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Best Methods To Clean Your Stainless Steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances have become a popular choice in most modern kitchens. Not only are they tough and rust resistant, but they also have a sleek and shiny look that blends in with every kitchen style. Whether you have just one or multiple shiny appliances, fingerprints and other stains are the price you have to pay for owning them. On one hand you want to keep them as shiny and as new looking as possible, and on the other hand you want to reduce the amount of effort you put into keeping them clean. The real question then becomes, what is the most effective way to clean them?

Stainless Steel Cleaners

There are a wide variety of cleaners available on the market today that you can purchase at your local Wal-Mart or grocery store that is meant for cleaning kitchen appliances. What most people don’t realize is that most of these cleaners contain chlorine which is a chemical element that can permanently damage stainless steel. This is why it is important to verify that the cleaner does not contain any chorine by checking its ingredients.

Once you have confirmed that your cleaner contains no chlorine, you can then apply the cleaner gently using a soft cloth or towel onto your appliance. Once you have removed all the grease and fingerprints, you can then use a microfiber meant for cleaning stainless steel appliances such as the Pro Chef Kitchen Tools Microfiber Cloth to wipe it down. The gentle cleaning action of this cloth will insure you to keep the steel as shiny as it was when it was new.

What most people do not realise is that using these sorts of harsh chemicals are not necessary as you do not need to take such drastic measures to keep your appliances clean. People have this notion that the more industrial grade cleaners we use, the cleaner our appliances will be. This is far from the truth as using these toxic cleaners have more disadvantages than it has advantages.

Water Or Vinegar

If you do not like spending money on unnecessary things, particularly on industrial cleaners that are detrimental to the environment, the next best alternative might then sound very obvious to you. You guessed it, using warm water and a dash of dish soap applied with a soft cloth onto the stainless steel surface is a matter of fact the best method to clean your appliances. You can also substitute the soap with vinegar as it works just as well.

Scrubbing with this cloth will remove all the unwanted dirt and grease from your appliances. Once the surface is clean, a microfiber cleaning cloth meant for cleaning stainless steel appliances such as the infamous Pro Chef Kitchel Tools Microfiber is all you need. You can then wipe down your appliance with this cloth in order to remove all the unwanted streaks and marks.

Unlike conventional microfiber cloths that are designed to have more absorbency, these cloths are constructed with a waffle-weave texture that is designed to absorb moisture more quickly resulting in a streak-free polished finish. Since overall absorbency is less important on solid materials like stainless steel and glass mirrors, the fibers are shorter and the ends are split in a different way to give a perfect smear free finish.

WD-40

Although using WD-40 sounds a little odd, according to Compact Appliances it works great in cleaning your appliances. If you have a bottle of WD-40 lying around in your garage, you can spray it onto your microfiber and then wipe away. Applying WD-40 directly will eliminate the additional steps of using soap and warm water and will give you an amazing shine. WD-40 also provides a layer of protection to help prevent fingerprints. This method has proven to be more useful for removing fingerprints rather than dried up grease or other things that require more heavy duty scrubbing. It is important to note that you should be careful as WD-40 is a toxic substance and should not be sprayed onto any surfaces that will be in direct contact with edibles.

Window Cleaner

Fingerprints are one of the most visually unappealing things to see on a nice and shiny kitchen. If you are worried about WD-40 being too toxic to be used in the kitchen, you can try using a window cleaner like Windex. Spray the cleaner on the microfiber cloth and apply evenly in a circular motion to remove the fingerprints. It’s not recommended that you spray directly to your appliance, as you may end up with more drip marks and splatter residue, leaving you with more work than you initially anticipated.

Removing Scratches

Since stainless steel is an alloy, it tends to scratch relatively easily as it is not hard like iron. Removing scratches from your appliances can be tricky task. For deep scratches, the best method is to use fine sand paper dipped in water and gently rub it in the direction of the grain. And yes, much like wood, stainless steel also has grain. Since one sheet of steel will have the same grain, it is important to go in the same direction of the grain while working on removing your scratches.

It is important to remember that sand paper has different grit values. You should never guess what grit to use on your appliances. You should always contact the manufacturer to ask what grit is best to use for the specific type of stainless steel that was used in building your appliance.

If the scratches on the fridge are not deep, there are various other methods that you can use to get rid of them. The most effective method is to apply whitening toothpaste over the scratches gently with your fingers tips and rub it in. Afterwards, you can take a wet towel and wipe it down. Since this process will leave streaks of water on the appliance, it is best to then use the microfiber cloth as mentioned above to remove any unwanted smearing.

Protecting The Finish

After you have cleaned your appliance and wiped it down with the cloth, you are now ready to apply a coat of oil to protect the finish. You need to apply the thinnest possible coat of oil in order to make sure it doesn’t look too oily. You can apply the oil by putting a dash of olive oil or baby oil on a soft piece of cloth and wipe in the same direction as the grain in long broad strokes.

Careful Cleaning

Whatever method you end up choosing to clean your appliances, it is important to keep in mind that the steel sheets that are used are usually quite thin and can get damaged easily. If taken care of, stainless steel can last a very long time. It is up to you to maintain the surface in order to maximise its life as much as possible. It is also important to only use cleaning materials and products specifically manufactured for cleaning stainless steel. 

Cleaning your stainless steel appliances at least twice a month will prevent lasting stains. By doing so, not only will you increase the longevity of your appliances, but you will also boost the aesthetics of your kitchen and home.

What is an Acai Bowl?

The acai berry has been heralded for an array of health benefits, but its strongest asset is definitely its taste. Acai is a delicious tropical fruit and when it comes served as a bowl it makes waking up a whole lot easier.

Acai bowls look like ice cream, almost taste like ice cream, and make you feel good about your breakfast choice. It's what breakfast dreams are made of. An acai bowl is basically a really thick smoothie that's been topped with oatmeal, fruit or peanut butter, and then you wolf it down with a spoon. For breakfast. After eating a bowl, you will not only feel happily full (for hours) and have satisfied a sweet craving , you'll have also done something that was good for you. Win win.

How to take care of your kitchen tools

1- Scrub Your Stainless Steel: You can't run a kitchen without a good stainless steel pots and pans, so it's important to properly clean them for the long run.

2- Sharpen your knives: You should have at least three decent knives in any kitchen , and you should hone them before every use.

3-Oil Up Wooden Utensils: No matter which wooden instrument you use—a cutting board, a wooden spoon, spatulas, bowls, or even things with wooden handles—you need to apply walnut oil to them a few times a year

4- Clean Cast Iron Without Losing Flavor: When you're finished cooking, pour a little oil into the pan (if there isn't any left from cooking), dump in a handful of kosher salt, and then just scrub the salt around the pan with an old rag or some wadded up paper towels.

Source:  http://lifehacker.com/how-to-care-for-your-favorite-kitchen-tools-1591157130

5 Ingredient breakfast pizza

Grilled Salmon with Avocado

One of the benefits of eating salmon is that has omega-3, which contributes to have a healthy brain and heart and the avocado is loaded with Heart-Healthy Monounsaturated Fatty Acids. So together make a super food for your body!

We found this recipe for you.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix
2. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the grill.
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. (I grilled for about 5 minutes)
6. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

SOURCE: http://www.thecookierookie.com/salmon-with-avocado/

How to make infused water:

Chia Seed Pudding

The chia seeds are loaded with antioxidants and massive amount of nutrients with just a few calories! So we thought you can include this food into your meals and what better way that with a puddin!

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHIA PUDDING:

• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, to taste

SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:

• Granola
• Fresh fruit
• Coconut flakes
• Pure maple syrup
• Cinnamon
• Nuts and seeds
• Banana Soft Serve

Directions:

1. Whisk the almond milk, chia seeds, and sweetener together in a large bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and then whisk again (this just helps prevent clumping).
2. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2.5-3 hours, or overnight. It helps to stir the mixture every so often during this time, but don't worry if you can't.
3. Stir well before serving. Portion into bowl(s) and add your desired toppings. Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Baked Kale

Kale is one of the most healthiest and nutritious plant foods in existence and is delicious!

Try these baked kale recipe!

Ingredients

2 lbs / 900 gr kale

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot flour (or regular white flour)

1 cup / 250 ml stock (I used beef stock)

¾ cup grated Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons gluten-free breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)

1 teaspoon fine grain salt

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

• Steam and wash the kale.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add kale, cover, and cook for 4 minutes, until tender.
• Transfer to a colander, immediately fill the pot with cold water, transfer the kale back to the pot of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.
• Squeeze a small amount of kale in your hands to extract as much water as possible. Transfer to a chopping board and roughly chop it.
• Wipeout the pot and melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
• Stir in chopped kale and cook for two minutes or until all of the moisture has boiled off and the kale starts to stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Lower the heat and sprinkle with flour. Stir for 2 minutes to cook the flour (the flour will stick to the pot, that’s okay!)
• Add the stock, ¼ cup at a time, stirring between each addition.
• Once all the liquid is added, simmer for 1 further minute. Finally stir in one tablespoons of butter.
• Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup of the cheese into the kale
• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and place a rack in the middle.
• Lightly grease a baking dish and pour the kale into it.
• In a small bowl mix remaining ¼ cup of cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on the kale.
• Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and pour it over the top.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden on top.
• Serve warm!

SOURCE: http://www.theironyou.com/2015/12/the-best-baked-kale.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theironyou%2FVraN+%28The+Iron+You%29

Organize your kitchen with this tips!

1. Empty cabinets: Pull everything out of each cabinet and toss away or donate anything you are not using.
2. Group like items: Pile together the things you think are better to store in the same place.
3. Organize the cabinets: Now that you have groups laid out on the floor, decide where each item should be stored.
4. Use clear containers to store items: Use containers or plastic bags  to streamline the inside of your cabinets
5. Clean out the refrigerator: See what food needs to be pitched and immediately throw it out, and take the trash out.

Vegan Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Being vegan doesn’t mean you can enjoy the Holidays eating cookies. We found this vegan peanut butter cookies that look delicious for dessert.

INGREDIENTS

For the chocolate kisses:
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

For the cookies:
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (for coating)

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (about two minutes); the chocolate should be smooth, but not runny. Spoon melted chocolate into a small ziplock freezer bag. Snip the corner to make a tiny opening (or use an icing tip, if you have one) and pipe out 18 chocolate kisses. Set aside on the counter or in the fridge to cool.
3. Heat the oven to 375°F.
4. Beat the peanut butter and margarine in a large bowl until well blended. Add the brown sugar and beat again. Add soy milk and vanilla and beat well.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat this into the peanut butter mixture.
6. Shape the dough into one-inch balls. Lightly roll each ball in turbinado sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake eight to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container.

Source: http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=3913910881&blog=22471