10 Small Ways to Improve Your Kitchen in 2014

Here's a late New Year's Resolution for you: improve your kitchen! Check out "10 Small Ways to Improve Your Kitchen in 2014" for some tips on how to get started.

10 Small Ways to Improve Your Kitchen in 2014

1. Label your pantry jars: Faith has written before about the transforming power of a labeler in her pantry, and it's advice well taken! If you don't have a labeler, you could also label jars with washi tape. When the pantry becomes easier to navigate, so does your life in the kitchen.

2. Reorganize your measuring spoons. If you have more than one set of measuring spoons, don't keep them all piled up together in the drawer divider. Instead, give the teaspoons and tablespoons their own little compartment. Those are the measurements you'll probably reach for the most anyway, and this simple update makes it easier to sort the spoons and keep them organized.

3. Oil your cutting boards. Just five minutes a month — that's all it takes to keep your cutting boards in tiptop shape. Considering they're such a major workhorse in the kitchen, it's worth it to take good care of them so they last a long time.

4. Clean your knives properly. Like the cutting boards above, we wouldn't be anywhere without our knives, so it's worth learning the proper way to clean and care for them. Do it a few times, and it'll soon become a habit!

5. Tiny kitchen? Maximize your counter space. On Monday we shared a brilliant little tutorial for cozy burner covers — a great solution if you find yourself frequently frustrated by your lack of adequate countertop space.

How To Build Burner Covers and Double the Counter Space in Your Tiny Kitchen

6. Rethink (and maybe redo) your cookware storage. Pots, pans, cookie sheets...they're essential, but they take up a lot of room. If you're not satisfied with your current storage setup, find a new solution. A few ideas: store stack pans in a wire organizer, use a ceiling pot rack, or hang them in a corner cabinet. And don't forget about organizing your pot lids! My new favorite way to store stainless steel lids is a magnetic knife rack.

7. Light it up! Having gone from a very dim kitchen to now having adequate task lighting, I can tell you the change is revelatory. This update needn't be expensive either. You can install under-cabinet lights or just bring in a swing-arm task lamp if nothing else. I installed two of IKEA's RANARP Clamp Spotlights over the workspace in my kitchen, and I love them. (You can see how they look here.)

8. Don't be a refrigerator bag lady. Old habits die hard, and for me it took awhile to let go of my grocery-bags-in-the-refrigerator storage method. I'm still not perfect, but life in the kitchen is so much better when I open my fridge and see properly washed, prepped, and packaged greens and vegetables. Not only does it help keep my fridge neater, but it also means I'm more likely to eat those goods rather than letting them languish in an opaque plastic bag.

9. Buy a fire extinguisher. If you haven't done this, now is the time! You hope you never have to use it, but you don't ever want to find yourself needing one and not having it available! Make sure to buy one that is suitable for Class B (flammable liquids like grease, gasoline, and oil) or Class K (vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances) fires.

Basket Storage in the Kitchen: Cheap and Pretty Organization!

10. Pick one thing to prettify. You may not have time or resources to do a full-scale Kitchn Cure right now, and that's fine! But January is a great time to do something a little special for your kitchen. Maybe you finally buy a big clock to hang over the door, or a pretty tea towel, or some nice-smelling dish soap. Maybe you move a plant from the living room into the sunny spot by your kitchen window. Whatever it is, take a moment to recommit to your kitchen and cooking life for 2014. It's going to be a good year!

What small changes are you making in your kitchen this year?

(Image credits: Colin Price via Brick + Mortar | A Sweet, Small, and Organized Kitchen)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/10-small-ways-to-improve-your-kitchen-in-2014-198756

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Don't Forget the Wine! Jacques Pepin's 5 Habits for Better Cooking

Food expert and renowned chef Jacques Pepin offers 5 tips for you and your kitchen! Check out "Don't Forget the Wine! Jacques Pepin's 5 Habits for Better Cooking", grab a glass, and get cooking!

Small kitchen habits can make a big difference in your cooking, so we love learning about the everyday cooking habits of cookbook authors, chefs and other food professionals. What are the small habits they practice every time they step into the kitchen?

This week we are talking to our favorite food experts to find out the simple cooking practices they rely on, and today legendary French chef and cookbook author Jacques Pepin shares his five basic habits for better, happier cooking every day. His not-so-secret tip? Enjoy a glass of wine while you cook.

Jacques Pepin's 5 Habits for Better Cooking

1. I cook basically every day.

2. I try to use products in season.

3. I prepare food to please my wife, my dog, and me.

4. I always start with a glass of wine when I cook.

5. I continue with another glass of wine.

Simple and foolproof — thank you, Jacques!

(Image credits: KQED; Shesternina Polina/Shutterstock)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/jacques-pepins-5-habits-for-better-cooking-198978

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18 Daily Habits That Make Life in the Kitchen Better

If you spend hours a week preparing your tasty meals in the kitchen, these habits could help you. Check out "18 Daily Habits That Make Life in the Kitchen Better"!

18 Daily Habits That Make Life in the Kitchen Better

SARA KATE

• I wash as I go which means less clean-up and a more relaxing space to work in.
• I incorporate leftovers into new meals. For example if there's a leftover piece of chicken from last night, I put it into a salad the next day for lunch, or one slice of pie gets chopped up as an ice cream topping.
• I have someone over for dinner at least once a week; it keeps my cooking fresh and my house clean!

FAITH

• I clean out the sink after the dishes are done; this is a refreshing reset for an often-gunky part of the kitchen.
• I fill a big bowl with hot, soapy water and slip silverware and cooking utensils into it throughout the day.
• I keep a running list on a whiteboard in the kitchen of ingredients and leftovers in the fridge. This is so helpful for me and my husband to see what’s still there, and it helps keep the fridge cleaner too.

EMMA

• I clean my knife immediately after using it. It's so much easier to get it clean before sticky stuff dries to it, plus I use it constantly, so it's nice to have it always ready to go again.
• I freeze bread. It's just me and my husband in my house, but I always make at least 2 loaves of bread with every batch. I cut each loaf in half, use one immediately, and freeze the rest.
• I make a meal plan. I used to waste a lot of food — particularly produce — because I just bought food spontaneously and it would go bad before I found a way to use it. I finally made a rule for myself that I HAD to have a specific recipe in mind before I could buy anything! It was a complete drag at first (not gonna lie), but now it feels second nature.

CAMBRIA

• I use a garbage bowl, usually just one of my mixing bowls, which helps keeps my cutting board clean and saves me from frequent trips to the trash.
• I try to always keep a clean towel over my shoulder or within easy reach when I cook. Bar mop towels are great for this. I'll use it as a potholder, or to quickly pat dry vegetables or wipe up a small spill.
• I set up a clean area for myself before I start cooking. Even if the rest of the kitchen is messy, I try to clear off the island completely, or the countertop space next to the stove, so I can have some breathing room for chopping and prepping.

ANJALI

• I capture all the online recipes I want to try in one place — and actually look at them. Like Emma, I make a meal plan every week and I use Paprika to keep track of the recipes I want to try for dinner.
• I transfer bagged food into mason jars. I was already storing beans, grains and other bulk goods in inexpensive canning jars, but this year I started doing the same with trail mix, dried fruit and other food that comes packaged in bags. It keeps my small pantry cupboard neater and more organized.
• I keep a big stockpile of rags near the kitchen. I've been weaning my household off of paper towels for awhile, but I had the biggest breakthrough when I finally sat down one afternoon and sliced up a big pile of old towels and cotton t-shirts into kitchen rags that I now use to clean up even the scummiest messes. Now I never run out between laundry days.

ARIEL

• I keep a roll of tape and a sharpie on top of my fridge. Makes it easy to quickly label things I made or purchased.
• I lay out mise en place. This one is super important to me. I like prepping and measuring everything I need before I start cooking so I don't panic when I can't find something.
• I wash dishes and countertops as I go. Makes cleaning after eating so much less of a pain.

...and 6 Kitchen Habits We Want to Adopt

SARA KATE: I'd like to get better at planning a whole week of meals ahead; as nice as it is to have the skills to cook spontaneously, with children, it helps come dinnertime to actually have a plan.

FAITH: Prep vegetables at the beginning of the week so I snack on healthier foods.

EMMA: Unload the dishwasher as soon as it's clean and start loading dirty dishes into it right away. All too often, I end up with a dishwasher and dish drainer full of clean dishes and a counter so packed with dirty dishes that I don't have room to cook! It's ridiculous! I just need to get in the habit of putting those clean dishes away.

CAMBRIA: Clean the kitchen every single night before I go to bed. I'll admit it — I do not often end the day with a clean kitchen, and it's always super stressful for me the next day. This year I really want to get into the habit of cleaning up entirely before I go to sleep. I know I'll be so much more motivated to cook the next day if I wake up to a neat, sparkling kitchen.

ANJALI: Make big batches of roasted vegetables and hearty salads to snack on throughout the week. I'm trying to get my husband to eat more vegetables for lunch, which he is happy to do, but only if they are as easy to grab as a handful of chips.

ARIEL: I want to entertain more — because cooking + friends is always a good idea. Always.

(Image credits: Rachel Joy Photos; Chris Perez; Gabriela Herman)



Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/18-daily-habits-that-make-life-in-the-kitchen-better-199173

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4 Childhood Favorites From a Box: And How To Make Them from Scratch

We all have dishes we fondly remember from our childhood. Well stop thinking about it and make it! Check out these "4 Childhood Favorites From a Box: And How To Make Them from Scratch"!

Here are four of my favorite childhood foods that just happened to come out of a box, and how to make them from scratch now that we're all grown-ups.

I'm not sure it doesn't actually take longer to heat water, then empty the hot chocolate packet into a mug, and add the marshmallows of your choice at the end. My mother didn't skimp on the fluffy, sweet addition essential to any cup of hot chocolate. Yes, some of the packets come with marshmallows, but some of us preferred one large one, while others were only happy with several smaller marshmallows. My parents were all about respecting our individuality.

→ Make It Yourself: Snuggle In: 10 Hot Chocolate Recipes

We ate a lot of (lower sodium!) canned soup, even though my mother demonstrated on a regular basis how easy it was to throw together a vegetable soup, with leftover vegetables from the fridge, a little chicken stock and some crushed tomatoes. I only use canned soup occasionally, when nothing else will do.

→ Make It Yourself: 10 Delicious Ways to Make Chicken Soup

I also enjoyed an awful lot of frozen pizzas, something I can't remember buying for my children, because it's so easy for them to put them together themselves.

In our family, when we eat frozen food, it's usually something we've made ourselves and saved for a later date. I do wonder if I'm depriving my children — just a little — because I'm failing to introduce them to the great pleasure of a crisp freezer pizza, the kind with the mildly spicy, tiny square pieces of pepperoni, "fresh" from the oven.

→ Make It Yourself: How to Make Frozen Pizzas at Home

And the aforementioned pot pies? How I used to love them. We each had our choice of chicken or vegetable. When my mother turned my pie onto my plate, and steam rose from the piping hot filling, my stomach growled in happy anticipation. In truth, I never make chicken pot pie, even though I love it, because it's a lot of trouble for me. Maybe I should reconsider the freezer section at the grocery store next time I'm there.

→ Make It Yourself: How to Make (and Freeze!) Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Are there any packaged foods you enjoy, simply because they're too labor intensive to make? And do you remember those pizzas with the tiny square pepperoni? Yum.

(Image credits: Megan Gordon)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/letting-go-if-the-mixes-from-my-childhood-because-making-it-from-scratch-is-just-as-easy-199766

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