Kitchen Booster Shots in The Kitchn Cookbook + Giveaway!
I have been a longtime fan of The Kitchn and editors Sara-Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand. Their website is insanely informative and now they’ve gone an written an amazingly handy cookbook, too. The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking is not just useful in the it-has-great-recipes kind of way. It is covers the entire kitchen from renovations and maintenance, to cooking and entertaining. It teaches you how to stretch your kitchen to limit and make it a room you love to live and cook in.
The book is divided into several sections, each one showcasing a particular aspect of kitchen life. I personally love the renovation kitchen section. It features tips on renovations ideas and easy fixes for sprucing up any culinary space. The authors give us a peak into personal kitchens across the country and note what makes the warm and flourishing rooms. There also is an incredible recipe section featuring basic tips and lots of recipes for every kind of family-friendly dish you can dream up complete with The Kitchn’s signature ease and praticality.
Sprinkled throughout the book are insets with checklists and helpful notes about this and that. My particular favorite is this one in the Kitchen Booster Shot section. It really reminds how easy, and important, it is to clean your fridge!
30-Minute Refrigerator Cleaning
1) Unplug the unit and vacuum behind it.
2) Take everything out of the refrigerator. Throw away or compost anything that is expired, moldy, or smells off.
3) Slide out the drawers and shelves and put them in the sink (if they fit) or the bathtub. Soak them in warm soapy water.
4) Spray the inside of the refrigerator with multi-purpose cleaner.
5) Scrub the doors and shelves.
6) Soak a clean rag in a mixture of warm water and a capful of multipurpose cleaner and write it out. Wipe down all jars and bottles that were in the refrigerator.
7) Plug in the unit. Replace the drawers and shelves. Return all saved items to the shelves and drawers.
These are the kind of booster shots every kitchen can use!
Before I reveal too much of this book that I could not put down, I am giving away a copy to one lucky winner! To enter to win:
1) Share one tip for how you make your home kitchen flourish.
2) Contest runs from November 17th at 7:00am through November 24th. Winner will be announced in the December 5th newsletter.
always clean up as you go!
I clean everything with lemon windex and keep a lot of plants on the window sills to keep everything fresh and the air clean
I definitely believe in cleaning as you go. I also try to keep my counters as clear as possible, I think it makes your kitchen look much neater.
Have a erasable board such as chalk or dry erase in the kitchen so you write down items as they are used up. Can be on the inside of a cabinet or on a wall. I also write down dishes that we have leftovers of so they don’t get forgotten and go to waste.
We keep our countertops as clear and free of gadgets as we can to make preparing meals that much easier and comfortable!
Fridge and Pantry organization! I need to know what is in there for quick meals and snacks. Every Friday I stock and organize in preparation for my Sunday/Monday grocery shopping trip. A Happy Kitchen is an Organized One!
I like to invest in precut parchment rounds and rectangles that fit my pans because it makes me more motivated to bake things. Another option is camping out in front of the tv with some parchment and scissors to stock up on the right shapes so you have them on hand.
One way I make my kitchen flourish is keeping staples on hand, especially homemade things like stock, jam, and applesauce. Having these things readily available allows me to prepare delicious meals and baked goods with minimal expense and maximum flavor, and I find it extremely satisfying, too.
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I do a weekly check on trash night to make sure old leftovers and expired items are tossed and produce is still good. I also do a quick scan through as I make my weekly grocery list.
Keep the dishes done & the counters clean
Leftovers in front of fridge to ensure they get eaten. Not in back to get moldy and wasted
Items that need to be eaten quickly are place on top shelf(I’m tall) even fruits and vegs…
Share the duties; one cooks, the other does the dishes!
we keep ingredients for favorite foods stocked!
I try to keep the countertops clear
I use vinegar to clean the fridge
Do a quick clean up before going to bed
I use a special stainless steel cleaner for the appliances
Clean up as I cook and bake. Especially when I am baking, I’m using so many spoons, measuring cups, etc. so I create a soap bath with my largest tool (mixing bowl) and throw all the smaller items in there as I go.
I like to regularly go through my pantry, discarding things that have expired and donating things I don’t intend on using. I also wipe the shelves and reorganize.