Planning Your Kitchen Remodeling Project

If you are planning a kitchen remodeling job, you want to think about more than just the decor. More than any other room in the house, you really want to consider how you are going to use the space as well. It can really make a difference in how you feel about cooking.

One consideration is your appliances, the ones you have as well as the ones you plan on purchasing. For example, if you do not already have a Kitchenaid food processor, this is a good investment if you plan on cooking a lot. Food preparation is much easier with one of these. They can take up a lot of counter space, though, so you need to have enough to use it. You may even want to design enough space to leave it out if you will use it often enough.

There are other appliances that you need counter space to use such as toasters, coffee makers and blenders. If you are a coffee drinker, you probably want space to keep it out all the time. The toaster and blender, on the other hand, may not need constant easy access.

You also need to consider the appliances that stand on their own such as your Kitchenaid oven and your refrigerator. The space needs to be designed around these. Space can be designed for microwaves so that they do not need to take up counter space.

As with the rest of the house, this is an important area to be thinking about home storage shelves. It is nice to have a separate closet, even one you can walk into, to use as a pantry. Here you can more easily store your food products. It is also nice to have some extra space for the kitchen items that you do not use on a regular basis such as serving dishes for dinners or fondue pots.

Think about your storage needs when figuring out the drawers you need as well. You can have a drawer specially designed to hold your spices. This makes it much easier to see what you have and find what you need than to have them on a shelf.

Kitchens that are large enough can benefit from a stand-alone butcher block in the middle. This is a great space for preparing food. It is both convenient and easy to clean having it separate from the other counter space.

To make the most of remodeling your kitchen, spend the time you need to plan properly. How you use your spaces is critical for making cooking an activity to enjoy. A smartly laid out kitchen makes it even more of a pleasure to entertain.

How do you use a hershey’s fondue maker?

I got a hershey’s fondue maker at a yard sale and it didn’t come with any instructions on how to use it!

The Hershey’s Kisses Dessert Fondue Set is a relatively simple, fun gadget that lets you serve a delicious chocolate fondue, kept warm by the economical power of a tea light candle.

Although chocolate is the preferred choice, the ceramic pot can also be used to keep any sauce hot and ready for serving. This unit consists of a ceramic bowl and lid (in the exact shape and color of an actual Hershey’s Kiss), a metal stand, four fondue forks, and a tea light candle. You can either prepare the fondue mixture in a saucepan on the stovetop or use the ceramic fondue pot to heat the mixture in a microwave oven. When ready, place the ceramic pot on its stand and light the tea light candle. Stirring the mixture periodically is recommended to prevent burning.

Recipe for fondue below:

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, reserve 1/4 cup to thin if fondue begins to thicken
4 bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped, 3 1/2 ounces each
2 tablespoons Frangelico or Amaretto liqueur, optional

Heat 1/2 cup cream in a heavy non-reactive saucepot over moderate heat until cream comes to a low boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add chocolate. Let the chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with the cream. Stir in liqueur and/or chopped nuts and transfer the fondue to a fondue pot or set the mixing bowl on a rack above a small lit candle. If fondue becomes too thick, stir in reserved cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency. Arrange your favorite dippables in piles on a platter along side chocolate fondue with fondue forks, bamboo skewers or seafood forks, as utensils, for dipping.