They say a man is only as good as his tools, right? So if you want a sparkling clean kitchen, you’re gonna need the right tools for the job. We spend a lot of time looking for the best cleaning supplies — and this year we found a few we really love.
Have you gotten an Instant Pot, the seven-in-one workhorse, yet? It quickly became a kitchen favorite for its space-saving, multi-tasking superpowers. After just a few years on the market, it’s still winning over new fans and holding up to all the hype. And while there’s little maintenance involved beyond post-cooking cleanup, a few key parts hidden under the lid can make or break the appliance’s oh-so-important sealing power.
Here’s how to clean your Instant Pot (including the silicone sealing ring that tends to hold onto the odor of your leftovers) to keep everything in working order.
Baking is a messy endeavor, and the messiest bit of it all is the flour. It gets everywhere! And heaven forbid you try to clean it up with a sponge, like you would any other kitchen mess, because when you add water to flour, it turns into glue. Like, literally, glue — water plus flour is exactly the recipe I used to make papier-mâché with my kids one time, and that stuff has still not come out of the clothes we were wearing. That’s because water activates the starches in flour, making them sticky. And if they dry and harden, it’s almost impossible to clean. Hence, the ruined clothes.
My favorite kind of gift to give (and also receive) is the homemade kind — especially when it’s edible. Not only are these gifts totally thoughtful and delicious, but there are also so many wonderful options that are easy to pull together in a pinch. Here are 10 of my favorites.
While there are many things I can tell you about my grandfather, the one thing you should know is that he loved pecan sandies. In fact, I cannot bite into these buttery, nut-studded cookies without thinking of him. This version, which he’d heartily approve of, is firm and sturdy, and greets you with a crisp edge all around that softens as you get towards the center. A generous scoop of brown sugar lends a rich, caramel flavor and highlights the toasted aroma in the pecans that you’ll notice in every bite.
This is the kitchen of the late Flo Braker, a well-known cookbook author and baking professional, who some call the “patron saint of all pastry makers.” Fine Cooking magazine photographed her kitchen, a sprawling space with all sorts of clever design details that would make any baker envious: yards of granite countertop to roll out dough, racks of rolling pins for every conceivable use, perfectly organized drawers of pastry tips and biscuit cutters. It’s really a thing of beauty, even for someone like me who can burn a chocolate chip cookie with no effort at all.
There’s one feature in her kitchen that I have never seen before, and it’s brilliant. It seriously blew my mind. It’s super smart and it’s something that could honestly help out even the terrible bakers among us.
Growing up, those tubes of slice-and-bake cookies from the grocery store were the extent of my baking. It was the first treat I learned how to bake myself. When I’d slice the dough, however, it would often flatten on one side and become far from the perfect cookies pictured on the package. Now, as I make my own slice-and-bake cookies, I’ve learned a thing or two to help get that perfect round shape without fuss.
While we’re fully in the swing of the holiday season, it’s still pretty likely that you have a full calendar of holiday commitments in the next week or so — office holiday potlucks, cookie swaps, family get-togethers, and the like.
Measuring cups and measuring spoons can be tricky to store because even though they sort of nest, they’re always flopping around and getting lost in the nether-regions of your drawer. If you keep your measuring tools connected, they all get dirty when you need just one. If you take them apart, they get lost, one by one. But if you’re a baker or someone who really likes to follow a recipe, it’s very important to actually be able to find your measuring tools when you need them.
These clever organizing ideas will keep your measuring cups and spoons under control.
Peppermint is one of the many iconic flavors of the holiday season, and we start to crave it the minute there’s a wintery chill in the air. Its cool, crisp flavor mimics the weather perfectly, and it is a nice change from the warm, spicy flavors so often found in sweet treats this time of year (hello, gingerbread!).
While we could simply buy a bunch of candy canes to get our fix, these five sweet treats are even more fun. If you have a peppermint-obsessed friend, family member, or coworker, make their holiday even sweeter with one of these recipes. Just follow the red-and-white swirl for minty desserts you can make at home.