Kitchen Archives - Page 2 of 2

A Potted History of Kitchen Appliances

October 3, 2013 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

The kettle, the toaster and the microwave are all items that people take for granted these days. Whilst kitchen appliances may not be the most glamorous of items, without them we’d have to do some serious re-thinking!

Products such as the kettle are among the most widely used appliances in the home, but how much do you really know about the humble kettle and its various kitchen brethren?

The Kettle

The origins of the kettle stretch all the way back to before the birth of Christ where, in Mesopotamia, the first forms of kettle were used. The Chinese were the first to really use the kettle for the purpose with which it is associated today, namely boiling water.

What may come as a surprise to some people is just how long the electric kettle has been in existence. Back in 1922, Arthur Leslie Large from Birmingham in the West Midlands developed the world’s first plug-in electric kettle as an alternative to the standard stove-top model. The next decade saw the electric kettle begin to take off in terms of sales and, in the 1930’s, models with automatic cut-outs were introduced. Today, with famous brand names such as Delonghi, Kenwood and Breville dominating the market, it is difficult to imagine a world without them.

The Toaster

The perfect companion to the kettle – the toaster has been around in various formats for well over one hundred years. At one time the only way to toast bread was to pop a slice onto the end of a toasting fork and hold it over a roaring fire. That is until 1893, when Alan MacMasters from Edinburgh patented the very first electric toaster. Named the Eclipse, this early model was prone to setting alight as it used iron wiring which melted very easily.

The first automatic pop-up toaster arrived in 1919 and just a short time later in 1925, improvements were such that the very first model with a timer and the ability to toast both sides of the bread simultaneously was released.

The Microwave

The microwave oven is one of the more recent kitchen appliance innovations but has still been in existence for a number of years. In 1947, Percy Spencer, an American engineer, invented the very first microwave oven. Called the Radarange, it used radar technology which had been developed during World War II but was not released for home-use, mainly due to the fact it was nearly six feet in height. The first microwave released onto the market for home consumers arrived in 1955. However, these were very large in size and considered too bulky for general home-use.

It was not until the 1960’s that the first counter-top microwave oven was developed for general home consumer use. Today there are not many households which do not have a microwave oven in their kitchens.

Often taken for granted today, these kitchen appliances are possibly some of the most under-rated inventions of all time and are sure to be around for a long time to come yet.

Tips for Grease Cleanup in the Kitchen

November 23, 2012 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Cooking in the kitchen often leaves us with a big mess to clean up. Over time, as you cook with oil and butter and all that good stuff, it will leave a sticky residue on your stove or counter top that can be a pain to remove. And how many of you have dealt with grease spattering onto your clothes while cooking? I have had several shirts that have become ruined for that very reason. There are all different kinds of commercial grease cleaners which offer really great cleaning power, but what about some natural options? With the world becoming more and more “green” and “eco-friendly”, there are indeed other ways that you can attack grease without the use of a commercial cleaner. Here are some helpful ideas:

1. Flour

Flour can be used on a more recent grease spill to coagulate the mess for easier cleanup. Keep in mind that this trick only works on a spill that hasn’t had time to become sticky so you must act quickly.

2. Baking Soda & Water

Baking soda has always had great cleaning qualities that is why many commercial companies use it as an addative for things like detergents or even toothpaste. You can use it to clean up tarnish on metals, stains from cups and countertops and also GREASE. Simply add three tablespoons of baking soda to about a cup of water and use that mixture with a sponge to scrub the grease away. Baking soda has alkaline properties which allow it to dissolve grease with ease.

3. Liquid Soap

Depending on the nature and size of the greasy spot you can clean it up using just a bit of regular dish soap. Just rub some if it into the affected spot, this way of cleaning is useful with small spots on fabric and let it soak like that for about half an hour so the soap can work its magic. You don’t need a powerful degreaser for most spots.

4. Salt and Rubbing Alcohol

For situations like rugs, carpets and cushions that will either take too much hassle to wash or that simply shouldn’t be washed, you can use a mixture of 1:4 salt to rubbing alcohol. Rub that into the spot with enough force until it lifts it. You can then vacuum the salt that remains after the alcohol evaporates and you can also use a damp cloth to wipe away any traces of the operation.

5. Vinegar

This should be used for tough spots with lots of caked-on grease especially like the ones you’ll find on the stove or around the cooking area. Just spray vinegar on the spot and let it work for about five minutes, after which it will help soften up the spot. That won’t dissolve it completely as vinegar doesn’t have the same qualities alkali have so you’ll need to do more than that to clean it up. You can boil some vinegar in a pan to help it resist grease from sticking to it. Doing this once very few months will do the trick.

Author Bio: Nicole is a passionate writer, dreamer and adventurer. She enjoys writing about home organizing and cleaning. More at: www.cleanngone.co.uk

Dishwashers for Dummies

May 8, 2012 by Painter Mommy 3 Comments

We had a dishwasher growing up and it was always my job to unload it after they got washed. And just like any chore I hated it after several years of having to do it all the time. My mom was always in charge of FILLING the dishwasher. She had this WAY that she did it. Every so often I would put something in there, but she ALWAYS moved it somewhere else. She just knew how the dishwasher needed to be filled so that the dishes would get cleaned properly.

Once I got my own place, I did not have the luxury of having a dishwasher. I had to wash the dishes by hand and continued to do this for several years.

My husband is actually the official “dish washer” in our house. He took on that responsibility once we started having children and it has been a HUGE blessing. We have a nightly routine where he cleans up and does the dishes following dinner. And the sink is usually filled to the brim from not only dinner dishes, but also breakfast and lunch as well. He never complains either. But I am not writing to talk about what a great husband I have…. LOL

In our old apartment, there was a dishwasher, but it was broken so we used it as storage. We pretty much forgot about it and were pretty content washing the dishes by hand. But when we moved into our current new home, I was so excited to see that there was a dishwasher that actually worked.

Even before we moved in I imagined how we would probably use it on a daily basis and how it would make life so much easier. I filled it a few times, but my husband refuses to use it. He is happy just doing the dishes the good ol’ fashioned way. I guess this is good because I imagine that we are saving energy by NOT using it and therefore saving on our electric bill.

But there are still days when the dishes are piled so high in the sink with all the sippy cups, cereal bowls, and baby bottles – I wind up taking everything and piling it into the dishwasher because I just can’t stand looking at the mess anymore. But the other day, when I went to unload the dishwasher, I noticed that everything was all over the place and that things were filled with soapy water. So, I decided to Google “How to fill a dishwasher”. LOL I mean who looks this stuff up? LOL… ME OF COURSE!

Here are some DISHWASHER MISTAKES that might be helpful.

1. Dishwasher Detergent – adding extra detergent to the dishwasher will not make the dishes get cleaner. It will most often leave a soapy film on the dishes.

2. Overfilling – Overfilling the dishwasher can prevent the dishes from getting clean and can also damage the dishes if they wind up bumping into each other.

3. Too Much Food Dishwashers today can handle food that is left on dishes, but it is important to scrape off the big stuff first. You may not need to pre-rinse the dishes, but scraping them off first will help your dishwasher to run smoothly.

4. Non-Dishwasher Safe Items – Make sure the items you are putting into the dishwasher are dishwasher safe. Avoid putting wood, copper, cast-iron, delicate glassware, and other non-dishwasher safe items in the dishwasher. Wood can split and crack. Delicate glassware can break in a dishwasher causing a big mess to clean up.

5. Top Rack vs. Bottom Rack – Put glasses, bowls, cups, and oversized serving utensils on the top. Plates, pots, pans, and utensils should be on the bottom. Some items can melt, warp, or break if they are put in the wrong places.

6. Blocking the Sprayer – It is important to know how the sprayer works in your dishwasher. The sprayer should be able to reach every corner of the dishwasher, and clean every dish without any obstruction. If there is a large bowl or pan that blocks the path of the sprayer, then the rest of the dishes will may not be cleaned properly. Double-check that your sprayer has full range of motion and isn’t being blocked.

7. Nesting Utensils – Forks are notorious for holding onto residue in the dishwasher. Spoons that nest together can also remain encrusted with food. You should try to alternate the utensils so they point both up and down to prevent nesting. Knives should always point downward for safety.

8. Partially Filled – Even though you may think it is better to just partially fill a dishwasher, this is actually a waste of resources. This can also cause dishes to bang and bump into eachother increasing the risk of being broken.

9. Dishwasher Maintenance – Cleaning your dishwasher is essential in keeping it running properly. To clean the inside, you can run it empty with a cup of baking soda and 1 1/2 cups of vinegar. This not only cleans the inside of the dishwasher, but also freshens it as well. Along with cleaning, it is also important to make sure your dishwasher is functioning properly. Companies like PartSelect provide cheap appliance parts so that you can fix problems yourself. How cool is that?

10. Unloading – Unload the bottom rack first. The top rack often has cups that can have dirty water in them and you don’t want them to accidentally spill over the clean dishes on the bottom.

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I also came up with several great Youtube videos and I thought I would share this one with you. I am sure you already know how to fill a dishwasher properly, but for people like me, this was extremely helpful.

How about you? Do you own a dishwasher? Do you think it saves energy to wash dishes in a dishwasher or by hand? Do you have any dishwasher tips that you would like to share? Please comment below!

But first, enjoy these fun cartoons that I found on the subject.