set guidelines for the office refrigerator. You can set rules on which food, and how much food you can store in there and for how long. You don’t want to hog all the space in the refrigerator, especially if there are other people who need to use it as well.

Make sure that food is covered well so that smell and flavor won’t affect other food or beverages stored inside the refrigerator as well.

Service staff should be instructed to purge food at least once a week to make sure that no rotting meals are left in the refrigerator. These can cause illness among co workers.

Remember to label your containers and other food items so there won’t be accidental (or intentional) food thefts.

You can also appoint a person in charge of the refrigerator who will monitor the cleaning and the storing of the food inside the office refrigerator.

Nuts and dried fruits are most of the time, if not always, a hit among children. You can measure a cup  (or two if your child is inclined to share with friends) of this mixture into a small zip lock bag and voila, your kid has a healthy fun snack. You can also have your own trail mix instead of the commercial ones.

Children also like fruit slices. Slice up green apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, or any  fruit in season. You can also add whole strawberries. Or small bunches of grapes. Place them in a small cup or plastic container or the ever reliable zip lock bag.

Graham crackers are delicious and has lower fat and sodium than saltine crackers. These are better choices than packaged cookies which can be high in sugar and contain lots of preservatives.

Low-fat yogurt or fat-free pudding are also great for light snacks or desserts after lunch. They come in different flavors so your children will have something different to look forward to  eating everyday.

An unorganized pantry spells disaster. Why risk having cans of cream soup fall on you when you can definitely make things easier with the help of a little organization?

Consider shelf space. There are pantries that have a lot of open space but not nearly enough shelves. What you can do is to attach simple wire shelves that can easily fit into the open spaces. Make sure that you do not compromise the space. There should be enough room at the top and the bottom so you can stack cans, etc.

Store like items together. So you don’t go rummaging through everything each time you need something. If you have airtight jars or plastic containers, you can remove certain products such as sugar, rice, pasta, etc. from their packages and transfer them to said containers. Don’t forget to label them properly.

Attach another wire rack to the door of your pantry. Just make sure that there is enough space to close it. Here you can organize small bottles of spices and sauces. You can label them and arrange them by alphabetical order.

If you have a spacious walk-in pantry, you can also store excess dishes and cookware.

]]> http://www.lifespy.com/2009/organizing-a-pantry/feed/ 0 http://www.lifespy.com/2009/maintaining-a-clean-kitchen/ http://www.lifespy.com/2009/maintaining-a-clean-kitchen/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:14:30 +0000 Alex http://www.lifespy.com/?p=4689

Maintaining a clean kitchen is actually very simple and easy to do if you follow the following tips:

Clean as you go. You’ve probably seen this posted on diners and fast food restaurants as a reminder to employees. It’s true. It prevents clutter while saving time. Rinse out mixing bowls and cooking utensils after using them. Those that need to go in the dishwasher can be stacked there easily. Keep a rag or cloth near to mop spills as they happen.

Enlist the help of your family members. Make sure that anyone who uses any dish or utensil should rinse or wash it. Or at least put it in the dishwasher. Do not leave empty containers and empty food packaging  lying around. Dispose of them quickly by placing them in the trash can or recycling bins. Any crumbs, spills, and other food debris should be wiped or swept.

Set aside a day a week for kitchen cleaning. You don’t have to clean the whole house, just the kitchen. Concentrate solely on the kitchen and in an hour, you’ll have it back to its pristine glory.

For most people, the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house. And for a good reason. Where else do you lovingly prepare the food you serve to your family? Here are some things you can do to remodel your old kitchen.

Get all the tables out, and change the color of the walls. Give your cabinets and cupboard complete makeover with only a bucket of paint. Pick a fun color which can give you the mood for cooking and cover the remaining furniture with newspaper.

Buy new fixtures. If you have extra cash, spend it on a new sink if your old one is rusty and obsolete.

Free up some space. For some reason, your cabinets and counters have accumulated a lot of old and gunky kitchen stuff from ages ago. Throw away these things because they’re probably causing the funky smell in the room.

Either scrub the floor, or upgrade it. Over the years, a lot food has been spilled on the floor on several occasions. Choose a flooring that’s easy to clean.

Give it some nice, bright lighting. The kitchen has to have good lighting. Not only because you need to see your ingredients while cooking, but because bright light gives it a clean look. A murky kitchen gives it a damp feeling.

Not all of us can cook cuisine and sometimes we only have a few minutes to whip up something good for us and our family. Pasta has always been a lifesaver. It’s easy to cook, and it doesn’t cost much. So if you’re planning to build your own menu, start with mastering the food everyone loves — pasta!

The fun begins with choosing a shape. There is a wide variety of pasta you can find available in the market so choose among these shapes. Choosing the pasta type should be based on what sauce you’re using and the kind of pasta you’re cooking. Generally, you can use long pasta with oily sauce while for meat and cheese pasta, the shorter ones are more suitable.

For how many people are we cooking? Are you expecting guests or are you making dinner for yourself? Don’t cook more than what you can eat because you’re going to waste ingredients and time.

Prepare everything else before you boil your pasta. Just like in cooking shows, put everything in a small bowls or prepare the sauce so can just mix it when the pasta is ready. For starters, you can buy pre-cooked sauce.

Get a pot which can hold everything in, and boil water. Sprinkle a bit of salt to add flavor. As soon as it’s boiling, add the pasta but read the instructions to see how much time it will need to get cooked. You can add a little oil to make sure they don’t stick with each other. Stir gently and continuously. Watching over your pasta will also ensure that you will not overcook it. If you want to get the noodles al dente, you can check this guide to cooking noodles until al dente.

Turn off the flame and drain the pasta. Add the sauce and serve!

If you want, here’s our recipe for prawn pasta.

Need some extra cash but you have no idea how to work on it? All you need are some of your garbage. Yup, ever heard of the saying, “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure”? People love to rummage through other people’s old things. Read on to know how you can hold a successful garage sale.

Ask around if you need to secure permits for the sale. Permits for this kind of business are mandatory in some communities so make sure you won’t get in trouble.

Sweep the whole house for all unused items. If you’re going to sell things, might as well sell everything that falls under the category “things you don’t need anymore”. Include unused pots and pans, ballpens, notepads, clothes, decor, curtains, magazines, and even old posters. But you might wanna hold back on the food. Perishable items are not exactly garage sale material. Sell old things which are clean and functional so you won’t get complaints.

Designate a selling area. Don’t let people come inside your house to protect you against thieves and other harm. You can control your customers more if you have a designated selling area.

Arrange the items properly. You don’t have to achieve a department store display, but you have to display your items properly, making sure that you can see everything, giving no one a chance to shoplift.

Make posters and tell everyone. If you can’t post banners on every tree, make sure you still get the word out by telling your friends and tell them they should tell their friends. You can give it at least one week to make it known to everyone that you’re holding a sale on a particular date.

Get some help if you’re selling a lot of stuff. If it;s not school time yet, your kids might wanna help out and maybe some of your friends would want to volunteer. You need marshals for your items while you can be the cashier. After the sale, you can treat everyone to pizza!

What do you do with the unsold items? Donate them. After making big bucks, you can help other organizations raise funds by donating those novelty items that you need to get rid off.

If you’re craving for a variety of food but you only have a budget for one dish, why not call for a potluck party? Potluck is a good way to do parties. Aside from being practical, it also has less party hassles what with all the preparations you the host have to do before the party. Let these potluck suggestions help you organize your very own potluck party. And see for yourself how easier it is.

Everyone should be given a food assignment so that they can prepare the dishes in advance. Call for a meeting and tell them that everyone will have to bring a ready dish. It means that cooking in the kitchen is not allowed. Also, handing out food assignments would prevent some of those cheap bastards to spring for the easiest ones to make.

Discuss the food preferences. The usual food during potluck parties are casseroles, cookies, pasta, and some cakes. Make sure everyone brings something delightful and special.

Appreciate the effort. So not everyone is a natural cook who can whip up a most fantastic dish. But hey, it’s a potluck party. Avoid berating any dish. Just thank everyone for bringing their food assignment.

Make sure to get everyone’s contact details before the last goodbyes. The secret to holding good parties is in establishing new friendships with new people. Your friends are most likely to bring new guests. Maximize the night by making new contacts so the next time you hold your party, you’ll have more guests, and more food bringers!

Enjoy your potluck and make sure everyone has a good time. And I bet everyone will, since all preparation is done with equal contribution.