Sunday, March 17, 2013

Keep it simple, make it work #3

Welcome to the third week of my decluttering and organizing of home spaces series.

The project´s summary:
9 months to streamline your home spaces and systems
3 months for the practical spaces: kitchen, bathrooms, laundy room
3 months for the shared areas: entry hall, living room, dining room
3 months for the personal spaces: bedrooms, office, hobbies room
1 big task each week illustrated with my own pictures and daily {gentle} reminders, tips and cheering at my Facebook page. Like it to be able to receive them every day and record your progress with a friendly crew!

Theme 1: the practical / Month 1: the kitchen / Week 3: Kitchen utensils

kitchen utensil is a hand-held, typically small tool or utensil that is used in the kitchen, for food-related functions. 

Day 1: cutlery.
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery usually means knives and related cutting instruments. The major items of cutlery in the Western world are the knifefork and spoon.
Are your cutting knives sharp enough? You can replace or re-sharpen those in need. Check your cutlery for rusty spots (not healthy). 

These are my "extras". They are neither our daily ones nor the silverware. Many come from complimentary sets or picnic ones.
From time to time, I check them and give them a good wash and dry.
 And back they go to their box.

Day 2: baking tools. Look for rust points and loose handles. Examples: apple corer, apple cutter, biscuits cutters, bowls, butter curler, dough scrapper, lame (used to slash the tops of bread loaves in artisan baking), lemon squeezer, measuring spoons and jars, nutcracker, pastry bag, pastry brush, roller docker, rolling pin, sieve, tamis, whisk, zester.

Day 3: Check your cooking tools. Are your spatulas half melted? One of mine was as I had put it on the pots hot border while serving a dish. Is your garlic press´s paint starting to flake? Has your pizza cutter lost its blade´s sharpness?
Examples: baster, casserole dishes, colander, cork screws, chopper board,  egg piercer, egg poacher, egg separator, egg slicer, fish slice, funnel, garlic press, grater, herb chopper, mandoline,  meat grinder, mortar, nutmeg grater, pizza shovel, peeler, potato masher, slotted spoon, spatulas, tin opener
Day 4: gadgets. Check all electrical cords and plugs. Give them a good clean.
Making waffles in my kitchen.
I don´t have a dishwasher but if you do, you may find this article on "How to Clean your dishwasher" useful. 

Day 5: trays and kitchen towels. Give all serving trays a good clean. Polish the silver ones. Check the kitchen towels. Sew loose hems and holes. Are they tooooooo stained? Replace them. 
Saturday night
Serving wooden tray with canapés
Day 6: Saturdays are "LISTS DAY". Today gather some recipies to use utensils you haven´t used in a while. How long since you used that cheese grater? Make pasta! 
Mostachole with home made bolognesa sauce and grated cheese
Day 7: enjoy your day off and come to my blog to read your next assignment.

Here´s my some of our progress for last week:
I had to throw away two past their "Best before" date tins. 
Son working on his wardrobe
I took everything from the kitchen cupboard and divided in three groups: keep in the kitchen, keep somewhere else, off it goes
 

5 comments:

misteejay said...

Paintwork in my kitchen is getting a bit of a spruce-up at the moment so it is a right royal mess but I'm taking the opportunity to re-organise as I go.

Toni xx

Sian said...

You are right..my cutting knives aren't sharp enough. And our budding chef here has been complaining about it. I need to take action, today

Beverley Baird said...

I am a bit behind - but we got the fridge done yesterday! yeah!
Great series - I am to do it all - great for spring cleaning!

Lynn Stevens said...

Oh WOW Paula, This is such a GREAT idea. I think I need to quit my job so I can do this. hahahaha I wish. Maybe I can have my hubby come read your post and talk him into doing some of this.
Hugs Lynn

Tracey FK said...

Kitchen utensils are shocker for me... can't bear to throw them away... the cutlery will be fine as I am obsessed with it, but the next draw down will be down right scary... not sure I can go there, although I found a corkscrew to draw yesterday so maybe it will give me more to sketch!!!

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