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My Spice Files - C. Rule

How To Make An Easy Herb & Spice File

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How to devise a storage system for herbs and spices and forever do away with novelty spice racks and their special containers—or purchasing extra spice packets you don’t really need.

My Spice Files - C. Rule

 

PROBLEM SOLVED | Has this ever happened to you? You’re ready to whip up a dish from scratch when you realize your recipe calls for a dried herb that, after rummaging among your cache of spice bottles and bags, you appear to be out of.  So you rush out and pick some up only to discover later that you already had a bottle on hand—three, actually, stashed away in the dark recesses of the various places you store this stuff. Read more

Thermador Dishwasher Interior

When Dishwasher Soap Packets Are Overkill

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Premeasured dishwasher soaps are convenient but overkill almost everywhere—and particularly unnecessary in places where the water is soft.

Thermador Dishwasher Interior

 

WASTE NOT | When my four-year-old European dishwasher crashed a while back, I called in a repairman who made an eye-opening comment about my dishwashing detergent. “You use that stuff?” he asked, pointing at the Electrasol Dishwasher Detergent with Powerball Tabs I’d bought in a convenient 100-tab tub at Costco.

“Yes, and I love it. It’s so easy,” I chirped, citing a no-mess no-fuss defense and explaining how my dishes looked at least as sparkly clean as they had with other detergents I’d employed. Read more

Williams-Sonoma Citrus Reamer

2 Gizmos Good Cooks Could Use Right Now

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The right tools make kitchen tasks easier. Here are two must-have gizmos that infinitely out perform their insignificant price.

Williams-Sonoma Citrus ReamerPoke, Squeeze, Twist—You can juice a fruit by hand—or by mouth as Oprah did on her now famous televised camping trip with Gayle last October (WATCH HERE)—but a tool devised for this task will extract juice more efficiently.

Stylish low-tech juicers abound, including Philippe Starck’s iconic Juicy Salif, but unless you’re looking for countertop décor, why would you pay a hefty $100 for a Salif, a product that serves but one purpose, when an inexpensive citrus reamer will do the trick and tuck away nicely in a drawer. Read more

Distilled White Vinegar - C. Phaisalakani

Ordinary & Amazing: Vinegar Cleans Up Good

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When it comes to certain kinds of cleaning jobs, distilled white vinegar really is the liquid miracle it’s touted to be.

Distilled White Vinegar - C. Phaisalakani

 

THIS STUFF WORKS | What is it about ordinary distilled white vinegar that encourages list making? Google “vinegar” and you’ll see what I mean. Here are a few of the crazy numbers vinegar lovers throw around in their effort to woo you to their website:  “74 Little Known Uses For Vinegar,” “1001 Things To Do With Vinegar” and, I kid you not, “A Billion Bitchen Things To Do With Vinegar.” Read more

Flour Sack Towel on Amazon.com

Serious Cooks Prefer Flour Sack Towels

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Serious cooks say there is no better vehicle for hand drying dishes or mopping up spills than the humble flour sack towel.

Flour Sack Towel on Amazon.comCULT PRODUCT ALERT | Don’t you just love it when you discover a product that is beautiful, useful—and inexpensive? If you haven’t already replaced the fancy cotton or terrycloth tea towels in your kitchen with ones made of flour sack material, here a few good reasons to make the switch. Read more

Ikea Nutid Counter-Depth Refrigerator

IKEA’s Nutid Fridge Wins The Cold War

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Two stylish counter-depth refrigerators are practically identical, but one {IKEA’s Nutid S23} is $1,000 cheaper.

Ikea Nutid Counter-Depth RefrigeratorSPEND SMART | Whenever you see a drop dead gorgeous kitchen in a decorating magazine, there is a 99.9 percent chance it will feature a counter-depth refrigerator. “CD” fridges, as they are referred to, are the coveted look, even if they don’t always pack the cubic capacity punch of traditional freestanding models, which can extend eight inches beyond the depth of standard kitchen cabinets. Read more