How to Take Care of Your Kitchen Equipment so It Lasts You a Long Time
Just like anything else, your kitchen equipment needs taken care of properly to last you a long time. If you purchase proper kitchen equipment that costs a lot, you want your utensils and cooking equipment to last a lifetime.
A little effort can go a long way in keeping your equipment clean and as good as new for years to come. Here’s how to get started.
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Cutting Boards
Cutting boards are often overlooked when caring for kitchen equipment, but we use them pretty much all of the time. Obviously, cleaning and disinfecting these can prevent food poisoning and you should always have a separate chopping board for raw meats. Dilute hydrogen peroxide or bleach with water to clean away any bacteria.
Clean afterward with soap and water and then dry thoroughly. Keeping a wooden cutting board in good condition requires a little more work. You should oil your wooden cutting boards to maintain the wood, coconut oil is the preferred choice for many.
Cast Iron Pots
Cast iron pots such as skillets are a great way to cook many of your favorite dishes. Failing to look after these can cause food to stick and burn to the surface. If this happens you must make sure you don’t scrub this in the sink, or you will remove the top layer on the surface of the pan.
When your dish is finished, pour some oil in the pan, add salt and rub this around with paper towels or an old dishcloth. The salt will get rid of the dirt and clean the pan. If you aren’t going to be using your pan for a while use coffee filters to line the pan - this prevents rusting.
Wooden Utensils
No matter what wooden utensil you have you should oil them a couple of times a year. Whether this is a bowl, wooden spoon or spatula, oiling these a couple of times a year will keep them in peak condition. Any oil that you would use to cook your foods will work well. Here is a guide to oiling your wooden utensils if you don’t know how to.
Knives
Any good chef should have at least three knives in their kitchen, and they should be honed before each use. Getting a standard whetstone for your kitchen should be enough to keep your knives sharp and working well.
If you’re unsure of how sharp your knife is supposed to be then test it on paper. A good, sharp knife should slice through a piece of paper with ease. Many people test this with a magazine or newspaper.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is one of the most popular materials in the kitchen along with food boxes Ireland and so knowing how to care for it properly is essential to maintaining and caring for your kitchen equipment. If you burn food on the bottom of a stainless steel pan, you should soak it in soapy water. If the food is being stubborn, use soapy water again and boil it on the stove.
This should be enough to get rid of food without scratching your pan. You can also shine your stainless still with a cleanser and polish. Sometimes white spots can appear on cookware and these can be removed with a soft cloth and warm water. These spots are known as pits and are made up of small calcium deposits from the surface of the steel.
Conclusion
Knowing how to care for your kitchen equipment will make it stand the test of time. This will save you time and money and prevents waste of perfectly good equipment that would have lasted much longer with good care.
