A well organized kitchen is essential if you are in there a lot and love cooking. While few of us can afford the kitchen of our dreams, there are a few things you can do to make your life easier.

We could all do with more counter space; this is a very obvious fact. Unless you have a huge kitchen with meters of counter, the best thing you can do is to keep yours clutter free and as clean as possible.

Large and bulky appliances take up lots of space, so try and get the kind that will fit underneath your counters instead.

Keeping your flatware in tidy, organized drawers make life a lot easier when you need a utensil in a hurry. There is a tip for your knives coming next.

There are many good knife sets that will take up very little space on your counter but have them close at hand. Keeping them in a block or stand will keep your knives sharp too, and you won’t buy more than you need.

The right pans are also essential. Shop around before you buy, you want the kind that are easy to use and clean and aren’t too heavy.

Also make sure that you have enough pans to cook with, as there’s nothing worse than not having enough and end up doing something in the microwave oven.

Although we love cooking, I don’t know of anyone who enjoys preparing the food. This is a boring, tedious task but, unfortunately, necessary. Get yourself all the aids that you can to speed this bit up so that you can get to the bit you enjoy, cooking the food!

This writer also regularly publishes articles regarding topics like the folding hand truck dolly and jumbo folding shopping carts.

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What are your favorite memories from your State or County Fair? Is it the fair food? I know mine is! When my family walks through those gates at the fair, the first thing we head for is the corn dogs. Once we each have our favorite corn dog, we are good to go!

Our State and County Fairs only come around once a year, which is way too infrequent for our love of fair food. We’ve tried to duplicate those corn dogs we get at the fair by making the pre-packaged corn dogs from the freezer department at the grocery store. Those corn dogs just weren’t the same. So, of course, we decided to get out the deep fryer and make a batch at home.

Now, corn dogs may not be the most nutritional meal on the planet. However, as far as treats go, a corn dog doesn’t have to be totally wasted calories, high in salt and sugar. The great thing about making your own corn dogs at home is that you get to control all the ingredients.

First of all there’s the hot dog itself. Many years ago there was really only one or two hot dog brands to choose from, and they both had basically identical ingredients. Now when you walk up to the meat counter, you’ll see a full array of hot dogs to choose from that can boggle the mind. If you don’t eat beef or pork, there’s turkey or chicken. There are even vegetarian style hot dogs. You can even get hot dogs stuffed with cheese or made with beer. The choices are endless so choose the hot dog that best suits your tastes and dietary preferences. A hot dog can actually be nutritious nowadays!

When it comes to the coating, this is where you can make some flavor changes, as well as healthier choices. You can choose whole wheat flour instead of white flour. You can cut back on the salt or use only the egg whites for the coating. Some pre-packaged corn dogs have added sugar, so that’s certainly something you can eliminate. Add a few herbs and seasonings for a whole new flavor and added color.

When you eat a corn dog at the fair, you don’t get to choose which oil they use or how many corn dogs were in the batch before yours. When you make them at home, you can make a healthier choice. Just be sure that you choose an oil that is suitable for high temperature cooking. Read the label of the oil before you decide. Many people deep fry using peanut oil, but there are other choices. Look at refined oils like sunflower or safflower, as well as corn oil or canola oil.

If you have a regular deep fryer, just be sure to check their directions. If you use a pot or skillet on the stove, you’ll need a reliable thermometer to check the oil. It should be about 375 degrees before you begin to fry the corn dogs. Fry a few corn dogs at a time being careful not to crowd the pot. If there are too many in the pot at one time, the oil will cool and the corn dogs will start to get soggy because they are just swimming in the oil instead of frying. Take the corn dogs out and let the oil drain off by putting them on absorbent paper spread over a cooling rack. Let the corn dogs cool a bit, then serve with ketchup, mustard, or your favorite sauce.

In the middle of winter when the County Fair is just a distant memory, you can recreate those warm, summer nights with a little “fair food.” Gather your goodies and get cooking those corn dogs! What a nice taste of summer!

Fun homemade treats start with making corn dogs just like you get at the Fair. Visit us for even more fun food recipes and create memorable meals for your family tonight!

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