Comments on: Make your kitchen magnetic

By: amphora

amphora — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:40:54 +0000

These are great suggestions if you own, (like I do) a large stainless steel BBQ. The magnetic paper towel holder is great not just for BBQ messes but to have on hand whenever I’m in the backyard with the kids. Beats running back into the house to find something to clean up spilled juice!

By: Vero Pepperrell

Vero Pepperrell — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:10:11 +0000

Absolutely loved having a magnetic knife rack in the past, but we got two absolutely adorable kittens and had to take the knife rack down for safety (even though we actively discourage the cats from going on the kitchen counters!) Also useful in a small kitchen are hooks in the underside of cupboard shelves to use up the space between the high shelves and the stacked up plates. Hang tea mugs and keep them out of the way.

By: Pat

Pat — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:57:18 +0000

@JustTheSort: Oxo makes magnetic potholders now. I ran into them this summer: http://www.lnt.com/product/ind.....Id=2082671

By: Pat

Pat — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:47:46 +0000

@Erica: Coincidentally, I have one online, for a “show me your fridge” contest of sorts:

http://goteaminternet.com/img/docs/5124.jpg

This is slightly before the discovery of a bunch of “classic” magnetic hooks (@Leslie — they ARE a bit hard to find!) made it easier to hang stuff like pot holders.

And for good measure, here’s a picture of the homemade magnetic poetry that used to decorate the front:

http://goteaminternet.com/img/docs/10950.jpg

(The language is Quechua, for anyone who’s wondering.)

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:00:52 +0000

I love, love, love magnetic hooks! My mom always had them, and my roommate, and then when I was married, I was bereft! I always wondered where to buy them (though obviously I never looked very hard).

I still have those plastic letter magnets on my fridge – I put them up for my niece when we were baby-sitting, but even my grown up friends play with them when they come over.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:10:21 +0000

I have the Ikea knife strip (holds my tongs too!) as well as the larger bar parts of that same line that allows me to hang a spice rack, towel holders and a few plastic buckets they sell that are made for the set that house many utensils I don’t like to put into drawers. I love them and swear by them. Be careful with the knife strip though, don’t bang up your blades on them.

I may making my own spice tins with magnets for my fridge, it would make accessing them a lot easier!

By: Michael@ Awareness * Connection

Michael@ Awareness * Connection — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:33:41 +0000

This is one of the downsides of stainless appliances too, if yearn for Pat’s set up. The stainless sides are not magnetic. I actually am okay with it though as our kitchen benefits from a bit less visual clutter.

@Pat your fridge sounds like fun.

By: JustTheSort

JustTheSort — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:37:53 +0000

Back in the 1970s my mom had magnetic potholders. They were sturdy terrycloth squares with bound (bias tape type) edges. In one corner there was a loop (if you wanted to hang it) but right near that loop was a very strong little rectangular magnet sewn inside the seam under the fabric. You could fling ‘em at the fridge (or oven door) and they’d stick. Very handy both from a cook’s point of view and from the perspective of a bored child. (It’s a tool! It’s a toy! It’s both!)

They were very practical…And no, having them stick to a metal pan as you were removing it from the oven wasn’t really problematic.

I’ve seen magnetic potholders on craft/DIY websites but haven’t noticed many available from retailers in recent years.

By: Christian

Christian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:26:40 +0000

Great tip!
I saw the knife rack thing at a friend’s house and thought it was a great idea. Can’t wait to order one myself.

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:18:29 +0000

Hehehe that gave me a good laugh, Pat. Do you have a pic of your magnetic kitchen to share? I would love to see it!

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:09:05 +0000

Oh, and regarding the knife rack thing. I totally agree about the knife block objections, and add a sanitation one: srsly, a wooden block with deep, hard-to-clean crevices into which we put sometimes-not-entirely-dry objects? When did this become standard food-prep gear?

But before going out and buying one of those IKEA knife strips, get out a magnet and test your knives to make sure they’re receptive! I think stainless steel formulated with nickel is nonreceptive.

(break to test)

It looks like all of my knives right now are receptive, but I *think* I remember having nonreceptive knives in the past.

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:53:39 +0000

My fridge is notorious among friends — well, and anyone who’s ever been in my apartment. About 50% of my kitchen is stuck to it, and if it doesn’t come in a magnetic form I glue magnets to it. Spice jars (those exact ones), a paper towel holder, dishcloths, pot holders, a pepper grinder, a pill organizer, a bottle brush, clothespins, chip clips, hooks, clamps, clips, an egg timer, an infrared thermometer, and more.

On the other side of the fridge there are pens, tins of office supplies, a stapler, a pencil sharpener… well, suffice it to say I have a very small apartment and quite a bit of it is stored vertically and magnetically.

The front, on the other hand, is quite clean. A pad and pen, a magnetic grocery list, two gift certificates, and a valentine.

By: Michael@ Awareness * Connection

Michael@ Awareness * Connection — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:34:18 +0000

@Scott @ Claire
We used that magnetic paint on my daughter’s door when she was little. She had some little painted magnetic tiles on there with her name, some with designs and other letters to spell things with. When we’d occasionally have her head to her room for a break for discipline reasons she would sometimes slam the door, which was fine with us. We’re good with protest as long as she made her way to her room. Anyway, you’d hear SLAM pause CLATTER, as all those tiles all fell to the floor. It was pretty funny. I’ll never forget that sound. She gets a kick out of hearing about it now. Too bad we didn’t get video of it.

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:42:33 +0000

I use the magnetic spice tins for loose tea. Each one holds just enough for a few cups of tea. About once a week, I refill them from my vacuum sealed tea jars, which keep the tea fresher but are a pain to open and close every day.

I label my spice jars using round labels (which I print out on my computer) and those round labels are just the right size for the window on the magnetic spice tins – you can label the tin and keep light from getting in at the same time.

By: Claire

Claire — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:49:10 +0000

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Scott – magnetic paint? That’s awesome! I will have to try it out.
Michael – the step racks are nice – though I prefer lazy susans to more easily get to the back of the cupboard.
savia – I have those too – they are great, aren’t they? Anything to free up cupboard space.
Kate – that happens to me sometimes too. Not perfect, but an improvement.
Steph – how great – that’s on my “someday” list.
Johnny – those sound good too. I’ll have to keep an eye out for them.
Karyn – what a great use of space! And I’m sure the pots look beautiful all hung up.