Is Your Cutlery Drawer a Mess? Take Heart, You’re Not Alone

Would you think cutlery as it sits in your cutlery drawer could tell something about how organized you are? We came across this story about a lady who was down on herself because she considered her cutlery drawer to be a mess. She took it as evidence that she was unorganized, and that her family was judging her for it. On the other hand, she may not be as unorganized as she thinks. It all depends on how the situation is perceived.

Read on for some insight, and, while you're at it, think about getting some better quality cutlery, since that actually can help make you a better cook, which you and your family will love.

Betty Seeks Organized Living

On the topic of organized living I would like to share with you a story about my friend Betty. This story illustrates the real purpose behind organized living. When people ask the question "How to get organized?" the question reflects an inner feeling of not being in control. The real benefit of organized living is not neatness or tidiness... it is control!

Here is the story of my friend Betty

One day my friend Betty lamented that she was indeed disorganized and that she could use my help.

This statement really surprised me as I had never thought of Betty as being unorganized so I explored this further with her.

Me: "Betty, why do you think you are unorganized?"

Betty: "Oh my cutlery drawer is a mess. My kids tell me nobody has a cutlery drawer like mine. They think there is really some thing wrong with me that I do not fix it up."

Me: "What do you mean your cutlery drawer is a mess?"

Betty: "Well everything is just thrown in there. All the knives and forks and things just in the drawer. My kids get really frustrated with it."

Me: " Do you get frustrated with it Betty?"

Betty: "No. I don't have any problem with it. In fact, somebody gave me one of those drawer organizers once because they thought it needed tidying up and I used it for awhile, but it made me rather anxious every time I looked at it so I stopped using it!"

Me: " I see, so you stopped using the cutlery organizer because it made you feel anxious?"

Betty: "Yes, I think I was just afraid that I would put something in the wrong place, I like it better with everything just jumbled in there. I guess that way I cannot make any mistakes."

Me: " So Betty when you go to get the cutlery to set the table for dinner can you find everything you need?"

Betty: "Yes"

Me: " And how long does it take you to find what you need to set the table?"

Betty: " Just a few seconds....but you should see my underwear box!"

Me: " Your underwear box?"

Betty: "Yes, I do not use a drawer I just have a big chest that I throw all my underwear and socks in. It is all jumbled up!"

Me: " I see. We seem to have a 'jumbled up' theme going on here. Betty do you feel your life is jumbled up?"

Betty: "No!"

Me: "Betty do you feel you have control over your cutlery and your underwear?"

Betty: "Absolutely!"

Me: "And how long does it take you to find your underwear to get dressed in the morning?"

Betty: "Just a few seconds."

Me: " Do you ever feel frustrated because you cannot find the cutlery you need or are you ever late for work because you cannot find the clean underwear you need in your underwear chest?"

Betty: "No to both questions."

Me: "Would you consider your home to be neat and tidy...most of the time"

Betty: "Yes."

Me: "Do you feel in control of your life, even your jumbled up cutlery drawer and underwear chest?"

Betty: "Yes"

Betty was pleased to learn and subsequently tell her children that she is not unorganized. She has a system for controlling her cutlery and her underwear! Just because others could not understand her system does not mean that she is unorganized.

Betty finally realized that she had already achieved organized living even though her children would tell her otherwise.

Betty was in control and would no longer feel compelled to ponder "How to get organized?"

My website http://www.organization-makes-sense.com offers insights into the fundamentals of organized living including one of the three simple truths which is that the goal of organized living is to be in control.

Tags: Cutlery, organized living, organizing

July 03 2008 | Cutlery | No Comments »

Choosing Kitchen Cutlery – Some Tips

Kitchen cutlery comes in all sizes and shapes. Each small variation results in a different use. There are long ones, short ones, wide ones, narrow ones, curved ones, angled ones and the list goes on and on. They are made from carbon steel, stainless steel, stamped steel, ceramic or even plastic. choosing the correct one can make your kitchen experience enjoyable or an arduous chore.

Opinions, of course, vary all over the map. Here are a few things that will provide you with some orderly direction in choosing kitchen cutlery.

Tips On Choosing Kitchen Cutlery

Purposeful Design

Most quality kitchen cutlery comes in sets because no one knife can do it all. You’re not going to use the same blade to slice bread as you are to slice prime rib, even though they’re both designed for slicing. And you don’t need a cleaver to be as flexible as a filet knife, because they don’t do the same job. Most kitchen cutlery is named after the job they are designed to perform, which will make things easier for you to choose. Make sure the knife fits your hand well and has great balance. The top brands have exceptional balance, which will minimize fatigue and turn a chore into a treat.

Helpful Knowledge

If you know a chef or someone who cooks like one, don’t be afraid to ask them their opinion on their favorite kitchen cutlery. My experiences with German and Japanese blades are extremely favorable. I’ve found their level of quality in both workmanship and materials to be stellar.

Find out how the edge is made on the knife you’re interested in and learn how it works. See what kind of edge works best for the task at hand. Learn about the steel that it’s made from. Cheap steel makes for cheap kitchen cutlery. Some knives are forged and are generally regarded as of a higher quality than those that are stamped from sheets of steel. But today, a high quality stamped blade may be better than a low quality forged one. Put your trust in a company with a great reputation for quality materials and workmanship.

On The Edge

Hollow-ground, serrated, chisel-ground or convex edge, how do you choose your kitchen cutlery? That all depends on what you’re using it for. Most top chefs will tell you that the chisel-ground single-sided edge will cut absolutely the best slices of anything.

Since they are much more economical to mass produce, most kitchen cutlery is either hollow ground or serrated. For most home chefs those two types of edges will do anything and everything they will ever need. To further add to the confusion, many companies now offer kitchen cutlery with super sharp ceramic blades that supposedly never need sharpening. The downside of ceramic is that they are so hard that they can’t easily be sharpened. On the plus side though, they are amazingly sharp, lightweight and they even come in colors. The pluses far outweigh the minuses.

Yes, we’ve all seen TV commercials where some wonderful piece of kitchen cutlery cuts through an aluminum can, but that’s only useful if you eat aluminum cans. You can make cooking into a joy by choosing the proper kitchen cutlery.

Neece, like everyone else, enjoys the finer things in life. She researches and discovers the best things available so you can find the luxuries you deserve as well as gifts for those you love all in one convenient place. http://www.authenticindulgences.com/

Tags: blades, chef's knife, Cutlery, forged steel, kitchen cutlery, serrated knife

July 02 2008 | Cutlery | No Comments »