Cooker top cleaning, cheap and easy!

Hi

Today I am sharing a couple of time and effort saving tips that are also cheap and better for the environment than harsh chemical cleaners.   I know some people love cleaning but it just isn’t my favourite way to spend my time so I am always on the lookout for idea’s that will speed processes up/save time and if possible money as well.

I have a gas cooker and use this method of cleaning the burners (not often enough but hey I do my best).

My cooker burners had got into a bit of a state and I knew I shouldn’t ignore them any longer so I finally got a spurt on this weekend and got them done.

Firstly I mix a paste with some Bicarbonate of soda (Wilko's sell Bi-carb in 500g boxes for £1,50) and white vinegar (you have to add the vinegar slowly or you just finish up with a cup full of fizz – even adding it slowly it will fizz slightly so don’t worry about that).   I dampen the burners a with a little vinegar rubbed round with my finger, then I smear on the paste, usually with my fingers as well– at this point it is perfectly acceptable for you to wander off with a cup of tea/coffee and a magazine or whatever because you now need to leave it alone for 10 to 15 minutes (isn’t it great when a cooker can almost clean itself!!) I was an absolute angel though and went upstairs and cleaned the shower area, sorry to brag but it’s nice to tell somebody, I don’t know about your house but it is one of those invisible jobs at my house, I am sure if I didn’t bother people would notice, but somehow they seem oblivious when I do, do it!!!!

When you return to the job, slowly dribble vinegar around the burners letting it fizz away, I do this until most of the paste has washed off.

Now sprinkle salt (regular salt that you use on food) around the burner cut the end off a lemon and use the lemon the rub the salt around the burner, (the grime should now be lifting and the metal be clean and shiny underneath), rinse with hot water, dry and place back on the cooker!

Now about that shower cleaning, get yourself one of these:- (they sell these in Wilko's too for £1.50 and I have even seen them in Poundland - but get a sturdy one, you will need to apply a bit of pressure)

Half fill it with a good washing up liquid, fill to the top with white vinegar, dampen the sponge and give your tiles a good scrub around - now this doesn't take long or much effort, really! you don't even have to get your hands wet, rinse the walls down with hot water then once dry buff up with an old towel, it's really quick and easy, again cheap, also better for the environment than fancy shower cleaners full of goodness knows what!!!

Sugar Sweet

I was baking (again) at the weekend and it crossed my mind to mention something that I have been doing for ages – I’m not going to pretend that this is going to make you rich, it’s just one of those “little things” that help with the overall grand plan, in fact it started off as more to do with the waistline than the purse!!

For most of my usual baking recipes I reduce the amount of sugar by one two or even 3 ounces, after all the sugar is a taste thing and doesn’t affect the way most things turn out.   For example a recipe calling for 4 ounces of sugar I either reduce to 3 or even sometimes 2 depending on what else will be added, in the case of fairy cakes, if you are icing them once cooled, or adding buttercream you won’t even notice the missing sugar in the cake.   A cake with fruit such as Date and Walnut has added sweetness and sugar from the fruit so again won’t be noticed.

Another thing about sugar, on most occasions I ignore the call for Caster Sugar and use ordinary Granulated, Caster is more expensive and there is no difference taste or texture wise and sometimes I mix an ounce or two of granulated into the brown sugars, just to help them go a bit further as these too are more expensive than ordinary Granulated.

As I said this is no “Get rich quick” plan, but it does help stretch things out a little and hopefully has a positive effect on the waistline!!!