Out & About May 2017

Kitchen clearout Old ingredients, spills, sticky stains – we’ve all been guilty of letting our cupboards get into a state. HILARY SCOTT shows you how to give your cupboards some love – and what basic ingredients you should put back in. TOP TIP

Can’t get the lid off your jar? Pop on a pair of rubber gloves. They will give you the extra grip you need to get it off

CUPBOARD LOVE When the sun starts to shine, we really don’t want it to shine on our food cupboards. WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD CUPBOARDS Nasty surprises can lurk at the back of our kitchen cupboards if we’re not careful. Mould, flour weevils and rice weevils can all invade our ingredients. But if you clean and organise your cupboards regularly, you can avoid any horrors. First, take everything out and check sell-by dates. Bin what’s past its best – yes even herbs and spices. They may not go off, but they do lose their strength the older they get. Whole spices last longer than ground. Flour can go rancid (you will smell it) and can be invaded by weevils which turn into moths so be particularly careful. Sugar keeps for a long time but after two years it is probably best to bin it. It will often turn hard the older it gets and solidify into a lump so to soften it, put the sugar in a glass or ceramic bowl with a moist paper towel and cover it with a lid or plate. Microwave for 20 seconds or until soft again. Dried pasta will usually have a two-year expiry date, but you don’t risk much by adding a few months on to that date. Dried beans and pulses have been known to last decades – in fact researchers at Brigham Young University found that only after 30 years did the overall quality of pinto beans decrease. Cans, too, can last for years – the only things to watch out for is eating anything out of a rusted, bulging, leaking or badly dented can. Honey lasts for a very long time, but it may go thick and caramel-coloured – to make it clear and runny again put into microwave and give it little blasts until it is restored. Jams and jellies will last too, if the knife or spoon you use to dish them up is clean and free from bacteria. Always use an implement for pickles and things like sun-dried tomatoes – dip your bacteria-laden finger in and that’s how mould will start.

CLEAN-UP TIME So, once everything is out, clean your cupboards with a lemon you’ve saved from cooking – just remove any spills then rub the

cut side of a lemon all over. Get rid of stubborn stains or

sticky residue with a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda topped with some hot water – leave until the stain has softened and wipes away. You can also use bicarb with a sprinkling of vinegar for persistent stains. Leave for a while after it has stopped fizzing. If you have just moved into a new home and the cupboards smell musty, fill a shallow bowl with white or cider vinegar and leave overnight. The smell should have gone by morning. Finally, empty and wash any storage jars and leave to air-dry before refilling. Now you should have an idea of what foods you use most often and those you don’t. You can rearrange your cupboards so the most- used ingredients go at the front. As for your kitchen equipment cupboard, again take everything out. Be ruthless – if you never use that breadmaker put it on ebay or give it to a charity shop that takes electricals. If anything is broken and you’ve shoved it in the cupboard thinking you will get it fixed one day, well today’s the day to put that in motion – or put it in the bin. Many people may own a larder or pantry – these have had a resurgence recently. Larders should keep things cool and produce like tomatoes, eggs, soft herbs, butter, onions, potatoes, olive oil, honey, cheese, bananas, courgettes, peppers, mushrooms and root veg

USEFUL ORGANISERS Keeping cupboards organised can be easy with specially designed equipment. Lakeland, Dunelm and IKEA are good places to buy.

Roto caddies are clever stackable turntables that let you ‘rotate’ jars and cans making it easy to store, review and access, starts from £15.99. LAKELAND

Variera plate holder, £6. IKEA

Korken storage jar, £1.75. IKEA

all benefit from being kept in a cool, rather than cold, place, ie the fridge.

Expandable shelf organiser helps you see at a glance what’s in the cupboard, £15.99. LAKELAND

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