Kitchen Hints and Tips #2 … Simple Tips to Help you Open Stubborn Jars …

  Don’t you just hate it when you have to open a new jar of anything in the kitchen and that lid just won’t budge! Whether it’s a jar of jam or a jar of crushed ginger, here are some simple options for “popping” that lid:   Grab a butter knife and gently tap the edge of the lid a couple of times, rotating the jar as you go. The gentle tapping should loosen the lid and break the seal enough for you to open the lid.   Use a butter knife or teaspoon and slip it carefully between the glass and the lid and gently twist. The lid might give a … read more

Kitchen Hints and Tips #1 … How to Soften Butter in a Hurry …

    I love to bake but when I do, a lot of recipes will call for softened butter. Softened butter is much easier to mix with other ingredients like flour and sugar and it’s almost impossible to successfully blend ingredients with hard, cold butter. But there’s nothing more frustrating than having all your ingredients measured out only to find your recipe needs softened butter and it’s still in the fridge rock hard … grrrrr!   Allowing butter to stand, out of the fridge, at room temperature is the easiest way to soften it but, depending on the … read more

Simple Tips to Clean, Freshen and Maintain your Kitchen Bin …

  Keeping my kitchen rubbish bin clean is an essential part of my housework routine. I’m a bit fussy about it because if there’s one thing that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it’s a stinky bin … yuk!   When I renovated my kitchen, I had a double plastic bin installed in a pullout cupboard. The front bin we use for general rubbish, the second bin we use for any recycling items like paper, cardboard, cans or bottles and most food scraps get fed into the garbage disposal (and you can read here for tips to keep that clean). This style of … read more

Tips for Cleaning a Dishwasher …

  It may seem odd to think that you need to clean a dishwasher, after all, isn’t that what it’s meant to do … to clean things. But a dishwasher can get dirty just like any other appliance in the house. It’s also important to keep it clean so that it continues to function at it’s best, run efficiently and smell fresh. Your dishwasher can fall victim to stubborn grease and soap scum, limescale which can build up in the pipes, and filters can be blocked with food scraps but a little bit of attention will see it sparkle like new.   This is what I … read more

75 + Ways to Use Baby Wipes … that you possibly haven’t thought of!

  Mention the words “Baby Wipes” and you’ll most likely think about baby’s bottoms and dirty nappies. Baby wipes, however, are incredibly versatile and useful for so many things. I love the really thick ones as they’re soft and gentle and you’ll find packets of them in various rooms of my house and I always carry some in my handbag. I’ve come up with a list or more than 75 uses for them:   In the Kitchen …   Little ones who either still eat with their fingers or are learning to manage knives, forks and spoons can make quite a mess. A … read more

How many Coffee Mugs are too many? Decluttering and Organising Coffee Mugs and Glasses …

  Isn’t it amazing how some things accumulate without us even realising it! I’m pretty organised and generally feel in control of clutter but I was a little alarmed on the weekend, when I noticed the number of coffee mugs and glasses we had. I was really surprised that I hadn’t noticed before!   Mugs and glasses were everywhere:   one shelf of an overhead cupboard stored our everyday mugs and glasses   another shelf in a different overhead cupboard stored another 12 white coffee mugs that matched my dinner set (but were never used) … read more

Flat-Pack Freezer Meals … How to Make the Most of your Freezer …

  Do you freeze a lot of meals? I use my freezer all the time and it’s one of my favourite ways to save time. Whether you’re cooking for one or cooking for a large family, cooking large quantities of freezer-suitable meals means you can give yourself one, or many nights off cooking … and who wouldn’t enjoy that!   Other than cooking double batches of food, the real trick is to make the most of your freezer by maximizing every millimeter of space available and the simplest way to do that is to ditch as many containers as possible and embrace using zip lock … read more

Simple Tips to Clean and Freshen the Garbage Disposal …

  I love my garbage disposal! It’s such a convenient appliance that helps me keep on top of food scraps in the kitchen but it does need to be operated and maintained with some tender loving care to keep it clean, hygienic and smelling fresh as a daisy.   A garbage disposal is self-cleaning to a degree, as it’s constantly flushed with water when operating, however, sludge can build up around the sides and the grinding blades and stinky odours can develop. Here are a couple of different methods I’ve used to clean and freshen my garage disposal that all work … read more

White Dinnerware … Why I Love Mine and 9 Reasons Why it’s a Practical Choice …

  Choosing a dinner set is a very personal choice and with so many beautiful designs available it’s understandable why it can sometimes be difficult. Over the years I’ve fallen in love with, and wanted, some gorgeous dinner sets featuring beautiful patterns and designs. But many years ago, when it was time to replace my dinner set because it was chipped and had missing pieces, I decided to go all white … and I’ve never looked back.   So whether you’re buying a dinner set for the first time, replacing one that’s seen better days or simply splashing out … read more

How I Put the Shine in my Kitchen Sink …

  If you stop to think about it, the kitchen sink is one of the hardest workhorses in your home because it’s used multiple times every day. I love walking into my kitchen and seeing a clean, sparkling sink, and it needs to be kept clean to:   prevent odours and smells   remove food stains, splashes and spills   prevent soap deposits from building up   prevent rust   reduce germs and bacteria   keep your kitchen looking organised and less cluttered   And the good news is, once you’ve … read more

9 Tips for Choosing the Right Containers for your Pantry …

  Organising your pantry can seem like a hugely overwhelming task. You open the doors, it’s a jumbled mess and before long you’ve slammed the doors shut with a promise to tackle the job another day (except “another day” never comes) … sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone and a lot of you have asked what are the best containers to use in the pantry. So today I thought I would share my tips on some things to consider when choosing the right containers to organise your pantry.   The ultimate goal is to store everything so that it’s accessible, visible … read more

Tips for Storing and Organising Herbs and Spices …

  For the record, I couldn’t survive without my herbs and spices. I use a lot of fresh herbs like coriander, lemongrass and parsley and I grow my own basil but I also have a huge collection of dried herbs and spices, which I use when I cook.   When I renovated my kitchen, I tried to consider where everything would be stored once it was complete and I wanted to find a great solution to how I would store my herbs and spices. In a previous kitchen, I had stored these in wire racks that were attached to the inside of cupboard doors and that worked really well. … read more

How to Clean Your Microwave and Make it Sparkle in Under 15 Minutes …

  My microwave is one of the hardest working appliances in the kitchen. It’s used to defrost frozen items, reheat leftovers, cook vegetables and create whole family meals but, despite our best efforts, it can get dirty from splashes and spills. So, here is my microwave cleaning routine that helps keep it sparkling clean.   Daily … The simplest way to keep the microwave clean is to always cover any food placed inside. Be sure to cover everything with either paper towel, a lid with a steam vent or a loosely fitted lid that will allow steam to escape … … read more

How Creating a Simple Routine Helped me Win the Battle Against Dirty Dishes …

  Doing the dishes is one of those tasks that’s necessary but not a whole lot of fun. I’m sure everyone you talk to will have a different method and routine but if there’s one thing everyone will agree on … the dishes can’t be ignored!   Now, I definitely don’t want to spend the entire day chained to the kitchen sink but I also don’t want everything piling up on the kitchen bench either, so for me, it’s about finding some balance, creating a routine or a process and keeping that routine simple. Here’s what works for me:   I am fortunate to own a … read more

My Tips for Cleaning the Inside of the Fridge …

  Most of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it’s important that it’s well organised and working as efficiently as possible. And because it’s where we do all our food preparation, it’s also important that the equipment and utensils we use are super clean. Cleaning and getting organised is mostly about creating routines that are simple to follow and that helps us to develop habits. I’m a creature of habit so it helps me to choose a day of the week to perform regular or routine tasks and that helps me stick to it. Some weeks other things get in the way … read more