Basic Kitchenship for Healthy Living (#14)

Kitchen Sinks and Faucets (#14)

LJ 009

Choosing the Kitchen Sink(s) and Faucet(s)

• If your kitchen space is large and a lot of cooking, eating or entertaining takes place at home, I definitely recommend installing two wide, deep-bottomed sinks with separate faucets side by side. (The bar sink is optional, seriously).

To achieve a lasting shiny look, go for a brand reputed for its high quality heavy duty stainless steel kitchen sinks. With fixed fixtures & equipment, get the best quality.

Don’t go overboard though by getting industrial-type sinks unless you have an enormous kitchen. Consider the kitchen size when choosing sink sizes. The sinks should not have an overwhelming presence in the kitchen. Keep a sense of balance among the different elements (stove, ref, sink, etc) in the kitchen for good feng shui.

• One sink can be designated as the “dirty sink” and the other the “clean sink.” Ideally the dirty sink should be fitted with an incinerator underneath.

• The most practical kitchen sink faucet has a long vertical swan neck that can be rotated from left and right. Add an auxiliary spray in one of those sinks. Sprays are the most effective and economical way to rinse strainers, wired ladles, extra-large pots, dish organizers, and tall things.

• A stainless-steel wall utility rack designed to hold bottled detergents, soap dishes and sponges can be strategically placed behind and over the sink faucet. If the sink is facing the window, there are countless choices of aesthetically-designed yet functional counter organizers at the home section of department stores and specialty shops. Going from store to store to hunt for one organizer is a joyful pastime for one with good taste and a small budget.

Organizers reduce clutter by limiting the number of items scattered on the kitchen counter.

Keeping Things in Sanitary Condition (Don’t compromise on cleanliness!)

• The dirty sink should be used exclusive to dump and pre-rinse dirty dishes and other kitchen items (except those with sharp edges which should be laid down on the counter away from small children). This is also where fresh food like fish, meat, fruits and vegetables can be washed. Run the incinerator once at the end of the day to liquefy solid wastes that get trapped in the incinerator.

• The clean sink is for final washing and rinsing of dishes and other items, putting down cooked pasta to drain and laying down blocks of ice (hey, remember the blackouts when we all had to buy a block of ice to keep the freezer section of the ref cold ?)

• If your kitchen has only one sink like mine (sigh), follow 3 simple steps when washing things:

1 Pre-wash kitchen items (ideally with warm slightly soapy water) to remove food residue and lay the items down on the counter.

2. Clean the sink (and run the incinerator if the sink has one).

3. Wash the things.

• No spitting and teeth brushing in the sink(s), please!

• Absolutely no washing of floor mops, infant’s butt, used underwear, garden implements and pets in the kitchen sink. I saw this American Ad on a shopping network that demonstrated the use of a “magic” mop which was repeatedly soaked in a kitchen sink full of soapy water. It totally grossed me out!

• Have several sponges for specific uses: one each for dishes, the sink, the stove, the microwave, the counter, the ref, etc. For easy identification, sponges should have fixed designated places. Locally made sponges costing about P15 each are sturdy enough to last about a month. Buy them in packs of 12 to avail of wholesale price.

• At the end of each day, the sink and surrounding counter should be wiped completely dry. Bacteria multiply rapidly in wet surfaces and contaminate anything within reach. Empty soap dishes of soapy water that accumulate in the catch-tray.

Hang the sponges overnight to dry. (For added safeguard, mildly OCs like me can also microwave the sponges for 1 minute using full power the next morning to sterilize them.) Replace sponges as soon as they become smelly, bald in places or heavily stained.

• Finally, we all get those big jars of extravagant, scented moisturizing liquid hand or bath soaps at Christmas time. I just love those presents. I bought a couple of easy-on-the-pocket cute, blue-tinted plastic squeeze bottles and fill them up with the scented soap and placed one in the kitchen.

When I wash my hands, I start with the scented soap to get rid of the sticky fish scales or slimy garlic juice on my hands and the unflattering smell. Then I finish off with a rich lather from a bar of anti-bacterial soap. A cheap way of getting my hands germ-free and smelling of essential oil.

To be continued…

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