Tuesday Tips: Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Here are a few tips to keep things cleaner in your kitchen.

• Grab a used toothbrush and stash it next to your kitchen sink. It is invaluable in cleaning food processor blades, microplane graters, garlic presses, et al.
• My recipe cards and pages always end up dirty by the time I'm finished cooking. Two ideas: If small enough, weave it into the tines of a fork set upside down into a coffee mug. If larger, grab a refrigerator magnet and attach it to your metal oven hood.
• An immersion blender is a great tool in the kitchen, but it gets dirty. Especially after you've left it sitting on the counter while you enjoyed your creamy tomato basil soup. To clean it off, blend up a bowl of warm soapy water. The blade action will help the blender clean itself. Rinse thoroughly and put away.