Kids drink bottles

We've all had to tackle them at some time. The posh variants are cut-glass whiskey decanters. The less posh ones are kids drink bottles that have been left all sticky and full of bits after holding home-made fruit juice (what do you mean you've never tried making home-made orange juice with a simple orange squeezer?). Or you're washing out a flower vase that has been left a bit too long and has collected green slime. But there you are: you're trying to clean out some elusive scraps of goodness-knows-what, but the bottle or whatever has too narrow a neck to get your hand inside properly. What would a professional house cleaner do here. Or, if you are a professional cleaner tackling this job for the first time, what do you do? Kids drink bottles

What you will use as your first port of call is an ordinary bottle brush - the sort with a thin wire handle and bristles set in a spiral shape. With the help of whatever you ordinarily use for washing dishes by hand (Ecover makes a nice environmentally-friendly dishwashing liquid), put some water and the detergent of your choice. Then scrub around the inside of the vase, decanter or bottle with the bottle brush, which will pass easily through the narrow neck and then expand to gently reach the sides of the bottle, etc.

Bother - your cleaning efforts are thwarted by the bottle, decanter, etc, being too wide for the bottle brush to reach. Now what?
One easy method that has reasonable success for this sort of tricky cleaning job is to stuff a tea towel down the neck of the bottle. Make sure you keep a corner poking out of the neck or getting it back will be next to impossible. Then twist the cloth around and around the inside of the bottle, etc as best you can. It will be tough going. You can insert a long, hard object inside the cloth to help turn it in a sort of improvised big bottle brush.
But sometimes, the cloth won't turn or isn't abrasive enough. The old-fashioned butler's method, usually used for cleaning glass decanters, was to pour a little lead shot into the decanter, add a little brandy or whiskey, then swirl the contents around until the grime on the inside walls had vanished. Don't do this, especially if you plan on drinking out of the container or using to hold any sort of liquid that you plan to ingest, as lead is poisonous, and some will be left on the inside of the container, even after you've rinsed it. You can use this method for vases - the flowers are dead already. Use sand instead - it's lightly abrasive and will wash out easily.
If you don't have any sand on hand, you can try filling the bottle with dilute vinegar and leaving it to sit overnight. This will attack a lot of the gunk. Then fill the bottle with warm water and your choice of detergent and give the bottle a ruddy good shaking, holding onto it very securely. The motion of the water should flush off any remaining grime. And the real beauty of water for cleaning is that it can go into even the tiniest crevice.

kids knives

You love to cook and your family and friends enjoy the culinary creations that you make. You have a level of culinary skill and kitchen knife skills and you use the best kitchen knives possible as well and this makes the presentation of your creations that much more satisfying. These are all good skills to have especially if you love to cook as much as I do! Besides all of the skills you possess in the kitchen and the kitchen knife skills that you have, you would be totally shocked at the number of kitchens in America have inadequate safety and security measures in them. I know what you are thinking: "Safety and security?" Sounds like a big government top secret installation under a defcon condition. It is not, it is your kitchen. The kitchen is the most creative place in your home and in turn can be one of the most dangerous places in your home. Safety and security in your kitchen is something that really needs to be addressed in order for you to have a safer home. Here are five very simple kitchen safety tips to make your kitchen more secure. kids knives

Always have multiple fire extinguishers in the home and that means one in the kitchen as the greater percentage of house fires begin in the kitchen in the form of grease fires. Keep your stove/oven clean and this will help prevent grease fires from happening.

Be aware of the handles on your pans. Turn them toward the center of the stove top when you are cooking. Be aware of where utensils are, you don't want to reach across stove burners to get a utensil and get burned doing it. Don't wear shirts with long sleeves when cooking because they could possibly catch fire.

The kitchen is not a place for children to play. Handles from pots and pans could be in the wrong position if they are not turned toward the center of the stove top. The burner knobs could be reachable by a child. Knives may be accessible and cause injury. Things can fall off counter tops and cause injury.

Kitchen knife skills are great, but you need to keep your best kitchen knives out of reach of children and always treat your blades with respect. Store your blades in a safe place where children can't get at them. Don't leave your blades in the sink to be accessed by children.

Always use a kitchen cutting board, like a John Boos cutting board. Never prepare food on surfaces that are not designed to prepared food on as you can run the risk of food cross contamination and food poisoning.

So now along with your kitchen knife skills and culinary skills you now have a set of safety and security skills that will make your home a safer place to be. One of the best things is that most of these safety tips won't require you to spend a lot of money to get them accomplished as you already have everything you need.

Kids cooking tools

For kids in Aspen, Denver, or anywhere in the world, the fun in cooking is not only about the food they are making. The process of preparing the food is one of the things they love the most. The use of gadgets and utensils stimulates their curiosity and creativity. Most kids love cooking gadgets, so if you want to make cooking with kids fun and safe, using the right kitchen tools can make a huge difference. Here are but a few safe utensils and gadgets that will have your kids happier than ever to roll up their sleeves and start cooking.
Kids cooking tools

Nifty Gadgets for Kids

Shape cutters molds or stamps. Cookie cutters are all time favorites and in addition to using them on dough, they can also be used on sandwiches and firm vegetables. Kids simply adore food that takes on a fun shape. Cookie molds or stamps can be used to achieve a 3-D look. Cake and muffin pans and plastic molds for freezing or making mini Jell-O molds are also popular with kids.

Nonskid mixing bowls. Bowls that don't slip off the counter are available in many stores. There are some that include a suction base to keep them firmly planted.

Hand chopper. Using sharp knives is not an option for young kids. There is an easy-to-use device, which looks like a hand bell which can help them chop foods. It makes chopping safe since pieces of food are placed under the clear "bell" and the knob on top is repeatedly pushed down to lower the cutting blades onto the food within the "bell".

Juicers. Many kinds of juicers can be found at a number of stores. Electric ones that process fruits or vegetables placed within them to free juices are great for kids since they can try combining juices of veggies and fruit.  Hand juicers include the basic reamers where you press and turn the fruit over a ribbed bulb and metal presses that apply lever power to the orange halves. These should be used under adult supervision to keep fingers away from the dangerous end of the press.

Kid-sized utensils. A specified set of utensils will make cooking both easier and more enjoyable. Before kids can begin their venture into the creative world of cooking, they'll need functional and age appropriate supplies. The culinary basics include utensils such as plastic measuring spoons, rubber and plastic spatulas, wooden spoons, metal whisk, and a mini wooden rolling pin.

Blenders and food processors.  Power blenders and food processors are a stupendous way to combine fun and safety.  They can be used to whip up pancake batter, soups, sauces, dessert toppings, shakes, and smoothies, with adult supervision, of course.

Kids cooking

Do your children like to spend their time making awesome mud pies or are they constantly stirring up some of their best grass soup? Then maybe it's time to let them loose in the kitchen with these fun kids cooking activities. Kids cooking

1. Allow your kids to create a new recipe. Pick out 5-7 ingredients that you think might go together and can be baked in a pie pan. For example, eggs, cheese, barbecue sauce, salt, flour, garlic powder, and corn chips can go together. The kids can also try a combination of cinnamon, eggs, flour tortillas, caramel sauce, and bananas. You may need to help them figure out "reasonable" amounts of each ingredient. There's no right answer; just have fun with it.

2. Start a Kids' Recipe Book. Everyone has recipes they love, including the kids. Have your child pick out 10 of his or her very favorite recipes. Either you or they can type the recipes out on the computer in a cool font with borders and some clipart. Print them out and "laminate" them with clear contact paper. They can then put the recipes in their very own cooking notebook.

3. Give your child an easy kid-friendly recipe to prepare on their own. Kids love to spread their wings and do things "all by myself." Give them the opportunity by handing them a super easy recipe and explaining how to do it. Depending on their age and skill, talk about kitchen safety and that you will be handling the oven/stove part of the task.

4. Have the kids take pictures of each other while cooking. They can make a small scrapbook filled with photos of their proud cooking moments. They will really enjoy this now, but also after they've grown up. Looking at the scrapbook and their kids' recipe book may remind them of good family times.

5. Decorate the cupcake challenge. Most kids have no problem creatively decorating a cupcake when given the proper toppings. Add a twist to the activity by getting out any possible toppings you can think of and asking them to decorate the cupcake to look like a cat or a flower. They'll come up with some decorative toppings you didn't think of.

All these kids cooking activities give you the chance to teach your kids the ins and outs of cooking. Your children also get the chance to learn many things in an atmosphere of fun. Give your child every opportunity to be creative in the kitchen and your child will thank you one day.

kids baking

Teaching your kids to bake is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a parent. It's not always easy, but kids have a way of making time spent together in the kitchen a lot of fun. Yes, it can also be a whole lot of mess, but that gets better the more they learn their way around the kitchen and the older they get. kids baking

The important things are:

·         The kids get to learn life skills.
·         They find out that baking is not only an art, but a science and it's important to get the ingredients measured correctly or the baking project will be less than successful.
·         They get to learn to be organized and practice following through on a task until it's completed.
·         Also, children learn to be proud of what they've created and LOVE to eat the results.
·         In addition, the house will have that yummy, tasty, loving, cozy smell for hours.

Here's an easy banana bread recipe to get them started on the road to opening their own bakery:

 Easy Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 bananas, mashed with a fork
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1. Mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
2. Add the mashed bananas and stir.
3. Next add the flour and salt to the mixture and stir until just mixed. Don't over-stir.
4. Grease 2 loaf pans and pour the batter evenly into both.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.