Bleach Tips A gallon of bleach under my sink is a given for when it comes to disinfecting. I take a spray bottle and fill with a cup of bleach and the rest water and use in both my kitchen and the bathrooms. My kids hate the smell, but nothing beats the clean.
The battle with cooking for me is keeping my area clean and clutter free, so as I prepare something I immediately put the unused items away and wipe my area down for the next project. When cooking meat I always take out of the package and wash with cool water before preparing to cook. When I am done with any cutting boards and counter space it gets sprayed with bleach and wiped.
As I make the weekly grocery trip before anything is put away I wipe down the inside of the refrigerator with my bleach spray, this keeps your fridge cleaned every week without having to find the left behind Tupperware in the back that needed to be dumped two weeks ago. You should wipe pop cans on the tops as well before refrigerating, it is said that while the soda pop is sitting in the warehouse there is a lot of opportunity for mice and such to leave droppings on them and although you may not see it, it may be there.
For all of your tile and wood floors I swear by the Shark S3601 Steam Pocket Mop. This not only cleans the floor but does not leave any kind of residue or stickiness. When you add up the amount you spend on floor cleaner, mops, and your time the Shark is cheap. The steam also lifts the dirt off rather than spread it around as mops do.
I have light colored counter tops and sink so the bleach spray gets out any stains left behind. It’s very important to keep yourcooking and eating area as clean and sanitary as possible not just for preparation but also in serving your meal. After being in the restaurant business for over twenty years, I understand the importance of cleaning and sorting your food properly. If more people were aware of what the kitchen looked like where your food is being prepared, its guaranteed you would eat out a lot less.
Save yourself time and money by organizing your cupboards so that when the time comes for that weekly shopping trip, a glance lets you know what you need. This also goes back to the fridge and freezer, I know a lot of people who have stuff in the back of the freezer that they can’t even identify now. Cleaning it out with every shopping trip makes it simple to see what you have and keeps everything fresh.
Wiping your faucet, stove, microwave, and fridge handles also cuts down on germs spread from the many hands that will touch them throughout the day. With a lot of kids in the house this was a must, so take the time to get it done in the long run you will benefit.
Food Tips
Canning Tips I grew up in a household where canning was a seasonal affair where my two sister’s and I would help as much as we could. Coming through the kitchen and hearing popping sounds was the normal at any given time as the lids were sealing on the jars lined up on the counter and covered in towels. I have been around alot of people during the canning process and some have been organized and some not so much, I am a true believer that alot of problems with your jar not sealing is possible dust or particle is on the seal at the time or something in the jar even, so keeping the area clean is first and foremost in the canning world.
A good canning setup will have your counter or work surface set up like an assembly line, your stove being one of the center area’s, beside that I line my filling container, hot lids, rings, and so forth. The sink will have your strainer for whatever you may be canning at the time, and another area to house the jars as they come out of the water bath. These will remain hot for some time after removing from the pot so make sure the location you set them is out of the way. If setting the hot jars on a wood surface make sure to lay down towels, hot pads, etc. as to not leave hot marks on the wood.
When canning something with high acid as tomatoes make sure to use a wooden spoon or as I use, a wooden skewer, to get the bubbles out before sealing. Using a metal spoon will cause a reaction and keep your jar from sealing properly and always make sure you are using new seal lids and not used ones. The rings can be reused as long as there is no sign of rust as this will ruin a canning jar seal. Make sure all of your jars are crack and chip free and preheat in the water before filling along with your lids in hot water as well. Canning recipe’s are all over the internet and fairly simple to put together and if you have a garden as we have for years and my family did then canning is a cost effective way of having fresh veggies and fruits all years long.
Different jars are good for different things, everything with a purpose, the wide mouth jar’s I use for my salsa’s and whole tomato’s. The small mouth more for my sauces or fruit juices, which can be made by juicing your fruit and heating to the temperature directed in your recipe for fruit juice and store for fresh juice without the additives. Making sure your work area is organized and ready for canning is key to getting a good product and alot less clean up when your done. The idea is to get the product in hot jars and heated to the proper temperature as quickly and cleanly as possible as to not contaminate the food, so setting yup a little assembly makes this much easier. Make sure your prepared for the hot water as well, not something you may want to do on a hundred degree day with no air conditioning.