Cooking - Prepare First

Folks get nervous and in a hurry when cooking. There is a simple way to stay relaxed when cooking. Get as much prep done in advance.

If your dish includes various vegetables, chop all of them before you even turn on the stove. As you finish each, put it in a container. Save things like empty butter or yogurt containers or use paper plates. Then, as you are cooking, just add them at the appropriate time. Same with meat.

You really don't want to have to be stirring, stopping to chop, going back to stirring and so on. When you get in a hurry, accidents will happen. No one wants hot, messy spills or sliced fingers.

Prepping first also gives you time to clean up before you start cooking. Messy kitchens are dangerous and just unpleasant to work in. When you chop something and set it aside, take a moment and wipe any mess. Clean your cutting board and throw any scraps in the garbage. Then, you have room to work.

Make your time in the kitchen pleasant and relaxed. Some of this prep work can be done a day in advance. When you have a few minutes, take advantage. It may seem like you are spending a little more time in the kitchen, but not really, because you have eliminated a lot of the causes of spills and accidents.

Christmas Decorating

It's about time to drag out the Christmas decorations again. I have but one thing to say; be careful. You will not spend a happy holiday in a cast.

I see folks who have not engaged in a lot physical activity in a very long time struggling up and down ladders, trying to keep strings of lights untangled, and  attempting to drive nails. All worthy endeavors but, remember, you don't have to do it all at once. If you are not used to such activities, take your time.

If your lights are old, and there are burnt out bulbs, don't spend a lot of time replacing them. Just buy new ones. They're not that expensive and it's worth the cost to save the aggravation. Don't overdo the lights. Aesthetics aside, you don't want to overload circuits. In fact, switch to LED bulbs. They're cooler and draw  a lot less power.

Get a helper. You really want someone to steady the ladder, hand you tools and keep the lights strings from tangling. Also, remember: those warnings on ladders that say do not step on the top rung are there for a reason. It is just not safe to work from there.

There are options. I once decorated a place by using colored spot lights. Now, that is simple because you can get them with solar batteries that charge enough in the day light to last all night. Just stick them in the ground and go on with your day.

It's nice to decorate for the holidays, but there is no reason to overdo, and many reasons to be careful.

Make Life Easy - Clean As You Go

I don't mind working. Actually, I pretty much enjoy it, but I hate cleaning after. But, clean up isn't too bad, if you clean as you go.

Whether you're cooking, painting, working on your car or building something, you are going to make a mess. It can't be helped. Little is mote discouraging than finishing a project only to look around and realize that you have an hour's worth of cleaning. The secret is, take little breaks and straighten up then.

Say you are making dinner. After getting the basics started, stop and clean up the very little mess you have made. Then, say after you season and stir, do a bit more. Keep doing that  and when you are ready to serve, you have only the pots and pans you cooked in left to clean. Then, while the food rests (you must let meat rest a bit or it will be dry) wash those pots and pans. Then, when dinner is finished, you only have a few plates and bowls to wash. That is a lot better than realizing, after a nice meal, that you have a mountain of dishes. Also, when you spill while cooking, wipe it right then and keep your garbage can handy, don't let trash pile up. As a bonus, you will have a much safer kitchen. Trying to move hot pans and chopping vegetables in the midst of clutter and spills is a sure way to have accidents.

This same procedure applies to any job you are doing. For many years I did building maintenance and was always shocked to see people struggling to work in the mess they created. There are very few tasks that will not let you take a minute here and there to get your workplace in order and safe.

Even when I began working in kitchens I was surprised to find trained cooks trying to work in sloppy conditions. They should have known better.

Make your life easier and a lot safer. Take the time to clean as you go.

Electrical Repairs - When In Doubt, Don't

I would like to offer a bit of advice about electrical repair. Do Not attempt electrical work unless you are sure, absolutely sure, you know what you are doing. I can do simple things like putting in a toggle switch or a light fixture, even a simple motor or lamp ballast. But, I know when I am at my limit. Then, I call a professional. As a rule of thumb, if you see a lot of wires and have no idea what some of them are, stop,  and pick up the phone. Yes, electricians are expensive but not nearly as costly as a trip to the emergency room,

If you see that you can do the job, follow basic common sense. Turn Off the appropriate circuit breaker. Then, use a tester and make sure the power is off. You would be surprised how many times circuit breakers are mis-labeled. Use rubber handled tools and wear rubber soled shoes, just to be extra cautious. Use wire nuts and/or electricians tape on all connections. Make sure that any connections you make are secure. Loose connections get hot and you do not need electrical fires. Make all your connections before you turn the power back on and do not touch anything while you flip that breaker back on. If the device you have wired does not work, immediately, turn the power off again before you try to fix it. Better still, if you don't get it right the first time, shut that breaker off and call an electrician.

Do Not, under any circumstances, work on live circuits. I have know folks who did, as some sort of weird display of manliness and it never ended well. Also, Do Not ever, ever attempt to repair a 220 volt circuit. The wiring is often more complex and you will likely make a mess of it, a potentially dangerous mess. I have been shocked by 110 volts and, trust me, it is really unpleasant. I have seen someone literally knocked across the room by 220 and they had to be rushed to the hospital.

Anything complicated, and by that I mean anything using more than 3 wires, hot, neutral, and ground, should be left to professionals. If your Uncle Fred or Cousin Jimmy tell you , 'Don't worry. This is easy. I can do it,' chase them off because, guess what? Not only are you likely to see a relative injured, you are liable for both their health and any damages to your house. If you are in an apartment, why are you messing with the wiring? They have maintenance. If you are that maintenance person and you don't know what you are doing, please just tell your boss that so they can call a professional. I was head of maintenance at a condo for years and I cannot tell you how much grief is caused by people who will not admit they don't know what they are doing.

If it seems that I am overly concerned about this, believe me, I am not. Electricity is dangerous. Even at sub-lethal doses, it really hurts to get zapped. In addition, if you botch the work, it will cost you a lot more in the long run than the cost of calling an electrician before you messed things up.

Be careful with electricity and Never over estimate your abilities.

Tools

Every home needs a good tool set. Even in apartments there are things, personal belongings that you need to repair occasionally. But, there is no reason to spend a lot of money and certainly no reason to buy things you will likely never use. Start with basics, then if you need something, there is always a Home Depot or Lowes or even Walmart somewhere close by.

First, a hammer, just a simple claw hammer. When you shop for one, pick it up, swing it around a bit (carefully of course) and just get the feel of it. Too heavy or too light is no good. You want as much weight as you can comfortably handle.  Same with length. The right one is the one that feels right to you. Again, a simple claw hammer is all you need to start. You may go your entire life without needing a ball peen or sledge hammer or a mallet.

Screwdrivers are necessary and you can buy a set of them at a low cost. Really, you can generally get by with a standard length flat head and a standard length Phillips head but it is useful to also have a short version of each and a long version of each, for difficult to reach or tight spots. Again a set is inexpensive. Do not buy the cheapest, they will not last, but don't go overboard either. Always handle them before you buy them. The grips vary a bit and you want something comfortable to handle. Using tools you have trouble gripping is not only frustrationg, it can be dangerous. It is easy to loose your grip and damage the item you are working on or, worse still, yourself. For starters, don't bother with rubber grips. They cost more and are only needed for electrical work. Do not ever do electrical work unless you are absolutely positive that you know what you are doing.

A couple of hand saws are good, one rip and one cross cut. Also, a good hacksaw will be needed. Power saws are great but, until you can use a hand saw, and then only if you intend on doing a lot of cutting, don't worry about power. When and if you get one, again, make sure you are comfortable with it. Then make sure it is strong, medium power, but you don't need the most powerful one. Look for bargains, most name brands are fine. With your hacksaw or with your power saw, make sure the blades match what you are cutting. The blade you use for wood is not appropriate for PVC  and that is not appropriate for steel.

I really can't see how you can do without a power drill with an assortment of bits and driver heads. You will have to drill holes and the driver heads will save a lot of wear and tear on your hands and wrists. Again, get a medium powerd one, not the strongest and watch for the exact type, you do not want  to mistakenly buy a hammer drill for wood working.

You will need a set of wrenches, double ended (one end closed, one open) Buy a set, they are cheap enough and don't spend extra for metric wrenches. They may come with the set, and that is fine, but you likely will never use them. Also, get a socket set. Buy a good one, they also are cheap enough and make sure the set has driver heads. A good socket set will save time and energy. Why both sockets and wrenches? Good question. The answer: sometimes you just cannot get the socket in the available opening.

Buy 3 pair of channel lock pliers, a small a medium and a fairly large one. They have many uses and you will be glad to have them. Buy good ones, the cheap ones slip and don't last. Also, if you are a home owner, a medium size pipe wrench. You can save a small fortune by doing simple plumbing reapirs yourself. In a later post, I'll go over some plumbing basics.

You must have a measuring tape and a decent ruler. There is no getting around that. Also, a good utility knife. A good one, with extra blades, is inexpensive. While I think of it, a word about cutting tools. Never, never never, attemp to cut anything with a dull blade. It is dangerous becuase you will end up trying to force the blade and that is when blades slip and body parts get cut. This also applies to chisels. You should get a small decent wood chisel because, here and there, you may have to replace or add a hinge. Do not try to use a screwdriver as a chisel. That is not what it is for, it does not have the strength or the blade and you run the risk of hurting yourself. Also, banging on the end of a screwdriver will break the handle.

Also, make sure you keep some good gloves, safety glasses and dust masks around. Tools and home repairs are safe, if you respect them. If not, you will breathe in toxic dust, get chips in your eyes, splinters in your hand and/ or cuts in a variety of places. I know this because, I have done it all. The guys I grew up working around thought such things kind of wimpy. They are not and a serious cut or an hour spent washing sawdust out of your eye, will convince you that safety does always come first. Which reminds me. Get a good first aid kit, not just for your own safety while you work, but for the benefit of everyone in the household. Good first aid can save a lot of damage to the body.

There. You have a basic tool kit. If you just hate home repairs, fine. At least you can do a few emergency repairs and save more money that you might think. If you like the work, great. You can always add more sophisticated tools as you need them.