environment, Ingredients

Two Kitchen Tools to Brighten Up Dull Chores

by Irene

With the summer harvest reaching its peak in my backyard, I have been prepping a lot of herbs and veggies.  Creating new dishes and making family favourites is always fun, but food preparation might become somewhat tedious, and dealing with leftovers and half-used produce without using a lot of plastic wrap can be a challenge.  Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge: Brighten up Dull Chores gave me the inspiration to share a post about two kitchen tools to ameliorate some problems related to these issues in the kitchen:

Five-Blade Herb Scissors – Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors will vanquish bruised edges while finely slicing delicate leafy herbs and greens; if there is a lot to process, sometimes I prefer to use my handy 5-blade herb scissors; the blades stay very sharp from being dedicated to leafy veggies and herbs, saving time by slicing, well, five times more leaves, with a single stroke.  In the photos below, I am preparing a chiffonade of Genovese basil:  

I also had some fresh golden cherry tomatoes, so I made classic bruschetta topping by placing the tomatoes, chopped, with my basil chiffonade, olive oil and coarse salt (photo below, left).  Mix well and allow to rest for a few minutes.  To serve, slice one clove of garlic in half, and rub slices of toast with the cut side, then finish with the bruschetta topping (photo below, right):

Bee’s Wax Wrap – I have been trying to eliminate single-use plastic in my kitchen; the first action was to simply discontinue disposable straws; my next goal might take longer, but I am slowly phasing out plastic wrap: to cover bowls and trays, I use dishcloths, foil or parchment paper; to save meat, or saucy leftovers, I use containers; and for pieces of cheese, vegetables and bread, I just discovered bee’s wax wraps.  They are cotton clothes treated with essential oils and coated with bee’s wax; you wrap the food just like with plastic wrap, and seal with the warmth of your hands.  They may be washed with cold water and mild soap, and reused.  The size I got was for a loaf of bread, but I cut sections according to specific needs, such as the piece of cucumber shown below:

I received the scissors as a gift a few years ago, and I bought the last two packages of Bee’s Wrap™ that a local store was offering, so I wondered if they would be easy to find on line, or even if the wraps could be homemade (since they are on the expensive side).  I did find an article on how to make your own bee’s waxed wraps on Good Housekeeping, and both the scissors and the wraps on Amazon™, as well as wax pellets for homemade wraps.  In order to use their images without worrying about copyright infringement, and since wanderlust is being repressed due to the pandemic, and more people are buying online, I thought it would be useful to become an affiliate to the Amazon Associates Program, so now I am authorized to illustrate their products and include links.  DISCLAMER: The reviews I am providing are my own, for products I had at home, not provided by any company; as an Amazon Associates Program affiliate, I might receive a commission for purchases originated from the links below:

Westmark Germany Stainless Steel 5-Blade Herb Scissors (Green)

Bee’s Wrap – Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps with Jojoba Oil – 3 Sizes (S, M, L)
Sky Organics Organic White Beeswax Pellets 1lb

I am sharing this post at Farm Fresh Tuesdays Blog Hop #66 with Lisa @ The Self-Sufficient Home Acre, Melissa @ Little Frugal Homestead, Julie @ The Farm Wife, and Annie @ 15 Acre Homestead.

19 thoughts on “Two Kitchen Tools to Brighten Up Dull Chores”

  1. As a chef I do love my kitchen gadgets. i have the 5 blade sheers they’re great for things like chives too. The bees wax wrap is a spot of genius. I must see if I can get some.

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    1. Yes, store packaging is another big obstacle towards phasing out plastic wrap, especially during the pandemic; stores are packaging a lot of produce and bread so they do not get a lot of handling.

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      1. Yes we noticed our home grocery deliveries started coming in single-use plastic bags, although fortunately they have gone back to before, now. During lockdown we must have accumulated a 10-year supply of single-use plastic bags.

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  5. Those scissors look amazing! I make beeswax wraps — mostly because I wanted a really large one for wrapping bread and I couldn’t find one big enough locally. Also they are really expensive here too, and I was given some beeswax. I found the process a bit messy but the results really good.

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      1. Let me know how it goes. I’m thinking of making another batch, but wasn’t totally happy with the process in either of my previous attempts and am interested to know how others approach it.

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      3. Interesting! Their recipe doesn’t contain the pine resin and jojoba oil that I’ve seen in others — the resin in particular is anti-bacterial.

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      5. That’s interesting. I found the second time I used pine rosin, it sort of clumped in the pan; after itv had melted. It became sticky and left marks on the fabric. The jojoba oil I find helps soften the texture and make the wraps more malleable.

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