Weekend Project: Get your kitchen in shape for the holidays
December 4, 2009 5:09 PM
Tune up your appliances
Follow the tips in our appliance-maintenance primer and RepairClinic.com's maintenance calendar to keep your appliances in peak condition. ApplianceRepair.com, run by RepairClinic.com, offers useful troubleshooting tips for appliances, too.
• Refrigerator: Clean door gaskets with water and a mild detergent. Clean the coils behind or underneath the unit with a tapered appliance brush to keep it running efficiently. Wipe uncoated stainless with a cleaner made for stainless steel, which leaves a slightly oily coating and makes fingerprints less noticeable. Don't use it on clear-coated or faux-stainless finishes.
• Range: Clear the burner ports on a gas range with a needle. Remove and clean range knobs and control panels with a nonabrasive household cleaner. (This will help to prevent any stenciling on the knob from coming off.) Use the same cleaner for drip pans, and don't cover drip pans on an electric range with foil as that could short them out. If they are too dirty to be cleaned, buy replacements.• Dishwasher: Clean out the holes in clogged spray arms and replace your dish rack if its tines are worn or rusted. If your dishwasher has a manual-clean filter, clean it regularly.
Also read our "Can This [fill in the blank] Be Saved?" sidebars for refrigerators, ranges, and dishwashers. And if your holiday plans include some grilling, be sure your outdoor cooker looks good and works well.
Free up storage spacePullout shelves, trash bins, and lazy Susans we've tested will stretch your storage space.
Also use this kitchen-organizing advice from New York City kitchen designer Clare Donohue, which first appeared in our sibling publication ShopSmart:
• Arrange tableware like a butler. Keep everyday dishes closest to the dishwasher and don't store fancy ones in work areas. Dishes tend to need less vertical space than standard shelves allow, so consider adjusting shelf heights, customizing them to fit. Also, to avoid breakage, don't stack glasses or cups; instead, install stemware guides to hang wineglasses above short glasses. Use cup hooks to store mugs above plates.
• Sort pantry items supermarket-style. Put foods with like foods (tomato sauce with pasta, honey near tea, relish near ketchup), lined up front to back, oldest goods in front.
• Edit the pantry. Keep only a stable of tried-and-true foods you cook with often. Don't waste prime real estate on impulse purchases or once-in-a-while ingredients. And toss the ones you almost never use. They've probably expired anyway.
• Think like a chef. Restaurant chefs have about 2 feet of work space from which they rarely move; they just turn from counter to cooktop and back. Make the area between sink and stove your home base and primary prep station. Put all food and equipment you don't use at least twice a week elsewhere. And keep frequently used tools within arm's reach.
• Practice crowd control. Avoid storing things on counters; stuff gets dirty, greasy, and in the way. Keep out only small appliances that pass the twice-a-week test, unless you have lots of counter space. Otherwise, stow your food processor and other small items in rollout drawers in nearby cabinets, in appliance garages, or in the pantry until you need them. A bowl of ripening fruit and a couple of attractive closed containers, Donohue says, are about all that should be on a countertop.
Take care of countertops
Stone, concrete, wood, and the grout between tile all require periodic resealing. For granite countertops, put a few drops of water on the stone in high-use areas, such as around the sink and range or cooktop, and let the water stand for 15 minutes. The water should bead up. If it doesn't, it's time to get the granite resealed. Learn more about resealing countertops .
To wipe down counters and other surfaces find out which are the best paper towels and the top glass cleaners and learn how to tackle potential holiday home wreckers like wine spills, candle wax drips, and ring marks on wooden furniture.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook
Essential information: Our Kitchen-Planning Guide is a great resource whether you're planning a full-scale remodel or a face-lift in the kitchen. Our appliances forums offer valuable discussions about specific types and models of kitchen gear.
• Arrange tableware like a butler. Keep everyday dishes closest to the dishwasher and don't store fancy ones in work areas. Dishes tend to need less vertical space than standard shelves allow, so consider adjusting shelf heights, customizing them to fit. Also, to avoid breakage, don't stack glasses or cups; instead, install stemware guides to hang wineglasses above short glasses. Use cup hooks to store mugs above plates.
• Sort pantry items supermarket-style. Put foods with like foods (tomato sauce with pasta, honey near tea, relish near ketchup), lined up front to back, oldest goods in front.
• Edit the pantry. Keep only a stable of tried-and-true foods you cook with often. Don't waste prime real estate on impulse purchases or once-in-a-while ingredients. And toss the ones you almost never use. They've probably expired anyway.
• Think like a chef. Restaurant chefs have about 2 feet of work space from which they rarely move; they just turn from counter to cooktop and back. Make the area between sink and stove your home base and primary prep station. Put all food and equipment you don't use at least twice a week elsewhere. And keep frequently used tools within arm's reach.
• Practice crowd control. Avoid storing things on counters; stuff gets dirty, greasy, and in the way. Keep out only small appliances that pass the twice-a-week test, unless you have lots of counter space. Otherwise, stow your food processor and other small items in rollout drawers in nearby cabinets, in appliance garages, or in the pantry until you need them. A bowl of ripening fruit and a couple of attractive closed containers, Donohue says, are about all that should be on a countertop.
Take care of countertops
Stone, concrete, wood, and the grout between tile all require periodic resealing. For granite countertops, put a few drops of water on the stone in high-use areas, such as around the sink and range or cooktop, and let the water stand for 15 minutes. The water should bead up. If it doesn't, it's time to get the granite resealed. Learn more about resealing countertops .
To wipe down counters and other surfaces find out which are the best paper towels and the top glass cleaners and learn how to tackle potential holiday home wreckers like wine spills, candle wax drips, and ring marks on wooden furniture.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook
Essential information: Our Kitchen-Planning Guide is a great resource whether you're planning a full-scale remodel or a face-lift in the kitchen. Our appliances forums offer valuable discussions about specific types and models of kitchen gear.
Post a Comment
Comments:
0
Previous
