A cutting board is essential — even if you only ever cut drink garnishes, slicing limes on a dormroom desk is pretty gross. You Will Need * A wooden cutting board * Hot water * Dishwashing liquid * Sponge * Coarse salt * A lemon cut in half * A clean, dry towel * A drying ra ...more
A good cutting board is almost as important as the utensils you use on it. The wrong type can cause your blades to dull faster, and certain materials hold onto juices (and therefore bacteria) from food. You can wash a plastic board with just about anything, but what about wood ...more
Between sharp knives and slippery produce, basic meal prep can be an absolute massacre. Even the most professional knife-wielders don't stand a chance if they're working on unstable surfaces. Don't Miss: 10 Paper Towel Hacks for Your Kitchen & Beyond This tip is the very firs ...more
After cutting fruits, veggies, and especially meats, it's good idea to regularly disinfect and deodorize your cutting board thoroughly. From using kitchen chemicals, to all-natural ingredients you probably have around, there are several ways to do it. For an all-natural quick ...more
If you have a cutting board that you made or purchased from the store, excessive exposure to water can be bad. Water can be sucked into the wood and damage the wood board, eventually leading to a crack. Instead of throwing it out, you may want to let it sit for a couple of wee ...more
A great tip to keep your kitchen cutting board from slipping on a smooth surface. Take a piece of paper towel and make it a little damp. Place it under the cutting board and guess what, no more slipping so chopping with those sharp knives won't be as dangerous. Keep a cutting ...more
Make your own butcher block end-grain cutting board with this two part video series. Enjoy the "back to basics" simplicity of this useful project. A custom cutting board makes a great gift and many woodworkers make them in batches every holiday season. And if you are relativel ...more
Slippery surface plus knife equals danger. No lost digits: It’s one of the cardinal rules of kitchen safety. So keep your cutting board stable. Stabilize a slippery cutting board. Click through to watch this video on chow.com
Do you need to cut a banana but you do not want to dirty your cutting board? Watch this video tutorial by Cook the Geek to learn how to safely cut a banana without a cutting board.
If you are just starting out in woodworking, there are many basic projects that you can tackle. The birdhouse, storage shelf, and the cutting board. Making a cutting board isn't too difficult and once finished, can be used to give you a space that you can chop fruits, veggies, ...more
In this video you will learn a very easy way to make a compass with just a magnet and a cutting board.
Some nights, I'm a lazy cook and only want to chop one clove of garlic for my immediate needs instead of prepping a giant batch and freezing it the way I normally do. The only problem is if I'm already feeling that lazy, I really don't feel like dirtying a whole cutting board. ...more
Looking to give your kitchen a good cleaning this spring? Don't go out and spend a ton of money on sanitizing sprays and cleaning equipment. Cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen is easy, effective, and inexpensive, because everything you need is likely in your kitchen! You Wi ...more
I assume at this point you have already completed your control panel using Part 1 of this How To guide. Now, if you are anything like me, you couldn't fight the urge to play, and you have your panel sitting on saw horses in the living room. Depending on your situation, your s ...more
Vacuum the floor and make sure that the surface is clean and free from anything sticking up out of the floor. This is important so that there are no uneven areas when you start laying the laminate flooring. Roll out the under lament on the clean floor. Smooth it out so there ...more
If you've never heard of or eaten temari sushi, then you're in for a treat. These pretty sushi balls are good for parties and festive gatherings, and even though they are so colorful and striking, they are not hard to make. Just like every other type of sushi, they are customi ...more
Learn to make a model ship to put in a bottle with this video guide. 1. Take clean plastic bottle with mouth about 5 inches to fit the ship 2. Pierce a hole on the top of the bottle using compass. 3. Insert a pair of scissors through pierced hole and cut it into a rectangle d ...more
Did you know that one of the most germ-infested items in your home is probably your kitchen sponge? It is full of bacteria and germs that thrive in dark, moist places. To ensure that your sponge is at its maximum cleaning potential, not simply a breeding ground for more germs, ...more
Learn how to make your own homemade cleaning wipes and save money with this video tutorial. You will need a roll of paper, 2-3 cups of you favorite cleaner, and a storage container with a lid, a cutting board, and a knife. Cut the paper towel role in half using only one half n ...more
In this video, we learn how to clean a microwave using water and citrus. You will need 1 lemon, 4 cups of water and microwave safe bowl. On a cutting board, slice the lemon in half. Next, place the lemon halves in the microwave safe bowl and fill it with water. When you are do ...more
Commonly associated with cleaning and disinfecting items around the home, bleach can also be used as a water sterilization method in an emergency situation when you do not have access to clean, running water. Simply add 6 drops of bleach to a gallon of water and wait for 30 mi ...more
I have a lot of favorite kitchen tools. My seven-inch Global chef's knife is my baby. My pasta maker is my dance partner on any given Friday night. My girlfriend's stand mixer is my favorite toy in the apartment. But one of my favorite kitchen tools isn't so glamorous; it cos ...more
You will to learn set up and calibrate your jointer for optimal woodworking and creating a clean and straight edge on a rough board to later use as a reference. You will also learn a system on how to set up your knives to achieve the perfect cut using a jig and how to select t ...more
In order to cut into a fresh pineapple, you will need a sharp knife and a cutting board. Clean the pineapple first. Rinse it really well under running water. You will need to remove the top and bottom. Turn it on its side. Cut the top off. Then, cut the bottom off. Now, stand ...more
Without a doubt, sushi is one of my favorite foods—dainty and delectable, while also fun to make. So let's get started with maki rolls, aka makizushi, probably the most iconic form of sushi. You know, the one filled with rice and your standard sushi ingredients, rolled up in a ...more
If you've ever eaten a thinly sliced vegatable, there's a good chance that it was cut using a mandoline slicer! Learn how to use this utility effectively. Mandoline slicers are great tools for making evenly thin slices of fruits and vegetables. Step 1: Place the slicer perpe ...more
Even the most seasoned cook is always looking for ways to make cooking easier and cleaning up after meal prep a breeze. There are a million and one tricks and tips out there to simplify your kitchen routines, but some of them are more valuable than others. Don't Miss: 5 Commo ...more
Cleanliness is next to godliness. My interpretation of that age-old adage means that keeping your house clean is just as un-fun and boring as being a goody two shoes. That's why they call things like laundry and doing dishes "chores," I assume. Yuck. Lucky for you, though, we ...more
Homemade circuits are amazing. You can build any kind of circuit on a simple perfboard, as we have seen in previous projects. However, some projects require very tiny circuit boards. We could special order some boards from a printed circuit board (PCB) factory, but that will m ...more
In this Food video tutorial you will learn how to make an electric guitar shaped birthday cake. Take a 13 x 9” cake. Trim off the top to make it level. Flip it over, place the template of the guitar on it. The template is in two parts. Then cut out the cake. Now lay it out o ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to put a deck over a concrete step. Steps: 1. Cut PVC trim boards to wrap around stoop using circular saw. 2. Counterbore holes in PVC trim with ½-inch-diameter spade bit. 3. Apply foam adhesive to back of trim. 4. Run bead of ...more
The website carbonmods.com shows up how to make mold for carbon fiber parts. Find a place you would want to put the boards to proceed with the action. Then take the shaping clay and put all around the edges. Cut off all the excess clay to become smooth and lay it out. The next ...more
Make deviled chicken with vegetables. Cooking Instructions 1. Start by cutting up a whole chicken. Cut the breast pieces in half with a heavy, sharp knife. Wash your hands and board with hot water and soap after handling the raw poultry. 2. Brush mustard on the skin side of ...more
Peeling garlic is one kitchen task that every cook, from the newbie to the experienced, is always trying to make easier. Methods vary, from shaking heads of garlic inside a container to using the microwave to help peels slide right off. I love all these techniques, which work ...more
Do you ever walk into a nice boutique, a friend's house, or a fancy restaurant, and think, “I wish my house smelled like this”? Because I sure do. The problem is that most people rely on candles to scent their homes and rooms. Don't get me wrong, I love candles, but they have ...more
As you get barbecuing this summer, you're likely to encounter a few grills that aren't exactly the cleanest. At parks or campgrounds and even on your friends' grills (or, um, your own), no one wants to place food on gunked-up grill grates. The leftover mess from previous barb ...more
If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher, you probably use that sucker to clean everything (minus your good cooking knives), and maybe even to cook your food, too. However, dishwashers are not without their faults. Dishes can still come out spotty and even with chunks of fo ...more
Alice Waters and The Green Kitchen So what, yes I admit it I am drawn to all things Alice Waters. So sautee me. A new discovery was made today while walking through my local bookstore. I found a sweet looking cookbook with Alice on the cover. Naturally I stopped. The item of ...more
To make the Crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough. ...more
In this lesson he shows the way to restring a Floyd Rose tremolo style system. You will need some Allen wrenches. Use an Allen wrench to take off the bolts at the nut area of the guitar which is located at the top. Next, loosen all the strings. You can simply cut the strings w ...more
A CNC router machine is probably the most useful tool a hobbyist can own, but the price for a CNC machine on the market is way more than the average hobbyist is willing to spend. You can build your own CNC with very basic tools, little knowledge of machinery, mechanics, or ele ...more
Vegetables are perhaps the most important part of our diets, but often times they're an absolute pain to prepare. Cleaning every fleck of dirt off of dozens of leafy greens takes ages, and eliminating the more fibrous parts of certain veggies can be extremely tedious. But whe ...more
Normally, office supplies and food don't mix, but you can use a paper shredder to make fresh pasta in your very own home (...or office). In other words, you don't have to buy a bulky and expensive piece of equipment to make fresh pasta. If you already have a paper shredder, yo ...more
Salt is one of my favorite ingredients, by far, and also one of the most overlooked foods in the kitchen. This is probably due to the fact that it's an essential component of almost any recipe; because salt is a necessity, it's easy to forget how dynamic and versatile it can b ...more
You're in the middle of cooking and a car alarm, cute kitten, or neighborhood brawl made you step away from the stove for a few minutes longer that you should have. It happens to almost every home cook. Most of the time, nothing dramatic happens, but every now and then, you en ...more
No matter what the clean freaks out there try to tell me, I still drink my Los Angeles tap water without a care in the world. I figure that I've already consumed much more heinous things in my lifetime. Street vendor "steak" burritos comes to mind. However, if there's easy ac ...more
We're all familiar with the sinking feeling that happens when you cruise through a recipe, only to arrive at an instruction that calls for a tool you don't have. Some of the best food hacks (and my personal favorites) exist to combat that problem. Why spend money on a kitchen ...more
How to Build a Basic BirdhouseMaybe you were outside in your back yard and you noticed that it seemed a little lonely and empty. Our maybe you have young kids that love to experience wild life in their own back yard. Whatever reason you have for searching out this article, you ...more
This is a refreshing spring update on your classic hamburger slider. Instead of using a ground beef patty, I am using shrimp tempura. This recipe calls for fresh truffles, but fresh truffles are hard to come by so feel free to use truffle oil (it is much more affordable and wh ...more
Listen, I'm not disparaging using really good knives—they can literally change your life, or at the very least, the way you work in the kitchen. However, there are many cutting and slicing tasks where you're better off using a sturdy pair of kitchen shears rather than a chef's ...more
After years of making do with a cheap knife, I finally bought a really good 8" chef's knife—a Henckels, although I was also eyeing a Global santoku. It quietly but literally changed my life. I don't have amazing knife skills, but having a great piece of equipment in my hands ...more
Herbs, both fresh and dried, can be intimidating and mysterious to cooks. Just how much is too much? How do you prepare them? Food writer Mark Bittman says you should think of herbs as "teeny vegetables." To me, that means we should be using more herbs in our food, especially ...more
Garlic is a key ingredient in many delicious meals, and if you've been a fan of our site for even a short while, it's no secret that we love to share tricks and tips to make cooking with garlic even easier than you first assumed. Here are just 10 of the many ways to both prep ...more
There was once a time when everyone scoffed at the turmeric tonic tea sold at the coffee shop I work at. Funny, because as of recently, we seem to be selling out. How can this be explained? Beyoncé must have been spotted buying turmeric beverages on the cover of some celebrity ...more
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis resides in the shadow of an Ego who considers himself the actual heart of the universe. But when it comes Halloween costumes? Mantis will be the center of attention every time. The internet sure has noticed Mantis, and it's abuzz with ...more
Lemons and limes might be among the most useful fruits in the kitchen and even beyond. Their bright, tart flavor livens up just about any dish, while their mildly acidic nature makes them incredibly useful when you want to clean your house safely. We already knew lemons were g ...more
The food TV chefs prepare make our mouths water. From one scrumptious creation to another, they fly through preparation without frustration or error. They make us think we can do the same with similar ease and delectable, picture-perfect results. Some of us have noticed, thoug ...more
Look no further than Flint, Michigan, to discover the serious consequences of contaminated drinking water. Around the world, water polluted by pathogens and toxins sickens people or cuts them off from safe drinking water. Looking for a solution, researchers created tiny, swimm ...more
The culprit probably wasn't what doctors were expecting when a 57-year-old man in Hong Kong came to the hospital. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition. A clue to the cause of the infection would lie in the man's profession—he was a butcher. ...more
The beauty of a grilled cheese sandwich is that even a mediocre one still tastes pretty good (I find the same is true with pizza). However, chefs and cooking pros have come up with some great tricks that will turn a regular grilled cheese sandwich into something sublime. Once ...more