Drawer Seven: Can you identify these utensils?

Our organized utensil drawer. 

This morning I tackled the kitchen utensil drawer where I keep our occasionally used utensils.  The frequently used ones I keep in containers on the counter near the stove.

The frequently used utensils I keep close at hand on the counter.

This drawer was rather cluttered to say the least.  I emptied everything out and put all through a good washing in hot soapy water and then drained them before I dried and sorted them.

Everything out of the drawer, washed and rinsed.

I had read that cork drawer liners are great for utensils because the utensils don't slide around as easily when you open the drawer.  They tend to more or less stay put.  So this drawer I lined with cork.

Roll of cork liner.

There were some things that I stored elsewhere.  The vintage pastry blender I put in the drawer with the pastry cloth and rolling pin.

The vintage pastry blender was moved to the drawer with the rolling pin and pastry cloth.

All the cookie cutters I stored with the other cookie cutters in the pantry.

Cookie cutters went to the pantry.

I'm going to give you a little quiz to see if you can identify the use for the following utensils that live in this drawer. (Answers at end of blog.)


Question 1.  Please identify this utensil.

???

Question 2.  Do you know what this is used for?

???

Question 3.  How about this one?

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Question 4.  I really like this one.  Do you know what it is?

???

 Question 5.  I bet you don't know this one, but if you ever use one you will like it.

???

Question 6.  What are these little steel-wool looking things?  Not the teaspoon.

What are these?

With the cork liner keeping everything more or less in place, this drawer looks pretty organized now.

Kitchen utensil drawer lined with cork and organized.

I'm having a bit of fun with this year's New Year's Resolution. On to drawer eight.  Only four more days to go.  I think I can make it. 

Answers to above questions:  1.  zester for citrus fruits  2.  fish server  3.  Gadget to remove the hulls from strawberries  4.  Spaghetti tongs.  Great for serving spaghetti noodles.  5.  Garlic cloves peeler.  Just put the garlic clove in and roll around and it comes out smooth as can be and your hands are free of garlic odor.   6.  I hope you might know, because I have no idea, and please let me know if you recognize them.  They look like they might be some kind of filter for something.  Anyway I have saved them in case I discover their use later on.

Drawer Six,"A Piece of Cake" and a Beef Brisket Recipe

Drawer six with the foils and wraps and plastic bags nicely organized.

Drawer six where we keep our foil and wraps was "a piece of cake" to organize, because it wasn't that cluttered.  I did have some kitchen twine that belonged elsewhere.  I took everything out of the drawer and cleaned the drawer liner.

Drawer six before.

I decided to arrange the rolls along the depth of the drawer rather than across the width as before.   I discovered that gave me a little more room, and I can see all the rolls when I open the drawer.

Oven bags.

I had forgotten about these oven bags that were in the back of the drawer.   I bought them when I cooked a beef brisket using a favorite recipe from my cousin Joan.  We haven't had a brisket for some time, so I think I will prepare one this week.

I'll share the recipe with you.

Beef Brisket in an Oven Bag
1 3 to 4 lb. brisket without bone
salt/pepper
1 Tbs flour
3 medium carrots chopped
3 medium onions chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or pureed tomatoes)
1/2 cup port wine or water
1 envelope onion soup mix (or part of one)
1 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves

Trim fat from brisket and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place flour in large oven cooking bag and shake.  Add brisket, place in roasting pan.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over brisket.  Cut slits in top of bag, close bag and seal.

Cook in a 325 degree preheated oven for 2.5 to 3 hours.   Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing brisket. Slice brisket against the grain into thin slices. Serve with vegetables and natural gravy from the bag.

This recipe is easy, and the meat is so tender.  I'll serve this with mashed potatoes. 

Drawer Six organized.

Two in One Day

I had plenty of time today to work on the kitchen cabinet drawers that I am decluttering to keep my New Year's Resolution.  So I did two drawers, one for the 4th and one for the 5th.  I can have a day off on Monday. 

I'm working on the smaller drawers to the left of the oven. 

Drawer 4 ( the top small left) was a rather big mess, but it didn't take long to straighten it out.  This drawer is where we keep our napkin rings and butter pats.   There were things here that didn't belong. 

Drawer four cluttered. 

Napkins, pot holders, hot pads belong elsewhere.

Two napkins, two pot holders, and more hot pads were moved to where they belong.  I found that I had so many cork hot pads that I decided to put some in the box for the Thrift Shop.  

There was also some fabric that I plan to use to make dish towels.  This reminds me to get this done. 

Dish towel fabric.

Drawer four organized.

I organized the napkin rings in plastic bags.  The butter pats are in a small box, and the large oven mitts fit better here than in the drawer where I keep most of the pot holders.

What do candles and candy have in common at our house?  They share the same drawer  (Drawer five the middle left drawer) in our kitchen.

Candles, candy and chewing gum in the before photo. 

I determined we have too many candles, especially since we now use battery operated candles a lot.  I know real candles give a nicer ambiance, but battery ones are safer and last longer than real candles and you don't have to worry about wax getting on your surfaces. And the battery candles look so real now.  Consequently, I'm adding a bunch of  candles to the box that will be going to the Thrift Store.

Candles that will be donated to the Thrift Store.

With some of the candles out of the way, I have room to add our Bic lighters to this drawer.  It seems the logical place for them.

I've added the Bic lighters to the candles section of this drawer.

In the candy part of the drawer I noticed that we were out of Werther's and low on chewing gum.  So I've replenished them. From the time the grands were very small, they knew where the chewing gum drawer was.  Even now that they are almost grown (Zach is grown) they will occasionally ask "Grandpat, can I have a piece of chewing gum?"  They didn't often have chewing gum at their house, so it was a treat to get some at Grandpat's house. 

Dan and I like to have a bit of chocolate on hand as well as Ricola cough drops and Werther's hard candy. 

The candy, cough drops and chewing gum organized.

 I can take tomorrow off, because I am one day ahead with my New Year's Resolution.