CasaSugar

How to Clean Leeks

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:45 -0700

With their mild onion flavor and thick white stalk, leeks are one of my favorite vegetables. They're excellent in cold weather preparations like soups, stews, and braises. When cooking with leeks, it's important to take the time to properly clean them. Because of the way they grow, leeks are one the dirtiest of vegetables, with mud and dirt getting trapped between the layers. Here's how I like to clean mine:

Most recipes call for the white and light green parts only. Start by slicing the dark green part off. Slice off the bottom end.
Cut the leek in half lengthwise and dice according to the specifications in your recipe.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Toss the chopped leeks in the water and swirl with your hands.
Let stand in the water for several minutes. Swirl with your hands again to ensure all the dirt is removed.
Drain in a colander and dry with a paper towel.

Do you cook with leeks? How do you prepare them?

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How Often Do You Change Your Dish Sponge?

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:05 -0700

Although doing dishes isn't one of my top kitchen pet peeves, hand-washing dishes with an old sponge is. The thought of spreading bacteria and grime, rather than actually cleaning an utensil or plate, makes my skin crawl more than a full moon on Halloween. Although most people simply replace their dish sponge when it starts smelling, I swap mine out much more frequently than that - probably every two to three weeks. I know it's not the greenest move in the world, but I can't help it! How often do you swap out dish sponges?

How to Quickly Clean a Whisk

partysugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:50:56 -0700

For years I hated when a recipe required whisking. Not because it hurt my wrist, but because cleaning the whisk was such a pain. Until one day, while doing the dishes, I had a light bulb moment. The dirty whisk was sitting in a small bowl filled with soapy hot water. Without thinking I quickly swirled the whisk, whisking the soapy water. In seconds, I realized the whisking had whisked all the sauce off, and voila! The whisk was so clean I could make another custard or béchamel sauce. Now I always whisk my whisk until it's clean.

Do you have any secret no-brainer tips for cleaning everyday kitchen tools? Share with us below!

Irrational Chores: Cleaning Before the Housekeepers

babysugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:30:06 -0700

I never understood why my mother made us tidy up before the housekeeper came to clean the house. Now that I'm standing in her shoes, I get it. Working with two small kids probably gives me an excuse for keeping a less than perfect house but it's still embarrassing for two hardworking women to come in my home to see a situation that might make Pig Pen blush. I rush around the house tossing toys in bins, pulling the sheets off the bed and cleaning out the refrigerator so that the ladies have more time to focus on the big stuff - vacuuming, polishing and scouring the tubs.

Please tell me I'm not alone in my messy madness! Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar community and tell us about the chores that make you crazy.

How-To: Rid Your Candle Holders of Wax

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

I recently hosted a dinner party lit by dozens of candles, from votive holders on the coffee table to candlesticks in the dining room. Part of cleaning up after a candlelit soiree involves getting rid of all that wax. Thankfully I've learned a few tricks and tips over the years to make it easier. Here are a few of my favorite wax-removing solutions.

Before placing a candle in a votive holder, fill it with 1/4 inch of water. This way the wax won't stick to the glass and will be easier to remove.
If you skip the water step, after the party, put your wax-coated candle holders in the freezer for a few hours. This will allow the wax to shrink so you can easily pop it out with a screwdriver or other tool.
If the frozen wax doesn't pop out right away, try placing the candle holder upside down while it returns to room temperature, then try again.

Get three more tips.

Open House: How Do You Pass the Time While Cleaning?

CasaSugar — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Unless I'm in the mood to clean - hey, it happens sometimes! - I have to keep myself entertained while scrubbing the tub or sweeping the floor, lest I get bored and move on to something else. Sometimes I'll turn on some trashy TV, but I can't really do that when I'm cleaning the bathroom. So tell me: how do you pass the time when you're doing your household chores?

Website of the Day: Get Rid of Things

GeekSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:24:39 -0700

I was sitting on my couch the other day and found myself staring at my bookshelf. Although some of you may think you can never have enough books, the truth is, I have more than enough books. In fact, I started cleaning out said bookshelf and have now narrowed down my library to just about half the amount of novels, instruction manuals, and reference titles than when I started. But the only problem? What the heck do I do with all these books that are now living in a box in the middle of my apartment?

According to Get Rid of Things I could use the paper for scrapbooking, paper maché, or I could even dye my own paper for crafts if I wanted to. Sure, I could sell the books online (if I had the time), but this sounds way more fun. And that's the cool thing about Get Rid of Things - it doesn't just state the obvious ways you can get rid of unwanted books, but you'll find useful tidbits on how to get rid of cellulite, weird smells, and your husband. Just please read that last one with caution.

Casa Shops: Alice Supply Co.

CasaSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:00:39 -0700

There are two things I know to be true: I'm a sucker for good packaging (and color), and my cleaning supplies rarely see the light of day. The answer to and beguiling lovechild of these truths: Alice Supply Co. In hopes of giving mundane household items a little personality, making chores a little less laborious, and ending "the humble dustpan's days of being shoved away in a closet," former surfwear industry execs Maria Barnes and Raili Clasen founded Alice, aptly named after The Brady Bunch's witty housekeeper.

Not only have they infused sunny, citrus colors like clementine and lime into their essential household tools, as well as summery stripes, cordial camo, and fresh faux bois, but they've also used classic shapes and quality, durable materials like metal and wood. While you'll find plenty of lucky retailers peddling Alice products around the country, you can also order a sponge set, dust pan and brush, plunger, toolbox, garden hose, and bucket online - and at friendly prices. I'm convinced, and if housekeeping is anything like their hip lifestyle photos suggest, you can call me Alice.

Which Housekeeping Task Could You Do Without?

babysugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

In a dreamworld, most moms would swear off laundry, doing dishes, taking out trash, cleaning toilets and making beds. Aside from the laundry, all the rest of those duties are what makes vacation sound so appealing. Room service can be left in the hallway, toilets are always sparkling and the sheets are fresh and tidy when the family returns from their dip in the atrium pool. But then reality rears its ugly head and those pesky chores must be tended to. If you had a magic wand and could make one of your housekeeping tasks disappear, which one would it be? Source

Geek Tip: Empty Your Trash For Good

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:14 -0700

Spring cleaning your gadgets isn't confined to just their surfaces - your desktop and hard drive need to be spruced up as well (the better to keep you running, my dear).

And what does everyone do? We throw files into the trash, and then conscientiously empty the trash.

Even after you've emptied the virtual can, though, your deleted files still exist.

Want to get rid of them for good? Then use this feature (for Mac OS X Leopard only): Secure Empty Trash.

Just select Secure Empty Trash from the Finder menu, and when the pop-up asks you to confirm that you want the items in the trash permanently erased, click OK. Poof, they're gone.

Source