My Favorite Cleaning Gadgets

I mentioned all of these in the “Baking Soda Bath” blog, but here is an official shout-out to my favorite things to clean with. Of course everyone has their own way to do things, and different things work for different people. I’d love to hear what other products you love to clean with!

Spaghetti Scrub

Spaghetti Scrub's website domain name says it all—goodbye, detergent! These scrubs are completely natural, made of either corn cobs (harsher; not for nonstick or glassware) or peach pits (safe for the latter). Naturally color-coded as yellow and pink, respectively. :) They claim that you don’t need to use ANY detergent unless something is really greasy, then you might need a dab. I still use dish soap, but it’s very mild and it doesn’t suds up quite as crazy as the big name brands do, so having the spaghetti scrub really helps me cut through the grease if the suds start to run low! I can also wash my wood cutting board and knives with it using only water, which is ideal for these types of items.

Peach pit Spaghetti Scrub

Since I do keep a few nonstick things around, I only purchase the pink ones. I do have to admit that I was extremely skeptical at first! We purchased a box for the store I worked in and used them in our break room. They come in a box of two, and these things LAST! We used it pretty heavily (you’d be surprised by how many pans we’d wash for customers...plus our own dishes from lunch and store demonstrations), and I just started to realize how well it scrubbed and how little detergent you really did need! It doesn’t totally work for wiping down counters, though, so I still crave a sponge for those jobs. I use the scrubby side of a sponge more than the regular side, and those wear out pretty quickly with heavy use like that, so the Spaghetti Scrub is a great way to make my sponges last SO MUCH longer than they used to. Things also don’t seem to stick to it like the scrubby side of a sponge can when the job is really dirty.

Point is, the price may seem a little steep the first time you buy, but they last forever and do a great job, so you won’t remember how you did things without it!

Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap

Mrs. Meyer's dish soap

Mrs. Meyers cleaning products are probably the least expensive natural items you can find and it’s starting to get easier to find in major stores! With a lot of the national brands, personally, my skin gets irritated and I have a hard time remembering which ones do and which ones don’t. I have been lucky enough to have been able to try a few “fancy” brands and Mrs. Meyers liquid dish soap (absolute favorite is the honeysuckle scent!) is still my top pick.

Granted, if my dishes are extremely greasy, Mrs. Meyers might not suds up as crazily as the big brands still would. That is probably another reason I like having the Spaghetti Scrub on hand, since you technically shouldn’t need soap with it unless something’s super greasy. But even without the Spaghetti Scrub, I was still using Mrs. Meyers and loving it. They make great scents, too!

Insider tip: Caldrea is the same company! Their scents are a little too overwhelming for me but I do love that the sets come in a little caddy.


Casabella Dish Brush

I was never raised to use a dish brush. I’m unsure if they made them safe for nonstick back when I was growing up, but that’s the only thing my mom and I can think of as to why she never tried one before. Long before the Spaghetti Scrub was on the market I decided that I use the scrubby side of my sponge too often and wear it out pretty quickly. Once I bought a dish brush, that ended, and I soon realized that it’s a heck of a lot easier to pre-scrub a dirty pan with just a dish brush and water before dunking it in the dishpan and ruining the soapy water! I like to keep it in my arsenal even though I also keep the Spaghetti Scrub on hand. The Spaghetti Scrub isn’t as good as the dish brush for pre-cleaning because if it gets too greasy it really needs to be rinsed in soapy water, in my opinion, whereas a dish brush is usually OK with just a rinse.

Casabella dish brush

The Casabella dish brush comes in fun colors, is relatively inexpensive, and safe on nonstick surfaces, so that’s why it’s my top choice. I don’t know that I would trust anything cheaper with my nonstick unless I really trusted the brand name like I do with Casabella.

Norpro Pan Scraper

Norpro pan scraper

You can find flimsy little plastic pan scrapers for less than a dollar, but I stepped up my game and grabbed the Norpro pan scraper (for a whole dollar!) as soon as it came into our store. We used pan scrapers for EVERYTHING around that place, so I quickly learned their versatility and adopted it into my home. I also keep one at work for random office administration emergencies—you may not be surprised how handy it has been! The Norpro is a thicker, larger pan scraper with a very thick edge that is a comfortable spot to grip it at.

o-cel-o Sponge

Non-scratch o-cel-o sponge

A sponge is a sponge, but generally o-cel-o is what you find in most stores. Blue means scratch-free, although they sometimes make other fun colors, too, that are scratch-free. The package will actually tell you if it is or not. I have to have a sponge around because you still need to sop up messes, and a dish brush or Spaghetti Scrub just can’t do that for you. Some people prefer a dish cloth because they feel a sponge holds germs more, but I think they both have that potential if you don’t keep them out of the sink where people are dumping things all over it. A good suggestion I came up with to ensure your sponge stays out of the sink is to buy a soap saver as a “sponge rest”. I did this at my office and it’s gone over swimmingly!


Barkeeper’s Friend

Barkeeper’s Friend is an inexpensive product that's very similar to baking soda and Comet that you should always have on hand, because you can clean anything with it! It’s safe for nonstick and glass, and actually sucks grease out of porous nonstick surfaces. They now make a liquid formula, but the original powder and a little water go a long way. I use this to get sticky things off and stains out, amongst other uses! See “Baking Soda Bath” blog.

Barkeeper's Friend

Cascade Complete Pacs Dishwasher Pods

Cascade Complete

While I am not a huge proponent of using the dishwasher (ranty blog on its way!), the Cascade Complete Pacs are the only dishwashing product I have found to actually clean the dishes and not leave a residue. I once lived with a roommate who demanded we use the dishwasher and I was always running the thing 2-3 times trying to get the dang dishes clean! Another friend heard my dilemma and immediately bought me a giant pack of the Cascade with gel pods from Costco, and the rest is history!

Casabella Sponge/Brush Holder

After I decided that I couldn’t live without a dish brush, then came the dilemma of keeping it out of the sink and relatively dry and clean. I first tried one of the aforementioned Caldrea soap/lotion set caddies, but it wasn’t tall enough. I searched high and low, and finally stumbled across the Casabella Sink Sider Faucet Sponge Holder – at Ace Hardware of all places! (Our kitchen store didn’t carry it, and I lived near one of the Ace Hardware stores that also sell housewares—these stores are heaven if you can find one!! My father actually worked for Ace for many years so I always joked that it was like his store and my kitchen store had a baby together.) The only thing I wish I had thought of sooner was the fact that it comes apart for cleaning, which you should do to keep water buildup out of it. (Yes, you need to keep your cleaning products clean! This goes for your dish drying rack, too.)

Casabella faucet sponge holder

Veg-Hog Veggie Brush

Veg-hog vegetable brush

The Veg-Hog Veggie Brush by Boston Warehouse (Animal House) is not only just plain adorable, but very functional, just like all of their products. The Veg Hog has actually been rated, which is just hilarious to think about rating cleaning supplies, but this baby makes headlines!

Another veggie brush that just feels perfectly ergonomic, at least in my hand, is this Vegetable Ring bamboo brush by Full Circle. The circle shape seems weird, but it feels ergonomic!


The only other product I am hoping to add to my arsenal again is the Chef’n Sudster. They’ve changed the design a teeny bit, but it looks the same and I thought it dispensed just the right amount of soap for washing just one dish or two at a time without having to fill up a dishpan. I did knock or drop it into the sink a LOT, which is what broke it eventually, so there’s that to consider. Looking at the new design, it actually looks less prone to breakage. Now I really want to buy another one!

Cleaning Pans With a Baking Soda "Bath"

Baking soda or Barkeeper’s Friend are both safe on almost every surface and can be used to clean a whole lot more than pots and pans. I use this method on everything that has something that just doesn’t seem to want to come off— it even helps with stickers that just won’t come off of something!

The baking soda bath is also GREAT for nonstick cookware, when you think it's "not nonstick" anymore, it generally means the pores are all clogged with filth.  Leaving the baking soda concoction on it helps draw everything up out of those pores!

I used a grill pan as my example so I can show you how well this method truly works. And it’s cheap! You don’t need the specific cleaning tools I use, aside from the baking soda, but I prefer what I use and feel they hold up to rough cleanings like this and keep on keepin’ on! (So it’s what I most highly recommend!)

Dirty grill pan!

I usually save my ickiest pans for the end of a load of dishes, that way if I need to let them soak, I don’t have to waste any more water. I will generally take one pass at something before resorting to the soak, just to loosen up anything I can to start it off on the right foot.

I didn’t soak this pan before going for the baking soda bath, but a lot of times I do, especially because I’m hoping I don’t have to resort to this method and that the soak will do the trick! This particular pan actually had several uses of buildup on it before I tried getting it clean. It’s a grill pan—meant to be ugly! But it proves my method swimmingly.

The first layer of baking soda is applied...

I washed this pan in mostly greasy leftover dishpan water. Rinsed it off and immediately applied a layer of baking soda. Move it around with your fingers, drizzle more water on it, etc. as needed. Try not to just pour more water on it because you will end up dumping most of your concoction down the drain! You want it paste-like. Let it sit—the longer the better, so go ahead and start wiping down the counters and sweeping the floor.

Not looking too bad after the first scrub-a-dub!

Implements of war!

 Take the scrubby side of a sponge, a dish brush, or in my case, a Spaghetti Scrub, mix with elbow grease, and scrub that baby! Rinse your sponge throughout to get maximum scrubbing in. Depending on how dirty the pan is, you might have to repeat this step a few times. This grill pan in my example seemed like a lost cause after one round, but was almost totally clean after a second bout. I left a tad bit of a stain to ensure to you that it wasn’t a second pan or anything sneaky like that! When you’ve finished it up, I recommend washing the pan thoroughly in warm, soapy water to get rid of any residue from the baking soda or Barkeeper’s Friend.

Finished product! Like new!

Norpro pan scraper

I also like to break out a nylon pan scraper when doing something heavy-duty like this. This particular pan has ridges, so I didn’t really use it much this time around, but generally I will use this before even grabbing the sponge or dish brush. You can find flimsier, cheaper ones, but this one by Norpro is only a dollar and is extremely sturdy!

Read more details about my favorite cleaning gadgets here!

Favorite Gadgets I Actually Own

Gadgets – some people absolutely love them (me) and others can’t stand the idea of owning an item that usually only serves a single purpose. Generally most things a gadget does, you can do with some other kitchen basic, it just might not be as easy to get the task accomplished if you’re not a pro.

One of my favorite stories from selling gadgets is about a customer who came in shopping for a gift for his friend. He was hoping to purchase her a gadget of some sort -- maybe for avocados since she really liked those. Perfect! We had just received several new avocado-related gadgets that I was very excited about. After showing him the options, he looked dismayed and told me that these were single-use items and he was hoping for something that did more than one thing. I tried holding back my laughter and told him that maybe a gadget wasn’t what he was after, then.

Your favorite gadgets are going to differ from other peoples' because of what you love to cook the most. And of course, what works for one cook might not for another! Here's some of my favorites.

Makes the job quick and easy!

jo!e Strawberry Huller

jo!e strawberry huller

There are TONS of strawberry hullers on the market. The purpose of a strawberry huller is to hull the strawberries, which is to remove the stems from the berries. The more basic ones that most people are accustomed to will look like a pair of wide tweezers and pulls the stem leaves out. They are starting to make some fancier ones these days, though! OXO makes a really interesting one that I kind of like, but I feel like it creates more work than necessary in trying to get the stem back out of the huller. This one by jo!e is my favorite because it has a serration around the metal part, which helps you really dig out the whole stem of the berry. I’ve also sometimes been successful at using this on tomatoes, so it has the potential to work on more than one item.

Zyliss Peeler

Peelers are a big deal to me. I remember having these awful metal ones growing up and having to peel a ton of potatoes because our family was so big and whining that my hand hurt by the end of it. I recall seeing indentations in my hands from the peeler! I vowed to never peel potatoes again; now it's just to never own a cheap meal peeler again. ;)

Zyliss peeler

I am a huge fan of the OXO peeler (it's an extremely close 2nd place; I bought two for my mom!), but once after I moved, lost my OXO peeler and the store was out of this brand when I finally got around to replacing it. I remember this being the day before Thanksgiving and many types of mashed pototoes were going to be made amongst my roommates, as they were arguing over who made better ones. I am a fan of Zyliss, so I grabbed one of theirs, and it immediately became my favorite. I didn’t think it would because of the hard plastic versus OXO’s soft grip, but the shape is just perfect, in my hand at least. It’s slightly less bulky than the OXO one, so it’s my winner. They also make a soft-fruit peeler that looks identical in red; don’t buy the wrong peeler! (The regular one is available in other colors, too.)

Zyliss Avocado Tool

A few years ago everyone finally realized that people wanted something to help out with their avocados, and every new thing caught my eye as better than the last. Compared to a few other brands, the Zyliss is my top choice. It’s shape is like a knife, and for me that makes cutting the avocado easier since I am used to cutting it with a knife anyway. It’s size allows for scooping, and it’s interior is supposed to help with mashing but it doesn’t work in the bowls I utilize for guacamole so I’ve never used it for that purpose. The serrated edges aren’t very sharp to the touch but slice the avocado nicely. I like to chop it in half and then cut my slices right inside of the rind when I want it sliced for sandwiches.

Zyliss avocado tool

Chef'n SleekStor VeggiSteam

 Chef'n Silicone Steamer

The small in my 3qt. pot

I have sold many brands of metal vegetable steamer, and let me tell you, they all eventually break down. A lot of moving parts, the potential for rusting...plus they take up a lot of room in the drawer or cupboard. You might argue a silicone one takes up just as much room, but they are flexible and easier to work with in that regard. I love the Chef'n SleekStor VeggiSteam because it just works. OXO just came out with one that rolls up for better storage, but I don’t really see it saving that much space, and I don’t think the shape of it will mold to the pan quite like my Chef'n does. The silicone stays cool and/or cools right down, depending on if you get it hot or not. And unlike a metal steamer, you can throw this guy in the dishwasher. Comes in two sizes and multiple colors!

Bottom of Chef'n silicone steamer; "feet"

Vacuvin Wine Sealer

Vacuvin with stopper

I know, how dare I leave wine in the bottle? ;) This thing is pretty darn inexpensive, especially compared to all the fancy doo-dads you can obtain in the wine world. And it’s literally the only thing that will actually SEAL the bottle, meaning I have actually traveled with a bottle of wine in my backpack around town feeling safe that it won’t spill! And of course the best part is, especially if you buy more expensive wine than I do, is that it keeps the wine fresh and tasting good. The Vacuvin literally sucks all the air out of the bottle, which is what breaks the wine down. It’s pretty nifty; you put the special cork on the bottle, place the Vacuvin on top, pump until you hear three “clicks” and it’s sealed! To open, you push the little knob in the center of the special cork, the pressure is released and the cork comes loose. I myself don’t use it for taste reasons, purely storage. I have some beautiful decorative glass wine corks but none of them actually cork the bottle if I want to put it back on my wine rack, which would require the bottle to lie on its side.

**A study done at Portland State University revealed that the Vacuvin loses its vacuum pressure over several hours, so real wine enthusiasts are starting to spurn this gadget, but like I said, it's amazing for actual storage if you're buying a cork/stopper and it's pretty darn inexpensive.

zak! Garlic Peeler

zak! garlic peeler

I cannot tell you how many years I grumbled at my garlic before I finally brought one of these home, and man has it changed my life! I know you’re supposed to be able to do this easily with the back of a knife, but I can’t. The zak! garlic peeler is probably the easiest to find, comes in fun colors and is a nice, easy-to-clean silicone. I’ve seen others that looked just like the “rubber husband” Tupperware gadget that helps you open jars, so if you already have one of those, try rolling your garlic around in it and see if it will peel! It was literally just a square piece of rubbery material, so I don’t think it actually has to be made of silicone, but silicone will last longer if you’re in the market for something new. The zak! one can actually even go in the dishwasher.

Pull Ties

I had seen the OXO brand clips when they first came out and told my mom about them, and a month or so later QVC was selling these awesome ones called Pull Ties. She bought a few sets for Christmas presents and I think I ended up with most of them because I love them so much! I absolutely hate trying to use chip clips on freezer bags as they never seem to hold. I also prefer to purchase bakery rolls at the grocery store but can never eat them all before they go bad, so I like to freeze them but feel ridiculous using the expensive Ziploc freezer bags for cheap buns! This way I can use the bag they came in.

Clay & Terra Cotta Cookware

Emile Henry Flame Top Brasier

Anything ceramic/stoneware/terra cotta/earthenware being sold as sturdy cookware should be high-fired. This means when it's being made, it is put in the oven once at a really high temperature, versus being pulled in and out several times like how most ceramics are made*. Doing this causes a piece of stoneware to become more brittle so it won't hold up as long. A high-fire piece is going to be a heck of a lot stronger and can handle the stove top and oven. Since this cookware is just clay, the heat will distribute evenly, just like a stainless clad pan!


Emile Henry and Piral are the brands I am most familiar with. Since it is sold as an “all-natural” cookware, the colors (at least in these brands) are actually derived from metal oxides, not dyes, which are naturally occurring. These companies make a lot of dutch oven style pots, so they’re a great alternative to a heavy cast iron dutch oven. I always tell people to pick up the pan, then imagine it full of food. Can you carry it? If not, clay is probably the better option!

Natural cookware like this will generally require special care, so read your instructions! Cookware like Piral asks you to soak it before just the first use and to utilize a heat diffuser on electric stoves. Emile Henry also has seasoning instructions before first use, which are kind of funny. You boil a layer of milk and immediately turn the heat off and let it cool. Emile Henry will also start producing what look like hairline cracks inside the piece over time. Completely normal, and actually most cookware in this category will warn you of natural flaws that will occur!

Piral Cookware

If you are cooking with unsealed clay, you will need to soak the piece, usually for 15-20 minutes. The water turns to steam and keeps the food really moist, so these are really great for roasting meat! Generally, clay is only for oven use and is a bit more fragile than the ceramic cookware mentioned above. Clay cookware can be really inexpensive or really expensive like the Romertopf brand that I remember selling a lot of during the holiday season.

Sealed cookware like Emile Henry and Piral are going to be a bit more costly than clay, but are backed by warranty periods, which I think is amazing for something that seems like it should be so fragile.

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*Read more about "Ceramic Dinnerware and Bakeware Basics"

Cast Iron Cookware

Since we started talking about these guys with enamel, we now have to discuss in depth. For regular cast iron with no enamel coating:

Pros:

• All natural!
• Adds iron to your food
• Gets better with age – the more you season it, the more nonstick it will become. Make sure grandma leaves hers to you in her will! I met a man whose family had passed theirs down for over 100 years – he couldn’t believe how “rough” new cast iron feels!
• Hard to kill – if you accidentally wash it with soap, just re-season it! My friend found some badly treated cast iron second-hand and happened to be an art student with access to a sandblaster, so she sandblasted it and re-seasoned it – good as new!
• Lodge – the original cast iron, still made in the USA! 

Cons:

• Heavy
• Not supposed to wash with soap (but if you do, just re-season) or dishwasher
• This leads most people to have specific pans for specific things, and then they just don’t ever wash them, or rarely, at least.
• You can use a mild soap but make sure to dry and season immediately!

Nowadays, brand new cast iron pans will come “pre-seasoned”. This means that they put a bunch of pans in a giant oven and blasted them with vegetable oil. You’re still going to need to season it! Like I already said, the older the better, so you’re going to need to break this baby in. Lodge’s website has great use and care tips that I direct everyone to.

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Porcelain & Enamel Cookware

Chantal 1.5Qt. Saucepan

As I've mentioned before, enamel becomes glass. (This will come up again when we discuss dinnerware.) Glass is non-porous, meaning nothing gets in or out. So any of you thinking that all these funky colors they put on enamel cookware are going to leech into your food, fear not! Glass is also pretty tough, meaning you can be a little harder on these like you would with stainless. This also means you can use metal utensils! You will get surface scratching, but nothing that will damage the cookware.*

Chantal 10" Frypan w/ Helper Handle

Chantal has a patented enamel-on-steel product that really can’t be matched! They’ve been doing this for years—I actually met a girl who said her German grandmother had owned these pans for decades and passed them on to her. (They’re made in Germany!) Their newer line actually has a copper core and was created specifically for induction cook tops, but works well on all types of stoves. The drawback is it’s quite a bit heavier than their older lines, but they put “helper handles” on most pieces to assist. That would be a second short handle on the opposite side of the regular handle so you can grab with both hands.

Le Creuset 6.75Qt. Oval Oven

Porcelain enamel would be what you normally see on enameled cast iron, like Le Creuset, Staub, Lodge, and other brands of enameled dutch ovens.

Some enamels are cheaply made in places like China and I’ve heard negative things in the past about potential issues, but I can’t find anything about it now, so it must not be a problem. This would include the cheaper brands like Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart, and now even Lodge, which is made in the USA, but the enamel comes from China. This lowers the price so they can compete with the more expensive French brands Le Creuset & Staub.

Another great thing about Le Creuset and Staub is that they destroy the molds for everything they create so each piece is unique and well-crafted. If a mold goes in and out of the heat repeatedly, it's quality will break down over time and the end product will not be as good, either. So you're getting your money's worth!

Don’t confuse porcelain enamel cooking surface with the pans that are porcelain enamel with a nonstick cooking surface. Those pans are just nonstick with an enamel exterior. I have a Paula Deen grill pan that is porcelain enamel, and it’s just like any other nonstick—I’ve had it for a couple of years and use it frequently, so it’s starting to die. The exterior has held up really well, though, I must say. I’ve read mixed reviews on other brands holding up as well on the exterior, as well.

 

Paula Deen 11" Grill Pan

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*To clarify to the less graceful ones (like myself), if you drop the pan really hard, you can chip the exterior, which does not affect the cooking of the food, so no worries.  (Actually, if it's REALLY hard, you can damage the whole dang thing, which isn't covered in the lifetime warranty, kids!)

Nonstick Cookware

There are a lot of varieties of nonstick coatings out there, and the great thing is that a lot of them don't contain PFOAs. Teflon has even bounced back from their name being dug through the dirt* and producing nonstick for some of the top brand names again. Unfortunately, in my experience, no matter how much you spend on nonstick cookware, it will always end up “sticking” and eventually chipping or peeling off. At least it’s not toxic anymore, though, right? ;)

A way to keep your nonstick lasting longer is to give it a baking soda or Barkeeper’s Friend “bath” every now and again. Nonstick cookware is porous, so even though you think you’ve cleaned it, there is stuff down in those pores. Baking soda sucks everything out of the pores.

CIA 10" Nonstick...a little worn out already.

Stainless steel with nonstick interior pans will usually still have rivets (see above photo), but on a lot of cheaper nonstick lines you can find rivet-less cookware, which is nice. You can also find some pretty cheap sets, making it a little easier on the wallet to have to replace every 4-5 years. You can’t use metal utensils on nonstick cookware, either.

Paula Deen 11" Nonstick Grill Pan; need to replace soon!

Another thing you want to avoid with nonstick cookware is aerosol cooking sprays because the propellant in it causes the nonstick to break down. You'll also get a sticky residue on the pan. Oil misters can work, but it's easier to use a brush or swirl oil in a pan if you need to use it.

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*In researching this article, I discovered that by Google searching "Teflon", everything below DuPont's website being first related to articles about how PFOA and Teflon are two different things!