A"beautified" NYC Dumpster (source: The New York Times)

Anyway, the real reason I came to write on this blog today is to discuss this article I read earlier today, and the concept of ‘beautifying ugly objects’ which was discussed in the article. (By the way, this post is not related in anyway with kitchen or food — instead it focuses fully on “green” part of this blog Green Your Kitchen) You can see the full article featured on New York Times by clicking here, but to give you a brief summary, the article talks about how a young Roman woman – along with two of her friends – wallpapered a couple of dumpsters on the streets of Manhattan, NY. And it added how “it’s a simple concept, beautifying an ugly object.” Basically, the article was showcasing an example of how the public space/fixtures could turn from ugly to beauty with a simple idea, and how that task of “beautification” was able to turn ugly dumpsters into ‘street artifacts’, only with a little extra care.

As I was reading through the article, I was able to recall a same idea that I encountered back in 2002 — back then, my home country co-hosted the FIFA World Cup — when more than half of the public trash bins were painted/decorated to be soccer-themed in my hometown. Since I was only 15 at the time I don’t recall much detail about it. But as far as I can remember, those soccer-ball-looking trash bins were not only successful in raising the World Cup spirit for visitors and citizens during the event period, but also were successful in keeping streets look clean & unique for a short while after the event was over. Even as a citizen living in the country, I was quite impressed by how those beautified-trash-bins could transform the entire look of the streets and the city. I also recall how, at the time, I wished those nice looking trash bins would be kept that way (though their looks would change over time) forever after the World Cup — only to find out that was never going to happen — and how I was disappointed to see the ugly trash bins back in action, or I should say back on streets, again soon after the even had ended.

An ugly dumpster of NYC

Ever since then, I never really went back to thinking about” beautification” of trash bins, dumpsters, or any other ugly, worn-out street fixtures; until today, when I encountered the article I mentioned earlier in this post.  The article led me to look back at my great memories about soccer-themed trash bins on one side, and the ugly & dirty trash bins and dumpsters I encounter on the corners of every block here in NYC on the other side. And I’m thinking that maybe this idea of ‘beautifying ugly objects’ could be implemented widely through out different cities and countries, and it could be more widely used to beautify not only trash bins and dumpsters but also any other public fixtures that are ugly or dirty, such as old postal boxes and manhole covers.

With a little more background knowledge on financial relationship between an investment (executing costly projects) and returns (benefits those projects bring) as a grown up, I understand that a project to beautify ugly public fixtures may not be the smartest investment knowing it would not produce any direct & immediate economic benefits.  However, if you’ve lived through last decade of 20th century until now, you all probably had noticed that all the electricity poles & cables have been hidden from above-ground to below-ground, and are hard to encounter anymore. And it may be hard to remember, or notice, the difference in looks between before & after hiding the poles & cables, but if you have a chance to actually compare the two and see the difference, you’ll be surprised to discover the extreme disparity in looks between the two — this whole concept of ‘beautifying ugly objects’ is not much different from the idea of hiding electricity poles and cables.  YOU ARE INVESTING YOUR EFFORT and/or MONEY for A GREENER, BETTER-LOOKING ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERYONE.  The primary return we should look for in an investment like this is the “environmental transformation” of the town or country, and NOT something like ‘bringing in certain figures of money’ — though it could even create some economic benefits in the long run with rising reputation as a “green” town or country, which then leads to possible increase in tourism, etc.

The point I’m making here is that as a person who has experienced and felt the beauty of beautifying ugly street fixtures, such efforts are really worth the money and the effort. And while such investments, or efforts, may seem unjustifiable financially in a short run, we must realize that though not financial, greener environment is a wonderful asset everyone can enjoy and a huge, intangible benefit that such investment in time, effort, and money can bring to us all. I hope the general public as well as policy makers are able to realize the value in- and beauty of- ‘beautifying ugly objects’, and wish that people would become more and more willing to contribute in making our environment better and cleaner — whether that be in a form of smaller voluntary activities or as a part of larger public policy/project.

End result to this? Well, a pricey utility bill coming from excessive use of heating appliances at home. If you’ve ever managed utility bills for your home, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about — though electric costs surge in both summer and winter due to use of A/C and heaters respectively, winter costs tend to be even higher than those of summer time. With combination of high utility costs with Christmas and New Year holidays, winter season really puts a lot of stress on us financially with a burden of spending money for ourselves (utility costs) as well as for others (holiday gifts). Especially this year, with the economy being still cold as it is, this financial burden could hit on us even more critically.

So to help you cut back on your winter spending, I’m providing you with some simple tips to save money this season: And yes, as this blog is named “Green Your Kitchen”, these are tips to save on your kitchen utility costs

1) Refrigerator/Freezer — According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a few simple adjustments can trim roughly up to 40~50% of operating costs associated with refrigerator and freezer. First is to adjust the thermostat to appropriate temperature: 37~40 F degrees for refrigerator and 0~5 for freezer. By having the thermostat set at the right temperature and not make it too cold can save up to 25% of your fridge’s energy consumption. Cleaning the condenser coils on the rear or bottom of the fridge allows for easier cool air-flow, and thus cut energy cost. In addition, using an ice tray instead of automatic ice maker can also cut energy consumption by up to 20%.

2) Oven and Ranges — When using your burner, match the burner size to that of a pan. When using a small pan, use a smaller burner and save the large burner only for those larger pans that cannot fit onto the smaller burner. For gas stoves, don’t let the flames lick the side of the pot. By matching the burner to pan, electricity won’t be wasted heating the kitchen rather than food, and thus you’ll see your electric bills shrink by little every time. Additionally, you can also save energy when using oven by eliminating preheating process and cutting the power several minutes before the end of cook time. Many cooks agree that preheating is totally unnecessary except for a few recipes such as baking, and by eliminating preheating time, you can cut back on time and energy. Also, by cutting the power before the cooking ends, you can put residual heat to work and cut back a few dollars every month.

3) Dishwasher – Most dishwashers use the same amount of water and energy regardless of the amount of dishes in it. Thus, instead of running the washer when it’s only half-full, run the machine only when it is full and it will help you save on costs. Also, while many people believe they can save water and energy by hand washing dishes, the truth is that a dishwasher requires less than one-third the water it would take to do those same dishes in the sink, if run only when it’s full. Thus, doing so will not only save you a buck per month, you also won’t have to deal with hand-washing the dishes.

Similarly, it sometimes scares, and even amazes, me to see how many people ignore the importance of sanitizing kitchen sponges that are used to clean our dishes and silverwares.

Sanitizing a kitchen sponge with microwave kills 99 percent of germs on it.

If you think a kitchen sponge is always kept clean by getting rubbed with a soap all the time, think again.
In fact, many researchers say that a kitchen sponge contains and absorbs so many germs from dirty dishes, that it should ideally be replaced with a new one every few weeks. However, as replacing a kitchen sponge every few weeks poses financial problems to many average homes, there’s also an alternative way to keep our kitchen safe from kitchen-sponge-germs.
That is, to sanitize using microwave. The process is quite simple. 1) You rinse your sponge until it is completely free of soap residue. When all the soap residue has been washed away, 2) soak your sponge in clean water to prevent it from drying up and catching fire in the microwave. Then, 3) immediately place your wet sponge in the microwave, and microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it gets hot and steamy. You must microwave only for 30 seconds at a time to ensure that the sponge does not dry out and catch fire. Finally, 4) simply remove a hot, steamy microwaved sponge using tongs as it will be very hot. And let it dry in a sanitary place.
While being a simple process, this microwave-sanitizing kills 99 percent of the germs from your kitchen sponge. And it is recommended to sanitize a kitchen sponge about 3 times a week.

So from now on, instead of wondering about how to keep a kitchen safe and germ-free by using expensive and complicated methods, you could start simply by sanitizing your kichen sponge. Hope this post helps in doing so. =)

To all those casual wine drinkers in the U.S. , I have little something for you to be aware of before you go get your next bottle of wine.

Many American wines are becoming processed drinks

The general assumption about wine is that it is made by a winery, and that winery’s name is on the label. However, according to a recent article that I’ve read, of the top 30 wine brands in the U.S., none actually grows, produces and bottles its own wines. Instead, they buy tankers of bulk juice and put their own labels on it.

It is just like how most big name retailers would do — buying bunch of products at cheaper cost and selling them as if their own. And this is generally expected in large retail stores; but not from wine makers. I’m guessing it is legally okay for them to do so, and is definitely not an official fraud, but considering how most consumers expect wine labels to reflect the actual winery and the wine producer, it only seems like those bigger-name wine brands are just using that widely spread perception against their own consumers.

Is it wine companies fault that this retailer-like production & labeling process is taking place? I cannot say. But one thing that I can be sure of is that us — wine consumers and the general public — should (if not must) be aware of where the wine we drank last night came from. Maybe a change in commercial laws to require a disclosure of difference between the actual wine maker and the bottling/labeling company would help. Or maybe, people can educate each other on this almost-fraud-like situation in the U.S. wine industry using word-of-mouth method like I’m doing right now.  Using whichever way possible, I hereby claim that as consumers of wine, we have right to know about what we are drinking.

Also, here’s a tip for you when you go get your next bottle of wine: Read the print on label. Look for the term “produced and bottled by” as it indicates the wine was both produced and bottled by the same labeling company. And don’t be fooled  by similar terms like “cellared and bottled by” or “vinted and bottled by,” as they imply that the wine was not actually made at the winery at all.

If you want to see the actual article I’m referring to above, read it here.

Oh and by the way, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving stocking up turkey meat in stomach.

It is sad that Thanksgiving is all over, but fortunately there’s only one more month to go until the next holiday break — and that next one is the longest one, so let’s all cheer up!

In Thanksgiving day, most people will sit with their beloved families to have a fulfilling dinner, watch some football on TV, and have fun!  Those who live away from home may also sit with their beloved friends and neighbors to feel the holiday spirits. However, there are also many that cannot afford all that luxury due to financial and other reasons. And with the current global economy, this number is only expected to increase.

Thanksgiving day apparently is the time of year to be thankful for all that we have, and for all that we have to offer our neighbors.  Right…?

Look for easy, affordable ways to contribute to the holiday spirit

So why don’t we start showing some love for our neighbors? This ‘showing of love’ does not have to be in a fancy way. Of course if you are a billionaire with a whole lot of disposable income, it will be nice to have your name on top of the donors list by donating thousands of dollars in a charity. But this certainly does not have to be the method for us average individuals.  There are tons of ways in which you can contribute to more affordable holiday ‘love sharing’ and these include donating food in a food drive, doing some social volunteering work, dropping some changes in Salvation Army’s red kettles, and donating old clothes in drop boxes in your neighborhood.

What really matters is the care and love you give, and not the amount of dollars you donate. And if you are too busy to physically participate in the love sharing, there are also plenty of ways to contribute more quickly and conveniently, such as through virtual food drives in which you pay online for specific amount and type of food you want to donate, and the hosting company or charity will donate the pre-paid food. Pretty neat, huh?

No matter how you do it, it will add to the LOVE for neighbors and help out those in need of care. And if you are not convinced at all by such reasons, then think differently: by sharing your holiday spirits, not only those receiving neighbors will benefit from it, but also you’ll feel a whole lot better about yourself! So go ahead and show some love by reaching out to those who need it. Remember: It is never too late to give. 

Now, to get to the point, I introduced reusable straws a few days ago, which can contribute to a cleaner environment. And to provide you with information on more TINY things that could help our environment BIG, I’m now introducing to you the Green Toothpicks – toothpicks that are made from starch.

Starch Toothpicks

To repeat myself, YES these toothpicks are made using starch — the same starch found in potatoes and corn. I’m not sure why, but in this supposedly, “environmentally friendly” United States, I have never seen any of these yet. Back in my home country in Asia, however, these have been replacing traditional wooden toothpicks everywhere since almost 10 years ago. These starch toothpicks are sustainable  and biodegradable — making it environmentally friendly.

Also, as a large part of humans’ food waste gets processed to create food for domestic animals, traditional toothpicks being mixed in the food waste often cause safety concerns for those animals. Unlike them, these starch toothpicks are edible — both by human and animals — thus eliminating the safety concerns.

What’s interesting is that, upon hearing that these starch toothpicks are edible, I actually have tried one. In fact, some of my friends have done it too — though I don’t recommend anyone else doing it because it is just too hard to chew.

So as I was drinking my can of soda, I thought “what if we can get rid of straw-garbage?” So, I went ahead in a search of reusable straws online, and found these glass straws which can be washed and reused permanently just like metal silverwares.

Reusable Straws

These straws are dishwasher safe – allowing for easy washing, while saving environment at the same time by getting rid of straw-garbage. They also look better than disposable ones. And if you look for ‘reusable straws’ online, you’ll be able to find many different kinds that are made using various materials.

Although it may be a bit of hassle to wash straws after each time you use them, wouldn’t it be worth a try as an attempt to save our environment? Maybe it’s your turn to take an action in this global “green” drive, and you could start off small by switching to glass straws.

And to follow up on that, here are some tips on how you can spend less dollars, and still eat healthy (how great  is that?!)  — based on “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides” report by a green organization called Environmental Working Group (EWG).

• If you do not have enough budget to buy everything organic, try saving your dollars for “high-risk” produce. According to the report by EWG, produce such as peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, strawberries, lettuce, carrots and pears get highly contaminated by pesticides. (even if you rinse them before you eat) Thus, it is highly recommended that you put them on top of your list when going organic-grocery-shopping.
• For items like onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, asparagus, cabbage, kiwi, watermelon, broccoli and tomato, you could try to save your money by going with conventionally grown products as they are less likely to have pesticide contamination.

NYC Union Square Farmers' Market

Also, if time allows you, check out local farmers’ markets in search of organic produce. Here in NYC, I often visit farmers’ markets (in fact, there’s one right in front of my work place) and am always able to find organic products that taste good, are more fresh and way cheaper than the nearby Whole Foods Market.

And YES, I think whole foods market is way over-priced, although they carry good products.

The study looked at how people’s eating habits have changed due to the current economic downturn. And the results are… well, not too good (as far as health is concerned). It said that almost a third of 2000 respondents were eating less healthily than last year in a bid to save money amid soaring food prices and economic downturn. And more people are turning to cheap, processed foods as organic, healthier foods tend to be more expensive.

Upon looking at the article, I just could not agree less  — as a young person living in NYC, I face the same issue everyday. During lunch times, I always, sadly, fall in dilemma of whether I should eat cheap-but-unhealthy food, or eat healthy-but-expensive food. And even more sadly, I usually end up choosing the cheap-unhealthy side — primarily for financial reasons.  And if you are one of those that are always concerned about status of your wallet, like me, I bet you really FEEL the sadness associated with this study result as well.

I guess the best solution to this problem would be to ‘cook & eat at home’ and to ‘carry lunch box’, but that is not so easy — especially if you are a guy like me that lives alone and spend most of the time at work.  Well, but if you are concerned about your health, it’s certainly worth trying.    And let’s just hope this economic downturn goes away, soon.

p.s. if you want to see the actual article covering the study mentioned above, click here.

From personal experience, these more-expensive electric cooktops (around $500-1000 more expensive than traditional ones) have both ups and downs to it. And as the SAFETY is generally seen as the greatest attribute of these electric products, I have little something to say about that safety issue.

– Electric cooktops are generally SAFER in a sense that it will not burn down your house even if it’s ON for long period of time, as long as nothing is placed on it; I’ve once left my stove ON and was away from home for a couple of days, but fortunately when I came back, I could not find any track of damage.

– It COULD SOMETIMES BE LESS safer than traditional cook tops; traditional cook tops, when they are ON and hot, have flames coming out of it. And those flames could help you NOT burn yourself because they are visually so obvious – when I was using a electric cooktop, I mistakenly placed a finger on the hot spot (though the stove was OFF) and burnt myself. Electric cooktops stay very hot for a longtime even after you turn it off. And although there’s little buttons indicating whether the cooktop is still hot, it’s easy to not notice them, and thus make a mistake like I did.

So in short, although electric cooktops will save your house when IT REALLY MATTERS (like in a case when your house may burn down), when it comes to daily-usage, traditional cooktops can be safer than electric ones. And yes, you could say electric cooktops are better (safer) because they are the safest when ‘it really matters’, BUT when- and how often- would it “really matter”? In fact, probably the most common accident stemming from usage of stoves is burning oneself, and not the entire house. So should you really pay extra $500~1000 to get that “generally safer” electric cooktop as supposed to traditional ones? Hmm, I say that’s a QUESTIONABLE decision (though it really depends on individual perception)