Kitchen essentials that you might need to replace or spend a little time getting back n shape

 I was reading an article the other day. It was entitled " 10 Everyday Kitchen Tools It’s Probably Time to Replace ”.  I thought it was interesting but some of the items didn't need replacing in my opinion they just needed some TLC. So, I thought this topic might make a good blog. So lets get started.

The first thing that caught my attention and I was horrified about was they said replace your knives because they were dull. Really? Replace them? Have you ever heard of sharpening them? One of my pet peeves are dull knives. There is nothing worse than dull knives but I'm not replacing them because they are dull. First off don't let them get dull. Every time I use my knives I run them through a sharpener or a steel to keep a decent edge on them (maintenance) , When they truly need sharpening I break out the Tormak or Wetstones  to restore them back to factory new. Click Here for Various Sharpening Devices.

They further go on to say Peelers & Grates and I do agree with them on this point. Peelers and graters do dull out and there is little you can do to re-sharpen them so replacing them is the best option. If you are looking to making some custom kitchen tools Click Here.

The next thing was your cutting board. Their reasoning was if it gets dry or has too many cut marks in it. Again have you never heard of keeping your Cutting Board maintained? Click here for an Article on Cleaning and Maintaining Your Cutting Board.  As far as the cutting marks they can be easily sanded out of a wooden cutting board. If you do not have a drum sander any woodworking store like ours can sand and make both faces flat and new again for a minimal fee. So please do not throw away a good wooden cutting board.

There was some other great advice in the article including replacing peeling non-stick pans. The health hazards are horrible if they are peeling. I have gone to all Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Carbon Steel or enameled Cast Iron Pots, pans and Dutch Ovens. I suggest to prevent things like this from happening is to use wood utensils in your pots or pans. I do use a plastic ladle in my Enamel Dutch Oven when cooking soup. 

They go on to include warped baking sheets and pans, mismatched or worn out re-usable food containers, stinky and past prime (over 2 weeks old) sponges. I totally agree with all of these. I think we could easily add old spices. I for one am terrible about keeping spices way past their prime and I'm sure I don't change the baking soda box in the frig often enough.

Ok I hope this was helpful. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Have a great day and enjoy your time in the shop and in the kitchen.

Craig