Do you own a silicone mat? I bet you store it rolled up somewhere in your kitchen? Well, its suppose to be stored flat to prevent fiberglass filaments from breaking and crackling. If storing it flat is not an option and you don’t care, roll it around an empty paper towel tube and secure it with an elastic band.

And I bet you have a couple of wooden spoons in your kitchen. I love mine and I have a good collection. But, did you know that wooden spoons absorb and transfer flavors and odors. So in order to avoid this, separate them, keep some for savory dishes and others for sweet dishes. You can tell them appart by making notches or burning marks on the handle.

And if you run to get new ones, remember to soak them in mineral oil. This will help keep them less absorbent and easier to clean.

And since we are talking about wooden kitchen tools, lets talk about a bit about your wood cutting board. In order to maintained them in good shape, remember to dry it upright to prevent moisture from seeping. Prevent cracks by oiling it when it starts to look dry. And if a old board, needs to be revive, scrub it clean with sandpaper, then rinse, dry and oil. Just make sure it’s mineral oil and not any other kind, the latter can go rancid and taint food.