the housekeeping meme

What three kitchen items do you use the most often?
A cling wrap, pot holder and chori bashi (long chopsticks for cooking)

What kitchen gadget do you wish you had?
My onion mincer/dicer. Don’t you just feel great when you can dice or mince onions without looking like you just saw a tragic movie in your kitchen? I left mine in Japan.

What kitchen gadget do you never use/wish you hadn’t spent money on?
A coffee maker - to think we rarely drink coffee! We bought it, IN CASE we actually have guests coming over.

What is your favorite cookbook
My o-bento cookbook and a cookbook with traditional Japanese recipes - which I all left in my in-laws house in Japan. I will bring it here when I go on vacation in summer.

Who is your cooking inspiration?
My teacher in high school. My mom is not a big cook when I was younger. On my third year in high school, we were taught to bake and cook and there I discovered my love for cooking. I looked up to my teacher for everything, kitchen wise.

What are the three most important items on your spice rack?
Paprika powder, basil and black pepper

What are three recipes you use all the time?

• Nikujaga - a meat and potatoes dish I learned to cook and love in Japan. It is a popular meal in Japanese homes.
• Oyako donburi (Chicken and egg over rice)
• Tempura - but since I am allergic to shrimp, we only make vegetable tempura. This is a hit in our home!

Can you share a cooking/baking secret?
To get excess fat from any dish, particularly stews, put the cooked dish in the fridge overnight (good for leftovers). The next morning, when the fat appears on top as a white soft substance, place a cling wrap and lightly pat the wrap on the floating fat. When you lift the cling wrap, the fat sticks to it and voila, you have just taken extra calories off your food.

What is your greatest cleaning secret
No secrets. I use commercial stuff for cleaning.

What is your favorite thing to clean
The closet. I love to go through piles of clothes and this may sound crazy but I love to sort out clothes that Pristine has outgrown.

What is your least favorite thing to clean?
The windows (in summer) because that would mean being outside in the hellish hot weather wiping off dust and sand although you know they’ll be back right after you’ve finished. 

Would you like to share some housekeeping ideas? Grab the meme and let me know so I can visit!