Page 66 - Money - November 2018

0MZI HOME HACKS

note cards or clipped from magazines fridge. The kitchen bag-clip experts
7-< 79646-7-2+ decades ago, the bloggers at (yes, apparently there are such
'63773:)67 TheKitchn.com suggest investing in things) at TheWirecutter.com sang
some clear sheet protectors. You’ll be the praises of the Gripstic brand of
able to whip up those family classics “chip clips”—but even they conceded
without having to worry about spills, that regular old Scotch tape works
tears, or other hazards. (I’d also pretty well too.
suggest that if you have any recipes For me, binder clips are the way to
that you’re really attached to, scan go. This file cabinet workhorse also
them and save a digital version just in has gotten love from the hive mind of
case of a sudden catastrophe.) foodies on Chowhound.com. The clips
If you have a whole slew of recipes, are sturdy enough to be almost infi-
consider getting sheet protectors with nitely reusable, and they keep a tight
holes to fit in a binder, so you can keep enough grip to prevent your snacks
them neatly corralled. from growing stale in the humidity.

(6= )6%7) &3%6(

Whiteboards are good for more than
just corporate brainstorming sessions. MARKER:
&0%'/ 7,%64-) 1%6/)6 Get one with a magnetized back, and
that will make it easy to keep a running
First secret to saving money in the grocery list. That way, you won’t be
kitchen? Write on everything. Specifi- wasting time or money dashing out to
cally, write down the date you stuck pick up the things you realized you
those leftovers in the fridge or freezer, needed only after you got home and
the month and year you opened a new started cooking.
jar of spices, and so on.
Don’t take my word for it; black
Sharpies are an essential tool in com-
mercial kitchens too. Pro chefs rely on
them to date and label food and iden- 7'-77367
tify their own personal equipment
like knives. You know you shouldn’t be using
your knives to cut open food contain-
ers. (Right?) Best-case scenario, you ANTHONY ROSENBERG—GETTY IMAG ES; CLIPS: BEN ST EVENS—GETTY IMAG ES ; KITCHEN SCISSORS:
1%7/-2+ 8%4) dull the blades and shorten their life
span; worst-case scenario, a combina-
Masking tape (or washi tape, if you tion of complex packaging, wet hands,
want a pop of color in your freezer) is and bad luck hits, and you’re in the ER
indispensable for labeling leftovers that getting stitches.
are in Tupperware or other containers There are a couple of reasons you
you don’t want to mark up with might want to spring for a pair of
permanent ink. If you really want to get proper kitchen shears—the blades
fancy, you can use different colors of &-2()6 '0-47 come apart for washing, so there’s no
tape—to denote different types of food, chance of something sticky or gross
declare certain items off-limits to your This might be more of a personal getting trapped in there, and they’re
kids’ voracious friends, etc. preference, but I have no patience for designed for cutting through tough
fussy bag clips. They’re either compli- stuff like chicken parts as well as
cated, break easily, don’t create a packaging. But when you just want to
7,))8 4638)'8367 good seal, or some combination of the cut open bags of frozen peas neatly, a
above. And don’t get me started on pair of plain old orange-handle office
If you have a cherished collection of ones with magnets on the back that scissors will do the job and preserve
hand-me-down recipes scrawled on aren’t strong enough to stay on the your knife blades. JIRADELTA—GETTY IMAG ES

MONE Y. C O M NO VEMBER 2 018