Cooking web notes

I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time in my kitchen each and every day. I rarely use box mixes and usually make our food from scratch so my kitchen gets a daily work out!

I am cleaning something up in my kitchen every day, I believe your kitchen should be one of the cleanest rooms in your home, after all, germs seem to accumulate there and its important to keep it clean.

Here are some nifty kitchen cleaning tips that I thought I would share with you today.

1. Cleaning and Deodorizing Your Garbage Disposal: You should never let food particles sit in your gardbage disposal, always turn it on and use it after putting food down into the unit. Letting food sit there, will cause odors. Every few days I cut up a half of piece of citrus fruit (rinds work best) and put that down into my garbage dispoal unit. I let it sit for approximately 30 minutes and then start running my water and turn the unit on to grind up the citrus rind. This not only cleans the unit but also removes smelly odors. I never put onions or other smelly foods down into my garbage disposal unit.

2. Cutting Boards: I use several different types of cutting boards, depending on what I am cutting up at the time. You should have a minimum of 3 different cutting boards in your kitchen. (one for raw meats, one for cooked meats and one for cutting up vegetables and other things). I am able to put two of my cutting boards directly into my dishwasher for cleaning. My third cutting board needs to be hand cleaned after I use it and one of the best ways of doing that is by using antibacterial liquid hand dishwashing soap and a damp sponge or microfiber cleaning cloth. Rinse your board throughly after cleaning. To remove odors from your cutting boards try using a half of a lemon dipped in salt and then rub that over the top of your cutting board and letting it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing your cutting board off under warm running water.

3. Cleaning Bakeware: I always follow manufacturers cleaning instructions, you can find that printed on the label of the bakware that you purchase. However, if that information is missing, you should never use abrasive cleaners. For stubborn baked on grime, you can soak your bakeware in hot soapy water or try some warm water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in it. I like to let mine sit and soak for approximately 20 minutes and then I use a soft sponge to finish cleaning them up. You should never allow metal bakeware to air dry as that can cause pitting and rusting. Always towel dry with a soft absorbent cloth.

4. Glass Carafes, Decanters and Coffee Pots: One of the best ways to keep these items clean is to use warm soapy water and a soft sponge. For stubborn stains and food debris, try cleaning them with one of those fizzing denture cleaner tablets.

5. China and Porcelain Dishes: The best way to clean these items is by hand, they should never be put into your automatic dishwasher. I like to handwash mine in warm soapy water. To prevent chipping and breakage, I line my sink with a rubber sink mat. Dry them with a soft clean and dry cloth.

6. Cleaning Metal Freezer Racks: One of the best tips I have ever received about cleaning metal freezer racks came from my great aunt. Remove the metal racks from your freezer after defrosting it. Clean them in warm soapy water and rinse. Towel dry them. Take an old plastic tablecloth or a plastic drop cloth and lay it outside in a clean area. Take your metal freezer racks outside and place them on top of your plastic cloth. Next, take a can of nonstick baking spray and lightly mist your racks. Let them air dry for 5 minutes. Place them back into your freezer. This will help to prevent food packages and other gunk from sticking on your metal racks in the future.

7. Cleaning the inside of your Refrigerator: One of the best ways to do this is to remove all food, beverage and condiment items and place them on your counter top. Next, remove any removeable shelving and drawers. Wash the shelving and drawers in hot soapy water, rinse and towel dry. Fill up a clean bucket with some warm water and a 1/4 cup of baking soda. Take a clean sponge and wipe out the inside of your refrigerator before placing the shelves and drawers back inside it. Another alternative is using 5 parts water and 1 part white vinegar to wipe out the inside of your refrigerator.

8. Ceramic Tiles: I have a ceramic tile backsplash behind my sink and also behind my stove top so its constantly getting splashed with grease and food debris. The best way I have found is to clean the ceramic tiles every day by using liquid dishwashing soap and a damp clean sponge. If you let the grime build up on the ceramic tiles, it will be harder to clean. To clean stubborn dried on grime, use an all-purpose spray cleaner.

9. Microwave: Fill a microwave safe glass container with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. The steam will help loosen stuck on food products and splatters for easy cleaning. The Lemon also is a natural deodorizer. After wiping out your microwave, dry the inside with a soft dry cloth. I find using microfiber cleaning cloths and towels great to use when cleaning the microwave oven.

10. Coffeemakers: Since we are a household that drinks coffee every day, our coffee maker constantly needs a good cleaning. After every use, you should be cleaning out the coffee pot and filter basket. You can do this by rinsing it out with hot soapy water. Just make sure you rinse it out completely. For stubborn stains, try sprinkling some baking soda onto a damp sponge and scrubbing the spot. Wipe up drips as soon as they happen.

I hope you find some of my cleaning tips helpful. I am a firm believer in cleaning up messes as I go along and not letting them sit for another day.