at home with James Martin - December 2012 - (Page 137)

| DIRT BUSTERS| 8 W 1 WORDS: GEORGINA MARIC | PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK WAYS TO A CLEAN KITCHEN When your dishwasher starts to look grubby it’s time to give it a clean. Do this by sprinkling a cup of baking powder inside the dishwasher, then run it through a short cycle to get rid of nasty smells and to make sure your plates will come out sparkling again. Some love it, some loathe it but, whatever your stance, it can’t be avoided forever. Here are some tips to make cleaning the hub of your home a bit easier hile most of us dream of a Downton Abbey existence with ‘staff’ on hand to do the dull chores like cleaning the kitchen, the reality is that for the vast majority, it’s down to us. Make life that little bit easier by cutting corners, using less toxic products and really tackling those jobs that we all tend to put off ‘until next week’! 3Wash that disher 4 Smell-o-wave 6 Mould comfort 7Hob haven If the seal on your washing machine door has become mouldy and black (due to constantly washing at low temperatures), douse a cloth in clear vinegar and wipe it over the a ected areas to remove the mould, making it nice and clean. Remember little and often reaps rewards when it comes to cleaning, so wipe your sink and taps every day to stop a build up of dirt and stains. With the sink itself, start by using detergent and warm water, rinsing clean with fresh water. Then squeeze sink cleaner (cream cleaner works best to shift stubborn grease marks) over the basin and draining board and scrub with a non-abrasive cloth until clean. Sink school Ever seen the splats in your microwave oven and thought, ‘I’ll do that later’, and then forgot? Try not to because old, crusty food which is heated up again is an instant bacteria trap and your microwave will start to smell quickly. Here’s a quick solution: put a shallow dish ﬁlled with slices of lemon GRIME-FREE into the microwave on full CLEAN A DIRTY power for two minutes. MICROWAVE The steam will soften the WINDOW WITH dried food and the lemon HALF VINEGAR, will leave it smelling fresh. HALF WATER Wipe off spills from your hob as soon as possible (especially sugary ones) and work off burned-on gunge with a special plastic scraper. Gas hobs can be dismantled so put pan stands in the dishwasher or soak them in biological laundry detergent and hot water. Scrub the burners with bicarbonate of soda and water. 2 You lemon! Don’t diss the lemon because it has remarkable qualities when it comes to cleaning and it’s toxin-free (and cheap to boot!). Try this: if your kitchen work surfaces have marks on them, apply a few drops of lemon juice, leave to work, rinse and dry for a sparkling clean nish! The oven – the one appliance in your kitchen that you tend to neglect. Try a product such as the easy clean Bake-O-Glide Oven Liner, £12.95, Flacon Products Ltd (www.falconproducts. co.uk). The reusable non-stick liner catches spills and burned-on mess. Otherwise, professional oven cleaners will come and do a quick and efﬁcient job. Find your local approved company at The Association of Approved Oven Cleaners (www.ovencleaning.net). 5 Grease be gone Every week you should clean out your fridge to keep on top of germs and stains. Remove fridge shelves and compartments and wash them in warm soapy water, then rinse. Wipe the inside of the fridge with a potion made up of 2tsp bicarbonate of soda for every litre of warm water. Get into the rubber door seal with an old toothbrush. Don’t forget the outside of the door and the handle. Ta Dah! ✱ 8 Fresh fridge www.athomemagazine.co.uk DECEMBER 2012 | 137 http://www.falconproducts.co.uk http://www.ovencleaning.net http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of at home with James Martin - December 2012

DIARY DATES
YOUR CHRISTMAS KITCHEN
UP THE ORANGE APPEEL
MEET MR MARTIN
THE CHEF DIARIES
FLAVOURS OF THE FUTURE
COOK LIKE A PRO
THE STAR EVENT
COOKING SOS
UNDER THE SEA
VEG OUT
JUST DESSERTS
WINE O’CLOCK
TASTEBUDS ON TEST
GUYS’ GIFT LIST
SANTA SPOILS FOR HER
FOR FOOD LOVERS
CHINESE, PLEASE?
THE ROAST WITH THE MOST
MARY CHRISTMAS
BAKE LIKE THE BEST
THE BIG CHEESE
FAT’S YOUR LOT
CLEAN UP
PINES AND NEEDLES
WINTER FOODIE BREAKS
ALL ABROAD
COFFEE BREAK
‘MY FOOD FANTASY TURNED INTO REALITY’
LAST WORD
EDITOR’S LETTER
FESTIVE WELCOME
NEWS AND VIEWS

at home with James Martin - December 2012