Six Simple Kitchen Rules From My Mother to Make Life Easier

If you listen to my mother, your life in the kitchen (and in your home) will be easier. Here are a few simple rules I’ve picked up from her over the years.

1) Don’t Use a Regular Spoon to Scoop Out Ice Cream

She can tell if you do this. A regular spoon will bend if you attempt to use it when scooping ice cream.

Always use an ice cream scoop instead. As its name implies, it was designed to scoop ice cream.

2) Add a Little Water Before Microwaving Food or Using the Toaster Oven…

Add a little water if you’re warming something in the microwave. This keeps your food from drying out.

But also, add a few drops of water if you’re warming something up in the Breville convection oven.

As Mum says, “Just a few drops. Don’t drown it.”

3) Don’t Leave Utensils in the Sink If the Drain Is Open

Our family has destroyed several utensils because we weren’t careful. This is also why we now have a sink strainer in the kitchen sink drain.

Technically, we have a tea strainer in the kitchen sink drain. My cousin was visiting last year, and when she couldn’t find the strainer, she borrowed a tea strainer to get the job done. But it works better than any kitchen sink strainer I’ve ever used!

4) Run Hot Water Through the Faucet Before Starting the Dishwasher

This is in the instructions for our dishwasher. But who reads those? Luckily, Mum reads the instructions, and she will remind us to run the hot water before starting the dishwasher.

She reminded Middle Brother about it while he was visiting. He didn’t believe it was necessary. He doesn’t realize that most tips state that you should run hot water through the faucet before starting the dishwasher.

Don’t listen to Middle Brother. Believe in Mum — and the many tips you’ll find.

5) Label Your Leftovers With the Date

This is so obvious. Yet it’s also too easy to forget.

We keep a couple of Sharpies on the kitchen counter. Plus some ballpoint pens. Plus some sticky notes. And a pad of brightly colored notepaper. But still, if you’re in a rush, it’s all too easy to forget to keep things organized.

We’ve all been there before. You find a promising Pyrex container with leftovers in it. But when did you put it away? Uh-oh.

Leftovers are packed away with the hopes that we will one day eat those lovely items again. But then, they get … pushed into the back pushed into the back pushed into the back… When you find them, it’s easy to be suspicious of those leftovers because you can’t remember if that’s the chicken you packed a couple of days ago … or the leftover chicken from last week.

6) Put Everything Back in Its Place

This is the most important one of all. If you put that can opener back in the correct place, you’ll be able to find it next time you need it. If you set it aside because you’re too busy right now, you’ll lose it somewhere on the kitchen counter.

Mum is very good about putting everything back in its place — from utensils to warranties and receipts.

That’s something I still have to master. Especially the part about warranties and receipts.

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