Category: Kitchen

This question was submitted from Ray

“How should I clean used wine bottles and make them odor free? ”

Try these techniques:

• Used wine bottles can be cleaned using regular dish soap and hot water. If you don’t have a bottle brush, soak the bottles for a while before washing. You may want to soak in hot water anyway if you want to remove the labels, if you plan to re-use the bottles.
• If you are planning to re-use after washing, wash in a disinfectant solution. (1 part chlorine bleach 4 parts water)  Fill your sink with the solution and let the bottles soak for at least ten minutes for best results and be sure to rinse well with hot water after disinfected.
• If you have a bottle which has a stubborn odor try using an enzyme based cleaning solution and soak it for 1/2 hour to one hour to really let the enzyme work at breaking down the organic material and rinse well with hot water.
• Many micro-breweries have a special disinfecting bottle baths available to you when you come into bottle your home brew at the micro-brewery, so you would just have to clean the bottles before coming in to bottle your wine. That is assuming that the reason you are cleaning your used wine bottles is for that purpose.

Here is a question submited recently…

My stove has cast iron grids over the burners and they are very difficult to clean. No matter how often I clean them I cannot get all the grease off. Is there a better way to do this than the old-fashioned way of boiling them in ammonia?

Boiling ammonia???? please don’t do that.

I have NEVER heard of any benefits derived from increasing the temperature of ammonia for cleaning. In fact it sounds downright hazardous to be ingesting the resulting fumes.

The best way to clean any cast iron kitchen wear is to stick them in the oven during the self cleaning cycle, or allow them to sit in a sink, sprayed with oven cleaner overnight.  Place the grids in a plastic bag overnight for good results.  A light scrub should remove any residue, rinse and they should be like new. If they are not painted, a light coat of cooking oil will prevent rust from appearing.

Always use caution when using caustic chemicals like oven cleaner. Wear gloves, safety glasses, and follow all the manufacturers instructions.

General Information:

Wood or synthetic cutting boards can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria such as E. Coli. When a board has too many cuts and scratches to clean effectively it should be replaced. Small pieces of food caught in deep cuts can easily generate enough bacteria to make anyone seriously ill.

Technique:
Always clean immediately after use with detergent  rinse with clean water. If used for meat, fish or poultry then it is recommended to disinfect afterward. Soak the cutting board in bleach and water solution for a minimum of three minutes, then rinse with clean water.  Washing with soap and water immediately after use is the best way to insure the spread of bacteria.