It is not thus easy to keep your house clean especially with all the variety of items surrounding us. It is especially true for kitchens which are one of the most overstuffed places at many homes. Here, you can find anything you want including a collection of old cutlery, damaged or non-practical kitchen appliances, old products and much more.
It is very important to make a regular revision of the objects you are storing at your kitchen. Some of them might be unnecessary trash which is only taking the place which you have to extend by adding extra shelves and cupboard which will not be needed without these items. Others can be downright harmful for your health.
Here you have a list of things which should be thrown away from your kitchen.
Old cutlery and tableware
The majority of us have some items of old tableware and cutlery at home. Some of these things might still be of a very good quality. You might still be glad to own them and use for cooking and serving food. Yet, there might be things which should not be kept at home.
Scratched skillets and frying pans
There is whole range of skillets and pans with a special layer of polymer which allows you to fry with a very small amount of oil without a risk of having your food burnt. Needless to say, one of the most popular materials of this type is known as Teflon which is actually a patented product by the Teflon brand. Real Teflon of the highest quality has a particular resistance to a harsh environment allowing people store various harsh chemicals in the containers covered with a layer of the substance. Many other brands are producing similar materials which can somewhat vary, albeit their usage for cooking is the same.
Even though polymer used in skillets and pans is resistant to some chemicals contained in food as well as to high temperatures, it is still can be damaged by mechanical impact. This can happen when you are using metal cutlery for mixing food on such pans or skillets or using too harsh sponges. With time, the layer can become rather damaged, up to the extent that you will not be able to cook food without burning it.
If it is already happening with your pans, it is high time to get rid of them. This is not only senseless to spoil food by burning it every time you are cooking, but you are also risking to consume the remains of the polymer layer which can now easily get into your food.
Cups and dishes with cracked edges
Even though it is obvious that cracked dishes and cups as well as the ones with broken edges neither look good nor are present for daily usage, many of us still keep them in our cupboards. Certainly, you can easily get hurt by such objects as well.
Corroded baking dishes and other kitchen equipment
The fact anything corroded does not look good is not the only reason to get rid of such items in your kitchen. If the corrosion in this object will have a contact with food, this is also very unhealthy to use it for cooking and food storage. Do not even feel sorry for getting rid of such objects.
Cracked wooden cutlery
If you use wooden cutlery regularly, you have certainly get in a situation when your spoon got cracked at least once.
Wooden cutlery itself is not easy to be kept clean. Even though there are still different opinions on the way such cutlery can be cleaned, the best thing you can do is avoiding it, especially old and damaged ones. One the one hand it seem that bacteria and other microorganisms can easily thrive on an organic material which is also not featured by a smooth surface, therefore, creates potential space for the proliferation of bacteria. On the other hand, some researchers are sure microorganisms are getting into deep layers of wood where they do not have chances for survival.
No matter which one is true, wooden cutlery is certainly not easy to clean because of its rough texture. At the same time, it is not recommended to sterilise it as wood can be severely damaged by a high temperature or a dishwasher.
Old chopping boards made of wood or plastic
Now, you are more aware of the problems coming with using wooden equipment in your kitchen. When it comes to wooden chopping boards, they can cause one more trouble to their owners. With time, their surface can become rather damaged so that small pieces of wood can get inside your food. Needless to say, this will be rather unpleasant.
Yet, you should know that the same goes for plastic chopping boards as well. They can also get damaged with time. Actually, it is not obvious which is less harmful – accidental swallowing small pieces of wood or of plastic. In addition to it, washing such plastic chopping boards with rather hot water will still not guarantee you their absolutely cleanness.
The best and the simplest thing you can do to avoid any harm coming from old chopping boards is simply not using them for cooking.