2 From the Tool Box to the Kitchen Drawer

[obillo]

Thanks for sharing that link. Nice to see someone I "know" say it works.

It's about $2 from Temu.

 

[Andy M.]

. . . And afterward, invert the cap and slit it 6 o'clock to 12, and from, 9 to 3. Will still providfe a seal but open easily.

. . . or just don't tighten it so much.

 

[dragnlaw]

obillo, I just always wash lids if there has been even just the slightest bit of stick while opening. Hard lesson to learn but it works!
From sweet stuff to milk stuffs, works for me.
But I also have a tiny, tiny adjustable wrench, have no idea where I got it from but heaven help the man who tries to use it.

OTOH, nice trick on cutting the lid - good one, will remember it.

 

[taxlady]

I'll try the rubber band, but I'm not giving up on pliers. You want the cap off a quart of Land O Lakes half and half? Pliers, pal. Just don't squeeze hard. And afterward, invert the cap and slit it 6 o'clock to 12, and from, 9 to 3. Will still providfe a seal but open easily.

My 10% cream comes with a lid that isn't on tight. It's not sealed. You find the pull off seal once you take off the lid.

 

[dragnlaw]

taxy, are you saying that you put the pull off seal back? How would you do that? The ones I get are meant to be thrown away. It is not them that gets stuck. It's with use that the cap starts to get gummy and sticks, at least that's what I've found.

Whether or not the screw on lid is on tight or not when I buy it, I put it on fairly tight after the pull seal is gone. Last thing I need is cream or egg white all over the place when next I use it!

 

[taxlady]

Dragn, no, I don't put the pull seal back. I don't think you can. I'm saying that the lid isn't on too tight on the cream when I buy it. I twist the lid back on reasonably tight - finger tight, not wrench tight. I can't remember ever having the lid on a carton of cream or milk get stuck after it has been opened. Sure, I have had the lids on jars get stuck because there was food sticking them shut and I usually remember to clean the lid and top of the jar for things that easily glue the lid shut. I'll do it for a jar of jam or a bottle of oyster sauce, but not the bottle of fish sauce.

 

[dragnlaw]

LOL, you are very neat with your cream taxy!

I've had those little suckers stick, but more with the liquid egg whites. It is at that point I have had to use my teeny pliers, all the while sweating that I don't mishappen them. LOL - but now I try to remember to wipe/wash rimis and lids.
I usually buy my milk in bags but the few times I've had to buy cartons - I try scrupulously to keep those caps clean. Not only to prevent sticking but those caps tend to smell/stink after multiple openings. Just a bit of milk on the ridges is all it takes - I'm a bit sensitive to smell.

 

[taxlady]

Me, neat, hahahaha. More likely it's just luck.

 

[Paid In Grapes]

I addition to some of the tools already mentioned, I have a small pair of tin snips that I use to open heavy hard plastic packaging, to cut up plastic packaging (like the jars peanuts come in) and the occasional can that I use that has a bottom that can not be opened normally. I have no recycling for cans or plastic where I live and I prefer to not waste the space in my trash bags.

 

[obillo]

Even better are aviation snips, which are nimble, light in weight, and allow for more precise cutting. But plain old tin snips will indeed suffice, and will do a better job than most of the purpose-built doodads hawked in recent years, most of which are nearly worthless while some are dangerous.

 

[Marlingardener]

I have three pairs of $1 scissors from the grilling gear area of Walmart. They will cut through almost anything! I cut the bottom off large Pepsi bottles to make mini-greenhouses. Added feature is the "church key" feature on the back of one blade.

 

[obillo]

lsoa fan of the basic Fiskars scissors, which seem to last forever.

 

[Andy M.]

I have kitchen shears for Chicago Cutlery I use to cut heavy plastic in bubble packs etc. I also sometimes used utility knife I keep for opening shipping boxes.

 

[Jusa]

I love my pliers! I have a pair of pliers dedicated to kitchen use. They come in handy for pulling the integument off pork ribs, to get a good grip on a small jar while getting it open for the first time, and for multiple other uses. I also have one of the paint scrapers and use it to clean burnt on messes on the glass top stove, and to scrape off the remains of labels on jars I plan to reuse.
Not exactly a tool, but the cheap chip paint brushes are great for basting. At the grocery or restaurant supply, they cost about $1.50 each. I get a multi-pack of 2 inch brushes at Harbor Freight for much less. They survive the dishwasher and one will last me for quite a while.

I have a silicon brush I bought at the Dollar Tree I have had forever that I like quite well.

Also silicon spatulas are great. You know when you make a killer reduction sauce and just can't scrape every last drop of that liquid gold out of the pan using a spoon? I have a few silicon spatulas of varying sizes that are great for that, also for scraping out that last bit of mayonnaise or peanut butter from the jar.

 

[Jusa]

I have a small adjustable wrench that I use in the kitchen. It has now collected a bunch of kitchen goo and I can't turn the whatever-you-call-the-thing-you-turn to adjust it. Who knows the best way to clean that? WD-40?

Sorry for the late delay but just joined last week, LOL. Did you try running it through the dishwasher? What do you use it for? If you use it for food stuff do you really want to use WD-40 on it?

 

[Rascal]

Both my husband and I have severe arthritis in our hands and we've discovered an opener that has been a godsend. We love it. Have a look here: https://www.amazon.com/Suffering-Ar...Slip-Heavy-Duty/dp/B07QVWJ6VN?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Exact same one I have. Ours was a free gift when buying something we never use now.
Ours is yellow.

Russ

 

[pedevowi]

Jar-openers come in many designs, mostly clumsy and of limited capacity: to buy one is to discover on a sudden that you have an unlimited supply of jars and bottles either too big or too small. I use and recommend a strap wrench, aka oil-filter wench, available at kitchen utensils manufacturer. Of course it always helps to remember to try slipping a screwdriver (never a knife) under the edge of the lid--a little twist can do wonders--and to twist the bottle, not the cap. Can't possibly cost over foive bucks, except at Williams-Sonoma.

Every house painter has a little gadget that serves as a handle for a single-edge razor blade. Best thing ever for scraping the blots that inevitably get on window panes when painting sash and muntins. Also the best thing ever for scraping the burnt bottoms of pans or the ceramicized drips baked onto glass stovetops. Pretty much eliminates the need for sprays and chemical cleaners. If you can't find one for less that three bucks you're not looking hard enough.

I’m building 18 kitchen drawers. At first I thought I could get away with just making drawer fronts to replace the existing ones, but it turns out the old ones are glued to the drawer box. So I’m now making the rest of each drawer out of 1/2” Baltic birch plywood and using Blum epoxy slides. So here’s my question: What finish, if any, do you recommend for the plywood box? I’m thinking maybe a quick single coat of water-based poly, but I’m open to other suggestions. Thanks.

 

[pepperhead212]

That was going to be my suggestion, except for 2 coats of the poly. That stuff dries fast, and drawers take a beating, at least inside. And be sure to use the full extension slides! I can't believe they even make those 3/4 extensions still!

 

[dcSaute]

"I’m thinking maybe a quick single coat of water-based poly, but I’m open to other suggestions."

I find the oil base polyurethane stands up better - the trick I've learned is to thin the oil base poly with 'paint thinner' - 2 parts by volume poly to 1 part thinner.
this soaks into the wood faster/better - brush on, wipe off to get an even finish.
if the wood is exceptional 'thirsty' a second, same procedure as the first, should produce a nice even thin sheen.

 

[pepperhead212]

I use oil based polyurethane for just about everything else, but technically the water based is the only one that can be "food grade", plus, it takes quite a while to get the solvent totally evaporated, and, with a gas range, I remember that smell that hung on a long time in my kitchen from that shelf I built for my jars. And that's out in the open, not closed up, like drawers.