Kitchen Care Tips| Monica’s Archives

Whenever a lady is asked about her specifications for a house, the first thing mentioned is the kitchen. It must be large, well ventilated and with plenty of shelf space. Your kitchen would naturally be different from someone else’s. No two family requirements are same, so while drawing rooms can follow a set pattern, the kitchen must meet the needs of the particular family.

Some tips for taking care of your kitchen:

·         Should have a bright, airy kitchen as it gives the feeling of hygiene and cleanliness, no matter what its size.

·         Place all kitchen cabinets and fixtures against the wall so that you have plenty of room to move around.

·         If you prefer having the refrigerator inside the kitchen, keep it far from the cooking area and it should be at least eight inches away from the wall.

·         The kitchen floor must be mopped at least twice a day, once in forenoon after morning cooking is done and once at night before closing down.

·         Wipe the kitchen platform at least once a day and wash with detergent twice a week.

·         If you have a stainless steel sink, clean it with hot water and mild detergent. Do not use scourer as it will scratch the surface. If the steel appears dull, rub it with a cloth soaked in vinegar, then wipe clean. If kitchen sink is of cement or mosaic, clean it like kitchen floor. Scrub with a plastic scourer using some detergent powder. Then half fill the sink with warm water and add 4 teaspoons of chlorine bleach. Leave for 10 minutes, and then scrub again after releasing the water.

·         If kitchen sink is blocked, take the help of rubber plunger. Half fill the sink with water, fit the plunger to the outlet and keep pushing and releasing. If it does not work, there are readymade drain cleaners available in the market.

·         When you clean the gas burners, first make sure the cylinder is shut off. Take off all the detachable parts including burners and stands. Wash them with detergent and water, wipe dry and let the water run out of the burner holes. The rest of the burner can be cleaned with soap and warm water.

·         Handle the gasket of the cooker as little as possible to ensure long life. If cooker is taking abnormally longer time to build up pressure, then you have to get the gasket replaced.

·         To prevent the inside of the pressure cooker from getting discolored with constant use, place a little tamarind or the used skin of lemon in the water placed separately in the cooker. Let the water come to boil, then clean it.

·         Get the house pest controlled to get rid of pests. Otherwise use liquid sprays twice a week to keep the pests under control.

·         When food burns at the bottom of a sauce-pan, fill up the pan with hot water and a handful of salt. Then boil for a while, this will loosen the burnt matter, which can be taken out with a scraper.

                                               Happy Living!