Are you making these appliance mistakes?

Kitchen appliances ranging from blenders to microwaves to slow cookers allow us to save time and energy for many cooking tasks. However, sometimes we don’t use these tools appropriately. We might not even realize that we are making mistakes with the appliances, so it can be helpful to get reminders. Taste of Home is here to help, providing a list of thirteen ways we may be using our appliances wrong. We’ve highlighted a few items from the article below.

Don’t sprinkle salt on food before microwaving

I was tickled to learn a few new facts, including that microwave energy is drawn to salt. So if you sprinkle salt on something before microwave cooking, the area around it will tend to be overcooked. Make sure you stir the salt in well or wait to add salt until after cooking for best results. 

Add items to a blender in the correct order

Adding items to a blender in the wrong order is also a no-no according to the article. To avoid the dreaded blender stall-out, make sure you put liquids in the bottom, then add items according to size. The smallest pieces should go in first, followed by larger items like ice. 

The drawer beneath your oven shouldn’t be used to store pots and pans

While I learned some new tricks with this list, I admit that I disagree with the last one. They admonish you not to use the draw beneath your oven to store pots and pans, saying that the drawer is supposed to be used for broiling. That is only true for gas ovens – for many electric ranges, the bottom drawer has no purpose other than storage. On my stove it is a warming drawer, and I will reluctantly admit that I store some pans in it, which does limit the times I use it for its intended purpose. But those of us with small kitchens have to make some sacrifices in order to hoard (I mean collect) things like cast iron pans.