`An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That saw may be a cliche, but when it comes to cleaning the kitchen, it`s a golden rule. The trick is to plan a kitchen to function well at the outset, then to develop work habits that keep cleanup to a minimum.
A dishwasher offers the greatest potential for saving time of all the appliances in a kitchen. Industry experts estimate that a dishwasher saves a family 15 to 18 hours of dish-scrubbing duties each week.
To save the time and mess of cleaning the oven and defrosting the refrigerator, consider a self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning oven and a frost-free refrigerator.
Microwave ovens are another time-saver. They seldom need heavy-duty cleaning, and they may cut dishwasher loads because foods can be cooked and served in the same dish.
Here are a variety of ways to shortcut many common kitchen tasks:
– Use a rolling cart to carry dinner dishes in one trip from the table to the sink and dishwasher.
– Wipe up food spills on the range or cooktop as they happen-before they have a chance to bake on.
– Don`t let flames lick the sides of cookware-that causes heat stains.
– Use a spatter guard or an inverted colander over the skillet when frying anything with popping grease, such as bacon or chicken.
– Flush the garbage disposal with water once a week. Remove odor-causing matter by grinding ice cubes or small bones.
– To whiten a porcelain sink, fill it with lukewarm water, add chlorine bleach and let it stand for a short time. For tough stains try a paste made from cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide.
– Rinse dishes that have been used for eggs with cold water. Extremely hot water will cook the egg remains onto the dish surfaces, making them difficult to remove.
– Use vinegar to remove mildew in the refrigerator. Put mineral oil on door gaskets to prevent cracking.
– Vinegar also will remove stains on stainless steel. Olive oil keeps the steel from spotting quite so readily.
– To remove burned or scorched food from aluminum cookware, fill the pan with water and bring it to a boil. Remove the softened food with a wooden spoon or pot scraper. To brighten an aluminum pan, use it to cook acidic foods, such as apples or rhubarb.
– To remove burned food from enamel cookware, fill the pan with water and baking soda. Use two teaspoons soda per quart of water. Bring the solution to a boil. –
