Now Is the Time: 19 Tips for Cleaning & Organizing Your Kitchen — The Kitchn’s Best of 2012

2012_12_31-CleaningTips.jpgThe end of December is the perfect time to take a long look around your kitchen and decide how you can make it a cleaner, better-organized, happier place to cook in the year ahead. To give you a little help, here are the best cleaning and kitchen organization tips we shared in 2012, including the proper way to use your refrigerator’s humidity drawers, a smart way to store olive oil, a surprising use for address books, and the “one soapy sponge” trick to motivate even those who hate washing dishes to tackle the dreaded task. More

Salmon Mousse

From the recipe archive. First posted in 2003.

Remember those retro fish molds? I have two of them, both of which I have used to make this salmon mousse over the years. But try as I may, it’s almost impossible to make salmon mousse in a fish mold look good. These days I take the easy way and just pour the mousse mixture into serving bowls, chill until set, and serve. This doesn’t mean the fish molds are retired, I just have to be up for a decorating challenge if I use them again. In any case, this is an easy-to-make, delicious salmon mousse, not too rich, and quite flavorful. The recipe comes from my friend Tina Seelig’s book The Epicurean Laboratory, now long out of print (but a great book if you can get a hold of a used copy.) This mousse was presented to a flock of teenagers who hungrily ate it up with loud exclamations of “This is GREAT!”

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Your Biggest & Littlest Kitchen Problems?? — 2013 Reader Forum

I’m doing a little project over the next few weeks: exploring the biggest problems (and solutions if you’ve got them) in the various rooms of our homes – starting with The Kitchen.

When it comes to all the things you do in using and keeping up your kitchen, what are the biggest problems that really bug you?? Yes, I’m talking about everything from cooking to storing things to washing and drying dishes…. you name it. I’m even interested in big LITTLE niggling problems as well as problems with your kitchen around healthy eating and mealtime issues. Here are some of the problems that irritate me: More

Smitten Kitchen Tour, Baked Salmon, & the Best Mashed Potatoes — The Kitchn’s Top Posts of November 2012

Our readers’ favorite posts in November included a detail cooking lesson making simply the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had, and a collection of essential Thanksgiving recipes. We toured Deb of Smitten Kitchen’s very own home kitchen (a little rental in NYC!). Read on to see more of our favorites from November 2012… More

Faucets, Sinks, and Range Hoods: 18 Quick Guides to Kitchen Fittings — The Kitchn’s Best of 2012

Shopping for kitchen fittings can be overwhelming. Do you want an undermount or a drop-in kitchen sink? Stainless steel or cast iron? Our guides to basic faucet, sink, and range hoods will give you a quick overview of the various styles and designs, so you’ll know what you want and what to look for when you start sourcing for your kitchen. More

15 Tips to Help You Host Great Parties — The Kitchn’s Best of 2012

If you’re looking for a little guidance or inspiration for your party planning, take a look at our 15 best entertaining and party tips from the past year. There are guides to throwing all types of parties — from a summer crêpe party to an awesome ice cream party — advice on managing your time on party day, and one essential tip for setting up a buffet. Read on and get ready to host your best gathering yet! More

Bake Better! 10 Baking Tips & Smart Ideas from November 2012 — The Kitchn’s Best of 2012

Got the baking bug? We spent a whole week talking about baking this past November, and here are some of our favorite posts from that week. We gave you some good tips on working with yeast, and the surprising secret to the best cinnamon rolls ever! There was a tutorial for making tarte Tatin, and some ideas for budget-friendly baking… More