Almanac for Homemakers

Language Enrichment from the Kitchen "Ever think of how many familiar sayings, questions, and song titles contain foods and cooking terms used in the kitchen?" Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in the kitchen. Let's review the terms our Almanac has for us today! Appearance Fat as a pig Calf eyes Peanut or Shrimp Red as a beet or lobster Peachy Terms of Endearment Honey Dumpling Muffin "Your the apple of my eye" "The cream in my coffee" Temperament or Behavior Crabby In a pickle Salt of the earth Spicy Sweet as sugar Boiling mad Money Bringing home the bacon Bread Don't put all your eggs in one basket Don't count your chickens before they hatch Lettuce Other Sayings An apple a day keeps the doctor away Life is a bowl of cherries Cold turkey Out of the frying pan and into the fryer There are a few modern ones such as: Or my personal favori...

Does Your Kitchen Have Two Cutting Boards? "There's a very good reason for having two cutting boards in a kitchen. That reason is one that can't be emphasized too often - the matter of cleanliness." Contamination This is a serious issue. It can happen in more ways than one. Biological Contamination This is when bacteria contaminates food. It can happen from improper hand washing or in our topic today, using a dirty cutting board. This is a good reason to have more than just one cutting board. If you cut raw chicken on a board and not property sanitize it before cutting fresh veggies, you have just contaminated your food. Chemical Contamination Kitchen cleaners are usually the culprit in the case. This is why it is very important to store all cleaning products in their own space away from any thing you may use for food. That includes pots and pans, cutting boards, plastic storage bins, etc.   Cross Contamination Let's say yo...

How Does Your Kitchen Rate in Efficiency? "In a kitchen the sequence of work moves from storage to preparation, to cooking and serving." There are 3 centers of the kitchen: 1. Sink 2. Refrigerator 3. Range Each of these points should be part of a working triangle. Ponder for a moment how you function in the kitchen. You go from point to point to point. In between each of these points should be plenty of counter space. There should be counter space on either side of the sink and cooking area. Unrelated appliances should be out of the way. Put in a cabinet or shoved in a corner until you need to use them. I mean I love a well planned kitchen. But there are some kitchens where you can tell the actual cooking aspect was an after thought. Just look at this picture! Our Homemaker Heroine is having the worst time trying to, evidentially, not die in her horribly dysfunctional kitchen. If you hate your kitchen, maybe you just need t...