We all have kitchen tips that we pick up along the way that become routine in our kitchen.  Today I am sharing six tips that have made prepping and clean up easier for me.  You will want to incorporate them in your kitchen.

Kitchen Tips to Protect Your Hands

These six kitchen tips protect your hands in both cooking and clean up.  They are inexpensive products that I use every day.  The bonus is that they help protect my hands from over washing, hot water and burns.  They also help to extend the life of my nail polish too.

Disposable Gloves for Food Handling

I don’t know how I ever cooked without kitchen gloves.  I wear them everyday!  I always have two kinds of gloves on hand.

I use form-fitting gloves when I need a good grip such as chopping jalapeños or slicing raw chicken.  They have a slight coating of powder inside which makes them easy to slide on, even though they are form-fitting.

If I need to quickly remove some raw meat from a marinade, I like a looser glove that can go on and off quickly.

In the picture below I am pulling ham out of a ziplock bag.  If I use my bare hands, I am constantly washing my hands in between each step.  Disposable gloves are such a convenience.  When taking them off, grab them from the wrist and pull off so the dirty part is inside, keeping your hands clean.

Both gloves are stored under my kitchen sink and are easily accessible.

Dishwashing Gloves

I rarely do my dishes without wearing my tried and true Playtex gloves.  They protect my hands from drying out from the hot water.

The key to wearing the gloves is first, finding your correct size.  You want them to be snug enough so that you can easily hold your dishes and glassware.  However they should easily slip on and off.

My other tip is to fold the top of each glove over creating approximately a one-inch cuff.  This prevents the water from running down your arms.

Oven Mitts

Have you ever accidentally used a damp oven mitt to pick up a hot pot?  If you have you know the consequences!  A painful burn.  That is one reason Silicone is my favorite material for oven mitts.  They withstand high temperatures and are so easy to clean if you get anything on them.  Once you use them, you will never use cloth ones again.

My heavy-duty silicone mitts are great for lifting pots and pans, especially if they have boiling water or steam coming out.  They are also great for carrying hot food from a longer distance such as the outdoor grill into the kitchen.

My husband has even used them to flip a turkey in the roasting pan halfway through cooking.

For smaller objects, my larger mitts can be too cumbersome.  I fell in love with these little claw like silicone mitts.  They are perfect for pulling a tray out of my toaster oven.  They also work well for lighter objects such as cookie sheets and pizza pans.

Silicone Pot Handle Cover

When I am cooking something that needs a lot of stirring, I like using my silicone pot handle.  That way I don’t have to grab an oven mitt every time I need to hold the pan while I stir.  It just slides on over the handle.   It can stay on the pan during the cooking process.  I use this handle cover on my cast iron skillet too.  It’s so convenient.

Shopping Links

If you are interested in any of these products, you can find their links below.   What products do you use that make life easier in the kitchen?