Reducing Food WasteOne of our favorite parts of summer is getting to cook with all the fresh fruits and vegetables from our local farmers market. But have you ever found yourself a few days after a shopping trip staring at all your delicious produce as it dawns on you that you will never, ever be able to eat it all before it goes bad? We've all been there, even the most environmentally conscious (after all, that's why we rode our bike to buy the local fare!), and food waste is a big problem these days. Here are some helpful tips we use that will change the way you shop and store your produce.

1.  Always make a shopping list with your weeks meals planned out in advance, sticking to a list helps prevent impulsive buys at the grocery store.

2.  Use your supermarket salad bar.  Instead of buying an entire head of celery and using only 3 stalks leaving the rest to go bad in your refrigerator use the salad bar's pre-chopped vegetables.

3.  Keep track of expiration dates and inventory of you're pantry, this can prevent re-buying of items while also keeping you alert to what produce is nearing spoilage.

4.  Use your freezer wisely.  Fruit that is about to go bad can be frozen to make a smoothie out of.  Portion out tomato sauce and freeze in batches.

5.  Schedule a "leftovers night" into your weekly dinners.  This can also be fun and creative to use only whats in the back of the refrigerator and challenge yourself. Some great dishes for this are quiches, stir-fries, and stews.

Getting "Energy Ready" For SummerNow that hot weather is hear to stay, here are our Top 10 Kitchen Tips for saving energy and money.

1. Fix leaky faucets- 1 drop per second can add up to 165 gallons a month.
2. Use the microwave when possible- it cooks faster and doesn't create as much heat as the stove.
3. Keep a lid on it! Covered pots retain heat and cook food more quickly.
4. Take advantage of residual heat. Turn off the oven or stove several minutes before the recipe indicates- both will stay hot enough to complete the cooking process.
5. Most of us eat a lot of pasta. Next time make extra, toss with olive oil, and keep in the fridge so you don't have to boil water next time.
6. Be sure your refrigerator seals shut. If you can pull a piece of paper out while the door is closed, your seal needs to be replaced.
7. Keep your freezer full. The fuller the freezer, the less the cold air escapes when the door opens.
8. Only run the dish and clothes washer when full. They use the same amount of water whether full or empty.
9. Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's heat drying option and hang your clothes on a line instead of using the dryer.
10. Unplug any electronics that aren't being used.

Bonus Tip: For a fun way to get your kids involved, make Iced Sun Tea (decaf of course!) on your sunny window sill instead of using a kettle. The kids will love it and it's a great way to start teaching them about saving energy. For a sweeter variety, mix in some lemonade to make an Arnold Palmer.

Our New Kitchen Studio After months of hard work it's finally here... we recently celebrated the official launch of our new kitchen studio on the corner of 27th Street and 6th Avenue in the historic "Flour" District. Our intimate new location is the first kitchen studio in Manhattan designed and built exclusively for kids and it has allowed us to expand our cooking class schedule to include weekly cooking classes, summer camps and semester classes. The studio offers a fully equipped state of the art commercial kitchen that encourages budding chefs of all ages to participate in hands-on cooking activities in a safe and encouraging environment. The brightly colored space is complete with a retail store full of your budding chefs favorite cooking accessories.

During the Summer months, we'll be hosting an Open House every Tuesday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 for you to stop by and see our new kitchen. As a thank you for visiting, we'll be making my Dad's famous Oatmeal Pancake Mixes for you to take home and share with family and friends. Call us at 212-242-2248 to reserve a spot at an upcoming Open House. We look forward to seeing you soon.

P.S. Check out pictures from the kitchen construction process from start to finish on our Facebook Fan Page.
 

Green BakewareDid you know that kitchen appliances make up nearly 27 percent of energy used by households across the country? That's more than lighting, home electronics, and laundry appliances combined!

A great (and simple) method of reducing your carbon footprint is to replace metal oven pans with glass and ceramic cookware. Because of their highly efficient forms of insulation, using glass or ceramic cookware in the oven allows you to cook meals at 25 degrees lower in the same amount of time as using their metal counterparts. Glass and ceramics are also long lasting and won't rust! Most importantly, though, they'll save you money on electricity, while also helping the environment!

Green Clean: VinegarVinegar is a great alternative to chemical filled cleaning products when it comes to cleaning your kitchen (and home). Did you know that vinegar's shelf life is indefinite? That means that as long as you're around, you can use vinegar to clean your home. It's also safe for your family and the environment because it's a natural organic bi-product of fruits, vegetables and grains.

Use Vinegar to...

• Disinfect the inside of your dishwasher pour 1/2 cup into the reservoir and run an empty cycle.
• Clean your floors add 1/4 cup to a bucket of warm water to clean any type of floor except marble or wood. It also smells a lot better than ammonia!
• Get a spotless shine on your glasses hand-wash them with 1 cup added to the rinse water.
• Get those pesky deposits off your shower head, pour vinegar into a plastic grocery bag and tie the handles around the neck of the shower head (secure with rubber bands if necessary), and let soak overnight. Rinse with water in the morning.
• For pristine clean windows mix 1/4 cup with 2 cups of water and a squirt of soap in a spray bottle. Spritz on windows and wipe clean with a sheet of newspaper.
• Fun Fact- in ancient Greek times vinegar was used as an antibiotic.

Green Clean: Baking SodaDid you know that the average household contains anywhere from 3-25 gallons of toxic materials? Most of which you can find in your household cleaning products. Children are especially susceptible to dangers from toxic materials because their immune systems aren't fully developed. But don't worry, you can make your clean up safer (and more cost effective) by using products you probably already have in your house!

Baking Soda:

• Put an open box of baking soda in your fridge to absorb unwanted odors
  
• To get rid of that coffee stain in your favorite mug or tea cup fill the cup with 1 part baking soda and 2 parts water; soak overnight; rub with a sponge and rinse.
  
• No need to go out and buy one of those magic clean erasers, you can erase unwanted marks on your walls by applying a baking soda paste (equal parts baking soda and water) to white painted walls; let dry before brushing off with a clean cloth.
  
• Fun Fact ~ Baking soda was used to clean the Statue of Liberty on its centennial, that's a lot of baking soda!
• There are many other uses for baking soda to clean your home that you can use as a substitute for those chemical filled cleaning products, find out more here.