I'm always looking for better (and better-looking) ways to keep organized in the kitchen. I dig my plastic boxes for dried goods, but they were so cheap that I just hope there's nothing toxic in the plastic. What I'd love is a collection of square glass that's easy to use while looking wonderful ... like the amazing storage cabinet that The Kitchn found over at Living etc., which you can see above.
Each of those handled jars is shaped like a scoop on the other end so you can pour the contents wherever you wish, or scoop out of the dish directly. The round lids at the bottom -- they're spice jars. Pretty handy, right? Well, only if you have lots of cash to burn. The Kitchn hunted down the source of this beautiful thing, and they are pricey. Like, smaller versions with 6 scoops range from £235.00 to £275.00, while cabinets like the one pictured run from £321.00 to £419.00 at http://www.ellaskitchencompany.com. Shipping adds on £90 to £110 if you live in the states. I should've known -- anything that looks that good comes at a price!
It's quite out of my price range, but if any of you happen to grab one, please post pictures somewhere so I can go green with adoring envy!
I don't know about you, but every time I buy a bottle of wine, I wonder where I will store it. I have a modest wine storage unit, and I often think back to the day when I stepped into a house for sale and saw a large wine cellar, protected by a gorgeous wrought iron door. To have such storage -- that would be divine.
I imagine if you have $30K to burn, you're probably not worrying about wine storage, but for the cool factor alone, why not look into an ultra-cool spiral wine cellar that opens up right in your kitchen floor? Just imagine -- while you're tending to guests and preparing their meal, you mention a wine. In a blink, you open a hatch, and climb down a stairwell encased by a number of bottles of wine. You pick your beloved grape, and climb up with the desired bottle.
You would be the coolest house on the block, that's for sure!
Alright, Slashfoodies. I have another strange occurrence for you to explain, one that makes the butterscotch cookie mishap seem like nothing -- one that makes me wonder if I've stepped into the kitchen version of the Twilight Zone.
Above, you can check out a slightly blurry (sorry!) picture of my freezer. Since I recently roasted up a chicken, I also made myself some delicious stock. The other day, I got to packaging it for the freezer, and threw most of it into three zip lock bags. I stacked them on the base of my freezer, as shown, so that they could freeze flat and then be moved around.
A day later, the bottom bag was hard as a rock, and the other two were merely very cold and jiggly -- no ice. Confused, I rejigged the setup -- the bottom went on the top, and the door was closed. When I checked again, the new bottom one was now frozen, and the other two were jiggly. Aggravated, I took the picture you see above, and then rearranged a bit and moved one of the bags up to the second shelf. As of now, the one jiggly bag is starting to slush and freeze.
What on earth could cause this? It sure isn't thawing -- the rest of the inhabitants are solid. It's not over or under-packing the freezer, because I've done similar before in emptier and more full freezers.
If you like bread, chances are that you'd like to stay away from those national brands with lots of preservatives. I know I prefer the artisanal loaves that are free from shelf-extending additives. My problem is that I don't go through bread fast enough and it invariably gets moldy if I get good quality bread. I generally turn to freezing it, and throwing frozen slices into the toaster when I want to eat them.
Wasted Food has posted this article about storing and keeping bread fresher, longer. It's a question and answer session with Paul LaDuca of Zingerman's, a Michigan bakery that does a lot of mail order. He recommends a bread box, and keeping your loaves in a paper bag. According to LaDuca, a plastic bag just draws the moisture from the crumb into the crust, making it soggy.
I was aware of most of these tips, but I have to admit I hadn't thought of using my oven as a bread box. What are your favorite bread storage tips?
I often buy more spices and herbs than I know what to do with. So, it's not surprising that after several months they begin to lose their best flavors. Fortunately, there are techniques to preserve their unique taste.
When purchasing an artisanal extra virgin olive oil, people tell me completely different ways to store it. While some urge me to refrigerate it, others argue that refrigeration spoils the oil's flavor.
Thout Design has come up with a very unique way of storing your flatware - in the wall. You can purchase a tile that comes with spots to hold 4 sets of 5 pieces of low grade stainless steel flatware (2 forks, 2 spoons, 1 knife). The flatware is held into place with magnets.
I love the look of magnetic spice holders. This storage system, however, looks too cluttered. The description on Design Public, where you can purchase the tiles for $300, states that the tiles are ideal for small space living. Wouldn't the flatware jutting out of the wall make the place look even smaller?
Awesome: the idea behind bulk food. Cheaper, more control over the quantity, easy.
Not-so-awesome: the collection and storing of bulk food. Most supermarkets provide plastic bags, which are not only bad for the environment, but are messy to store, can break or leak easily, and typically result in a pile of unusable crumbs.
But a friend of mine has come up with an easy solution that I'm jealous I didn't think of first: she bought a few of these Droppar storage jars (at left) from IKEA (although any small metal or glass jar with a lid would do), and brought them to her local Whole Foods store. The cashier first weighed the jar itself, which she wrote on a piece of tape and placed on the jar lid.
Each time my friend buys in bulk, she simply brings her jar with her, writes the checkout code on a sticker which she keeps on the jar, and brings it to the cashier, who subtracts the weight of the jar and charges her for just the food. Easy, environmentally-friendly, and easy to store when she gets home. (Another idea? Just wash out peanut butter or pasta sauce jars, place stickers on the sides, and reuse those).
Warning: this should work at Whole Foods and Wild Oats, or other similarly-minded food stores, but I don't know if other stores would agree - you'd have to call your local supermarket out find out.
Sometime about five years ago or so, I got in the habit of printing recipes I wanted to try off the internet. This was back in the days when I had a full-time administrative grunt job and so had free time, abundant internet access and unlimited laser printer toner. I started out storing those recipes in a three-ring binder, but quickly outgrew that storage device. I ended up with a file crate with hanging files and manila folders (complete with clearly printed labels--I can be a little overzealous with the office supplies at times).
In addition to that crate (which I often flip through for inspiration) I have a series of small wooden file boxes in which I've stashed the recipes I really like and want to be able to access again easily (without digging through several reams of paper). Sometimes I think about revamping my recipe storage system, but I hate to mess with a good thing.
If you are looking for a way to store your recipes (or want to buy a creative kitchen-based gift for a friend or family member) you should head over to Design*Sponge and check out the Recipe Storage Roundup that Grace put together. She has scoured the internet for a variety of boxes and binders that will hold your recipes neatly and in style. I am particularly smitten with that binder decorated with silhouettes of kitchen utensils.
Do you love using fresh ginger in your cooking, but feel like at times it becomes more trouble than it's worth? When a recipe called for minced ginger, do you often find yourself turning to the ancient jar of pre-minced ginger in your fridge? If you've answered yes to either of these questions, then you need to head over to Jaden's Steamy Kitchen and read through her tips for storing, processing and using ginger.
The tip I found the most helpful was to grate up a bunch of ginger and then put the ginger out in a long strip on a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it up in a tube, tie the ends and store in the freezer. You can either snap off a bit or re-grate it into your dish. I grew up with frozen ginger, but in my family we always just through the entire root in, which made it really difficult to peel and chop it for cooking. I do believe that this particular suggestion will inspire me to keep more ginger around (frozen in a tube) and use it in my cooking more. Thanks Jaden!
Thanksgiving dinner is over, the kitchen is littered with dishes and you've got to figure out how to store a half carved turkey, a quart of gravy, a leftover loaf pan of stuffing and three half eaten pies. Not to mention Cousin Melissa's pumpkin soup that she served inside a hollowed out pumpkin. Here are some tips on how to get everything into put away and tucked in the fridge.
Think about your storage options before the big day. Check your supplies of foil, plastic wrap, zip top bags and reusable plastic containers before you start cooking to ensure you'll have enough to get you through.
Choose the right-sized container for the job. Refrigerator space is at a premium after big holiday meals, so using appropriately sized bowls, jars and bags will keep the jigsaw puzzle easier to solve.
Make sure that your storage devices are airtight and leak-proof so that your food will stay fresh, aromas won't mingle and you don't end up with candied yam juice coating the shelves with a sticky sheen.
If you use old yogurt containers or other, non-transparent vessels for your leftovers, label the carton with a sharpie. It will make the hunt for the last of the green beans much easier and when it is empty, the writing wipes off with a little bit of rubbing alcohol.
Make sure that your turkey is totally unstuffed before you stash it in the fridge, because it can take too long to thoroughly cool otherwise, encouraging the growth of dangerous bacteria.
Remember that it's never a good idea to store food in aluminum cans, so transfer the leftover cranberry sauce to a different container.
Here's hoping you find some of these tips helpful and that you enjoy your Thanksgiving feast for at least three full days!
Ever buy seasonings in those packets (not that I am particularly endorsing that behavior as they are often full of chemicals) from the grocery store but struggle with how best to store them? Then this tip from the Unclutterer might be up your alley. Get yourself one of those plastic 3x5 (or 4x6 for the larger packets) notecard boxes and pop the packets in there. Keeps them contained, orderly and bug-free (if you really want to satisfying your inner anal retentive, go ahead and alphabetize them)!
I like nuts. I like them toasted in salads, baked into muffins and tossed with roasted vegetables (toasted walnuts with oven-roasted brussel sprouts is heavenly). What I don't like about nuts is how easily they go bad if you don't store them correctly. After a big bite into a rancid almond once, I have taken to only keeping my nuts in the freezer (the middle schooler deep inside of me giggles at that sentence). The cold keeps the oils in the nuts more stable so that they don't go bad nearly so quickly (especially important for really oily ones like pinenuts). You don't have to be like me and store them in jars (although it looks so pretty) plastic containers or bags work just as well. The important thing is to make sure that whatever vessel you use is air tight to prevent the nuts from acquiring that yucky freezer-y taste.
Ever buy seasonings in those packets (not that I am particularly endorsing that behavior as they are often full of chemicals) from the grocery store but struggle with how best to store them? Then this tip from the 
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