Living Alone for the First Time? Here’s What You Should Never Do In the Kitchen

The first few months of living alone is never easy. You’ll have to adjust to how you work around the house and many mistakes will undoubtedly be made.

The kitchen is one of the places where you’ll probably mess up the most. Between cleaning up and using the right cooking materials, here’s what you should never do in the kitchen.

Never leave your kitchen dirty

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Wiping down counters, sweeping and mopping the floor — you need to do it. Whether you see it or not, pieces of food are being left all over your counter, table, and under the stove after you eat and cook. Though it may not seem like a big deal, pests like cockroaches and rats love to snack on these small crumbs. If you slack on wiping down surfaces or cleaning up the kitchen floor, you’ll find that a pest problem will be on its way very soon.

Never pour oil down the drain

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It’s a rookie mistake, but it happens. After cooking a particularly greasy meal, you may find the temptation to pour the excess cooking oil down your drain. After all, it just disappears right? Wrong move. You should never pour oil down the drain because it damages your pipes over time, leading to serious blockage issues. If you need to get rid of excess oil, let it cool and solidify before disposing of it in your regular trash.

Never scrape a non-stick pan

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Save your non-stick pans and clean it right! Don’t use the abrasive side of the sponge and definitely do not use metal scrubbers when you’re washing the dishes. This scrapes off the non-stick coating on your cookware and will make it, well, non-stick. Also make sure to avoid using metal utensils when cooking with non-stick pans, as they can also scrape off and ruin the coating.

Never use the same chopping board for meat and vegetables

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Protect yourself and your stomach by using two separate chopping boards for meats and veggies. This is just basic cooking hygiene that will prevent cross-contamination and bacteria from entering your food. Make it easier by getting different colored chopping boards so you’ll never forget!

Never forget to take out the trash

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Please just do yourself a favor and never forget to take the trash out. Aside from the fact that it’ll stink up your place, rotting food and waste material attracts flies, which lay eggs in your trash. Long story short, you’ll be seeing a ton of maggots if you forget to do this very simple task. For disposing of organic waste in an eco-friendly way, you can use them as fertilizer for your garden or keep them in your freezer and donate to ShareWaste!

Art Daniella Sison

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