Cooking is messy, no way around it. Even the most careful of cooks can spill and drop items. The room where you prepare meals for your family should be among the cleanest in your home. There are ways to keep the kitchen clean even as you cook and these tips can help you achieve that goal.

*Start with a Clean Kitchen

*Prepare to Make a Mess

*Gather Everything

*Clean as you go

-Start with a Clean Kitchen-

When you go to cook a meal everything should be clean before you begin. A quick visual inspection of the kitchen should tell you whether or not everything is clean and in it’s place. Even though there are going to be items you will use during cooking there shouldn’t be anything on your counters that doesn’t normally stay there before you begin. All dishes should be washed and put away, counters and stove tops clean even the refridgerator should be clean. The floor should also be clean. If it’s not clean when you enter clean it up before you begin to cook.

-Prepare to Make a Mess-

You are going to make a mess so be prepared and your kitchen will be just as clean when you finish as it will be when you started. Placing foil in the bottom of the oven and under stove burners will help to prevent large messes that take forever to clean by catching any and all Read the rest of this entry

Have you ever wondered how to get your partner into the kitchen to cook with you – or even for you? Or perhaps you would just like some interest and help in choosing the next new kitchen you want. Or do you come from that not-so-rare group of males who want to own their own masculine kitchen?

Well, for all of these scenarios, there is now a solution! A range designed for a man’s kitchen. You may wonder how a ‘man’s kitchen’ can be so different from any other kitchen….

Is equality more prevalent in Europe? Who knows, but it is a German manufacturer who has come up with the man’s kitchen. Poqqenpohl, Germany’s oldest furniture company has partnered with Porsche Designs and come up with sleek and functional cabinets loaded with all kinds of bells and whistles men love.

In their eyes, the man’s kitchen is the ‘event’ room, and as such it has its own audio system and the designers strove for a masculine, no frills look. The result is a modular, spacious and extremely versatile system of frames for what Poqqenpohl believes men will feel is a stunning design concept.

Of course there is a choice of design, although aluminum profiles of different sizes makes up the basic framework of the new look and can be positioned in a variety of ways. Cabinets are designed to be positioned in a variety of different ways, rather like setting up a high tech Read the rest of this entry

I love to cook. I hate to clean. The joys and despairs of the kitchen seem worlds apart but there is a common ground in that clutter detracts from cooking and adds to cleaning. Goodbye clutter and hello joy of cooking.

Where to begin? Do you feel stuck with a prefab kitchen revolving around a sink, a small cutting area and a stove? Being clutter free involves throwing everything away into the trash can and washing the dishes when you are done. Hello – the average work cubicle gets more planning than most kitchens. Few take the time to look at the kitchen with a designing eye.

Start with your knives. Are they in a drawer (ouch) or a wooden block sitting on the counter? Is there a wall where those knives can be set with a strong magnet? If so – goodbye block! You have reclaimed a bit of space and perhaps added a decoration to your wall.

Under the counter gadgets are wonderful but try to limit them to the necessities of cooking. A can opener or a coffee maker free up space but do you really need that under the counter TV? Keep the kitchen simple helps to focus the chief on the joys of cooking rather than the distractions of daily life. Keep the microwave at bay by limiting it’s use to heating water.

Next, pots and pan. Most of the time these things are stuck in the storage cabinet or thrown Read the rest of this entry

LARGO (PINELLAS COUNTY), SARASOTA, TAMPA, FL…An “outdoor kitchen” used to mean roughing it over an open fire and sleeping on the ground. Nowadays, what items used to be considered indoor-only are making their debut outside, especially when it comes to outdoor kitchens—a hot new trend that’s taken cooking on the grill from a summer activity to a year-round thing. DirectBuy, the leading members-only showroom and home design center, not only sells “outdoor kitchen” units and other accessories at manufacturer’s low prices, but also offers some helpful pointers on selecting the right equipment and setup for your home.

For starters, when it comes to selecting a grill, DirectBuy of Tampa recommends considering:

* Stainless steel gas or charcoal grills – outdoor kitchen means just that: outside! Your kitchen will be exposed to sun, rain, wind, and in Florida, extreme heat. Even covered, your grill will be exposed to the elements to a certain degree and you want a grill made of material that will withstand bad weather and corrosion.

* Free-standing or under-the-counter refrigeration units – help minimize trips to the “other” kitchen and gives you a place to store leftovers for the next cookout.

* Infra-red burners – make sure the grill you do select uses infra-red burners, which heat up faster.

* Storage – choose a grill with plenty of shelving and cabinets

“The beauty of the outdoor kitchen is it reduces trips to the real kitchen to get supplies. This means you can actually spend time with your Read the rest of this entry

Take a look in your kitchen and see if you have any type of kitchen organizers in place. If you don’t then surly your kitchen is one where everything clangs and bangs when ever you work in it. Your drawers are full of cooking tools piled in with one another and all of your pots, pans and strainers are stacked together in various semi organized piles in your cabinets.

A Restaurant Kitchen

Have you ever had the opportunity to walk through a professionally organized restaurant kitchen? Do you think that they pile everything together the way that you do? Hell no they don’t! Thats because they  have a bottom line to address and they can spend time rummaging through drawers full of a tools when they have orders to get out.

A Well Organized Kitchen

Everything is in its place, using some type of kitchen organizer. Even the food and spices that they use are kept together in a cupboard or a walk-in, using some type of organizer. If anything is needed, its right where it belongs on its organizer hanger or trey.

Island Kitchen Organizers

If you have been watching cooking shows and have any plans on getting your kitchen groove on the way that the people on those shows do then you have to get yourself dialed in with kitchen organizers. Heck! There are even “island” styled butcher block surfaced organizers that hold everything that you need below.

Get Your Kitchen Read the rest of this entry

Nobody likes a dirty kitchen, and a dirty kitchen is no fun to cook in either (not to mention unsanitary). With a little conscious effort, you can keep your kitchen clean while you cook. Here are FIVE TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR KITCHEN CLEAN WHILE YOU COOK:

1) START WITH A SPOTLESS KITCHEN: If your kitchen is a mess, don’t start cooking yet. Clean it first. This includes removing clutter, taking out the trash, putting in a fresh trash bag, and wiping your kitchen down with an anti-bacterial cleaner. Also, don’t start cooking until you have put away all the dishes. That way, when you are done cooking, the only dishes you will have to clean are the ones you used to prepare your most recent meal.

2) GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS: Don’t start cooking until you know what you are going to make. This will prevent you from getting out unnecessary ingredients. Gather all your ingredients, and place them on your counter.

3) CLEAN AS YOU GO: Although cleaning while cooking will slow down the process of preparing your meal, it really is a time saver in the long run. If you spill something, clean up the mess before you continue cooking. Even if another person in your household is responsible for dish duty, offer to let them clean the cooking pots and pans as you go. At the very least, start soaking pots in hot soapy water in the sink to prevent the Read the rest of this entry

 

As more and more people become conscious of the aesthetic factor of every corner of their homes, kitchens are growing into centerpieces of attraction. One of the first decisions that you need to take when you design your kitchen is regarding your countertops. Should you choose granite, marble or synthetic?

 

These days, there is a growing trend towards choosing granite kitchen countertops. There are many reasons for this.

 

Looks: Granite looks strikingly beautiful. You can get it in a variety of arresting colors, ranging from neutrals to something bright. Thus, it is easy to match granite kitchen countertops to the rest of your décor. You can match any cabinet hardware to the natural grandeur of granite, and your kitchen will catch the gleaming, polished stateliness of granite. Additionally, the polish and gleam of granite lasts for a very long time. The natural designs etched on tiles made of granite are quite alluring and can form a good backdrop to the overall design of your kitchen. The only thing you have to ensure is that you buy tiles that match in color and design.

 

Rich textures: Granite, when removed from the earth comes as large blocks, which are then converted into slabs. Because of this, granite slabs have lesser instances of pattern variation and discoloration. Also, there are fewer cuts or scratches which significantly reduce the chances of dirt or grit getting stuck in crevices. So, granite kitchen countertops offer a nicely uniform solid surface for kitchen countertops after they are cut and polished.

 

Durability: Read the rest of this entry

The biggest misconception of the building supply super store is that their prices are good. If compared to other local stores you will find that their prices might be better on a few items, but ultimately they are marking their profits on everything else being over priced. These stores will lead you in with a few low sale prices; but their relentless marketing makes you believe that all their prices are low and or unbeatable.

I found this out when I started shopping for kitchen cabinets. I was confused by a small amount of choices in Home Depot and the outrageous prices. When I asked a sales associate, he confided with me and said that Home Depot purposely will carry only a few choices of kitchen cabinets and the rest have to be special ordered. Of course these special order cabinets cost more money and make more money for the store. I then traveled to Lowes and found an even worse selection.

I decided to go online and look for cabinets. I was able to find a few good sites and decided to go with a line of RTA kitchen cabineta. What are RTA kitchen cabinets? Well that is the first secret! It is a Ready To Assemble kitchen cabinet. They are easy to put together and cost 40% to 65% less than pre-assembled or custom ordered kitchen cabinets. Also when I say easy to Read the rest of this entry

Keeping a clean kitchen is vital to the health of your family. There are so many potentials for germs and bacterias to grow around and it is a natural process.

Not all of the bacterias are harmful to us, but who wants to eat from a dirty kitchen? Besides that there are many bacterias that you do not want your food to come in contact with and become contaminated.

There are many bacterias that can grow around your kitchen and here area a few ~

E. coli

Salmonella

Listeria monocytogenes

Hepatitis A virus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Clostridium perfringens

Those are just a few of the viruses and bacterias that your food can be contaminated with if you do not have a clean cooking area. Practicing good cleaning habits are essential for the health of yourself and who ever you are cooking for.

Besides keeping the counter tops and utensils, etc clean make sure that you wash your hands frequently when cooking in the kitchen.

Many people do not take proper care of the sponge or rag that they are using to clean their dishes with. Run your sponge through the dishwasher with your load to make sure it kills all the germs and bacterias growing in it. Change your rag often to help not spread the germs around.

Keeping a nice clean kitchen will be healthy for the whole family and help to stop the spread of germs and contamination of foods that you are preparing.

Make sure that you properly care for Read the rest of this entry

Today more than ever, people are doing their own home repairs and updates. It has become a hobby to most families, constantly undertaking new projects to make home even better! The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the home, which is probably why it’s the room most often remodeled and revamped. If you’re just getting started with your first home makeover, or if you’re just looking for some new ideas, here are some great remodeling projects for your kitchen, just in time for summer!

1. Add an island or butcher block. This idea is not only a great way to update the look and style of your kitchen, but it adds practicality as well. Kitchen islands are perfect for kids to do their homework while you prepare dinner, or for extra counter space while making dinner. It’s a great area for additional storage and they’re also beautiful. If you could use a little more counter space, or storage room, adding the right piece can make a world of a difference.

2. Reface your cabinets. Cabinets can either make a huge impact on the look of your room, or they can be dull and blend into the background. If you’re satisfied with the layout of your cabinets, but just want a different style, then refacing your cabinets can be a great option.

3. Update your counter top. The design of the countertop tends to be the nucleus of the room. The counter top brings together the cabinets, the Read the rest of this entry