After a long cookie baking session, you might be tempted to throw the cutters in the sink and deal with them later. But trust us, you and your cookie cutters will be happier if you wash them promptly (or at least keep them dry until you do) and then ... pop them in the oven! More

The timing couldn't have been worse. Hours before I planned to bake a cake, my partner used the oven to broil some mackerel, and the lingering smell? Not exactly complementary to chocolate. Here's how we cleared the odor, plus a few more solutions for fish and other oven smells. More

Funny thing happens when you have a lot of tedious projects to do. Suddenly you have to figure out, right-this-instant, why the garbage disposal smells&mdahs;as in, get out the flashlight and tongs and remove the rubber collar. And what I found actually surprised me. More

It happens to the best of us — at least, that's what I told myself after letting a stainless steel pot boil dry last week. I set some water on the stove, got distracted, and ... sniff, sniff, what's that burning smell? First I sighed with relief that the kitchen hadn't gone up in flames, and then I turned my attention to one very discolored piece of cookware. The pot had burned completely dry, turning shades of black, brown, blue with a chalky black residue on the interior. Was it salvageable? More

Doing the dishes is my least favorite kitchen task, hands down. My reluctance to face them results in towering piles of plates and bowls more often that I'd like to admit. This is why I've instituted a "one soapy sponge" policy to help keep the chaos under control. More

Do you have a small gap between your counters and refrigerator? If you find it a pain to clean, try this simple trick: More

The kitchen is one of those rooms in your home that sees a great deal of use. It can spiral out of control in a jiffy, but its daily use isn't usually the thing that really holds it back from staying clean. Here are three common road blocks that, once removed, will help you stay in the groove and keep your kitchen clean and happy. More

Q: I'm having trouble with tiny flies in my kitchen! They are about 1/16" wide, have two tiny fly-type wings, and are slow-moving. I find them mostly around my front door, my kitchen window, counter tops and walls, but they don't seem to be interested in food. Any idea how to get rid of them?

Sent by Gail More

Unfortunately, grubby cat paws aren't the only side-effect of all the maintenance being done on our apartment. Constant opening of doors plus hot weather equals flies. There's not much we can do to completely prevent them from entering the building, but it would be nice to repel them from the kitchen… More

I love this cheery little pantry, which illustrates some cute printable labels from Better Homes and Gardens. What I really love, though, even more than the labels, are the calendar and shopping list on the back of the door! More