from Consumer Reports

Cuisinart 5-speed mixer powers through cookie dough and quickly whips cream.  It's wire beaters are easier to clean than center-post mixers.  Can be a little noisy.

by April Anderson
Just Another Natural Nut
 
After my Mom passed and Dad had to learn how to navigate a kitchen he was unfamiliar with, we worked together to give him a space that would not intimidate him but help him learn how to prepare meals for himself.  

What I realized through this process, my Mom collected many things including doubles, triples of most of her kitchen utensils.

If you open up your drawers will you find the same thing?

​And if you really think about it you probably have many things taking space in your drawers you have never used but keep just in case.

So how do you decide on what to keep and what to let go of.

1.  Empty the Drawer

2. Place all your kitchen utensils in another drawer (yes, you do need to empty the counter container filled with utensils tools too).  If you need another drawer use it but you are only to have one drawer to put your needed utensils in.

3. Set a time limit - 6 months to a year depending on how often you are in the kitchen cooking and baking (one year gets you through all the holidays)

Over time, whenever you need a utensil, look in the newly empty drawer collecting the utensils you are using before opening the drawer that contains all of the utensils you have been collecting.  At the end of your time period, you should have all the utensils you need  in the new drawer, that started off empty and you can now empty the drawer that started full and donate .

​​by April Anderson
Just Another Natural Nut

Have you every taken off the knobs on your stove to clean behind them?  
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All you need 

1. small bucket of soapy water, or your kitchen sink with soap water
2. baking soda (just in case you have a grease build-up)
3. 2 cloths - one for the soapy water and a dry one to polish
4. toothbrush (to get into the area your cloth can't

Easiest way to clean the knobs is to let them soak in the soapy water while you are cleaning the 'dashboard' of your stove. 

Soak one of your cloths in the soapy water, wring out and wipe all along the 'dashboard'. 

Grab your toothbrush and dip into soapy water and use on areas that are built-up and lightly scrub

Re-soak your cloth in soapy water and wipe down again to remove all build-up

If this does not remove any grease build-up this is where your baking soda come in (It should be stored in a large mouth jar for easy access).  Dip your damp cloth into the baking soda, give it a little shake and then with a circular motion, use your the area of cloth with baking soda, to remove the grease build-up.  If it is in an area where the cloth can't get at, dip your damp toothbrush into the baking soda, give a little shake and gently scrub the area.  Repeat if necessary.  Re-soak your cloth in soapy water, fully removing the baking soda and return to the 'dashboard' to wipe down and remove the baking soda residue.  

​With your clean dry cloth, use your glass and hard surface cleaner or spray bottle of  water to polish.

When you stove 'dashboard' is clean and polished, reach in to your sink or bucket to retrieve your well-soaked knobs, one at at time and using your wet cloth, wipe away any debris or build-up, polish dry and put back into place on the 'dashboard'.  Repeat with each knob.

​by April Anderson
Just Another Natural Nut
 
There is an area that generally gets missed when you have an undermount sink in the kitchen and bathroom. 

This is where your toothbrush and hot soapy water comes in. Dip your toothbrush into your small bucket of hot soapy water and scrub under the lip where the basin meets the counter.  Wipe away with a clean damp cloth.  Repeat if necessary.

by April Anderson
Just Another Natural Nut
 
I am going to be honest with you, maintaining stainless appliances for aesthetic purposes is hard work.

As a business who uses only natural products, maintaining stainless appliances for aesthetic purposes when clients use or have used a conventional product to 'shine it up' is frustratingly time consuming.

Every time you use a conventional product dedicated to stainless, you are leaving a waxy residue that, overtime, builds-up.  For companies who create these products this is awesome as the longer you use their products the more you have to use each time and the more you have to buy.

I will let you in on a little secret....you don't need those expensive products to maintain the aesthetics of your stainless appliances (the above pic has only been cleaned and polished with Just Shine)  The trick is to make sure you are using a product that does not have wax or silicone as an ingredient (most conventional glass cleaners and some 'green' ones do).  Water alone can work as long as you don't have to deal with a lot of sticky smudges.

You can check out my video on how to make your stainless shine if you have never used a conventional stainless polishing product here  

How do you know if you have a build-up on your stainless appliances...do the water test.  Put tap water into a spray bottle, place the nozzle on spray, not stream and spray the front of your appliance.  If the water starts to run down towards the floor, you have a build-up.  If the water stays in one spot with no running vertically towards the floor you have no residue build-up (for this to work you have to spray on vertical surfaces)
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You will need

1. a clean damp cloth and clean soft cloth or 2
2. Just Shine, or water
3. arm power

If you have been using a conventional polisher for your stainless you need to add another step.  I use the Just Polish because the one of the ingredients work to remove all of the residue build-up over time but chances are, you have something in your home right now that will work with the product build-up already on there - olive oil.  Click here to see my video using olive oil to polish your stainless

You will need

1. a clean damp cloth for the olive oil only and a few clean soft cloths for the polishing
2. olive oil – it doesn't matter what brand and if you have olive oil that went bad and can't use for cooking, its still good for this.
3. arm power

How to use your olive oil

1. Remove all of the stuck-on food smudges with a little soapy water
2. Saturate your clean damp cloth with the Just Polish (shake well before each time you spray ) or your olive oil (be safe and pour over sink or a big bowl next to the fridge that you can dip in to  when you need more)
3. Re- saturate as needed doing only a section at a time so to not have the olive oil harden making it more difficult to polish
4. When it comes to polishing, don not freak out when you see the olive oil turn white, it's just working with what is already on there, when polished in the white goes away
5. Watch the video to better understand how to polish using this method