Time for a kitchen tuneup

Most weekdays, the Times Test Kitchen is a whirlwind of activity. Recipe testers, interns, writers, editors, photographers and the occasional guest chef hurry from the refrigerators to the stove tops or sinks, from the pantry to the computer desk.

Tour groups look in through a huge window from a nearby corridor to see us chopping and stirring, tasting and conferring, making notes, unloading groceries and setting up photographs.

To create, test, prepare and photograph as many recipes as we do each week, we have to be as efficient and flexible as possible.

One of the ways I do this, as Test Kitchen director, is to keep the kitchen in good working order all the time. Our annual kitchen tuneup, a sort of spring cleaning that we like to do in the early fall before the holidays hit, is our primary top-to-bottom maintenance and repair time -- and it’s a great idea for the home cook too. After all, everything we do in our kitchen, you do in yours.

In a week or so of focused effort, we test our large and small appliances (calling in service people as needed), make replacements or repairs to kitchen equipment, review and organize pantry items including spices and staples, sharpen knives, update and replace bake ware and cookware, prepare a few batches of veal stock for freezing, and take inventory of small cooking gadgets and supplies -- down to cooking parchment and twine.

Come mid-November -- when we’re brining one turkey and roasting another while at the same time experimenting with pie crusts and testing holiday cocktail recipes -- we’re glad we did.

You might want to follow something like our game plan.

Freezer and fridge

Begin by cleaning out the freezer, throwing out any outdated, open or unidentifiable packages of food. Make a list of what you have on hand and what you might want to buy. When you restock, label and date everything you put in.

Check the condenser grate at the base of the freezer and clean with a vacuum or brush so that it’s free of lint and dust. A clogged grate can result in a freezer breakdown. Read your owner’s manual for proper cleaning procedures.

Check the water filter in your refrigerator if you have an automatic water and ice dispenser. Filters should be replaced every 6 months to one year depending on the model; again, check your owner’s manual.

Dump any ice that’s been sitting in the ice bin -- left too long, it can taste stale.

Clean out your refrigerator, tossing out the jars with a single ancient pickle or a quarter-teaspoon of mustard remaining.

Clean the shelves and crisping bins, put an open box of baking soda in the back to absorb odors, then organize the shelves in categories so all the condiments are together, jellies and jams together, etc. That way it’s easy to check ingredients at a glance when you’re making shopping lists for recipes.

Oven and stove top

Test your oven with an oven thermometer (available at hardware and grocery stores) and if the thermometer doesn’t match the setting, call a service person to calibrate it for you.

The gas company will send a service person to your home and calibrate your gas oven at no charge. They will also adjust the flame on your burners and light pilot lights that are out. Call (800) 427-2200 for an appointment.

For electric ovens, check your manufacturer’s website for authorized service representatives in your area.

Check meat and candy thermometers for accuracy too. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Check the temperature of the water: The thermometer should register 212 degrees. (For high altitude cooking, deduct 1 degree for every 500 feet above sea level.)

You can calibrate some thermometers yourself (check manufacturer’s instructions); otherwise, replace as needed.

Small appliances

Check all small electrical appliances such as food processors, mixers, blenders, and spice grinders, immersion blenders, etc. to make sure they’re working. Order any new parts, extra blades, beaters or attachments that you may need and have any necessary repairs done.

If you haven’t held on to the paperwork that came with your appliance, manufacturers’ websites such as www.cuisinart.com, www.kitchenaid.com, www.waringproducts.com or www.braun.com list customer service numbers and information about ordering parts or finding local repair shops.

Replacement parts for dozens of brands of small appliances and kitchen tools can be ordered from Culinary Parts Unlimited, (800) 543-7549, www.culinary parts.com or the Gourmet Depot, (800) 424-6783, www.the gourmetdepotco.com.

Knives

Sharp knives are the cook’s most important tool. Have your knives professionally ground once or twice a year, and remind yourself to use a butcher’s steel frequently. Meat departments at selected supermarkets are one resource for knife sharpening; otherwise take your knives to be sharpened at a cutlery or cookware shop (see sidebar).

Cutting boards

Wooden boards should be scrubbed down with salt and lemon to remove any oils and surface film that may have accumulated. Rub the cleaned boards with mineral oil (available at drugstores) or block oil (available at cookware shops). The oil conditions and seals the wood surface to prevent drying and cracking.

After oiling, rub the boards with a clean cloth to remove excess. Do not use olive oil or salad oils, which can turn rancid on your boards. Take an inventory of your plastic boards, too, and add or replace them as needed.

Cookware

While you move through the kitchen, cleaning out and organizing your shelves, look carefully at your baking pans, pie plates, tart pans, baking sheets, roasting pans and roasting racks and set aside any that should be replaced. (When you’ve prepared the perfect apple pie, you don’t want to serve it in a chipped pie plate.) Be sure that tart and springform pan bottoms aren’t missing and fit snugly.

Think about what you’ll need for the holidays. Have you put off buying a proper roasting pan? Now’s a great time to shop for one.

Pantry

Spices should be changed yearly, so say goodbye to last winter’s leftovers. Take an inventory and make a shopping list of spices you frequently use.

Then buy spices in small amounts, so you’ll be more likely to have only fresh ones on hand. Note the date of purchase on the label before you shelve them. Store them in airtight containers on a dark, cool shelf.

Review the expiration dates on staple ingredients, including baking powder, baking soda and dry yeast. Discard outdated items and purchase replacements.

If you’re a holiday baker, add bulk nuts to your shopping list now. You can store them in the freezer in sealed plastic bags. You can also improve the staying power of flour or grains that you don’t use often by storing them in the freezer. Expiration dates on canned and packaged goods should be reviewed and outdated items discarded.

Restock supplies of basics including chicken, vegetable and beef broth. In the Test Kitchen, we also like to keep a supply of the basic vinegars: red and white wine vinegars, a good balsamic and a sherry vinegar.

Supplies and utensils

Cleaning and reorganizing as you go, inventory your cupboards and drawers. Check to see that you have supplies on hand that you’re likely to need in the coming months, including kitchen twine, cheesecloth, parchment paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, muffin-tin liners and freezer bags. Consider adding a few such useful items as pie-crust weights.

Review your utensils. Have you invested in a good sharp vegetable peeler lately? Recent models are better and easier to use than ever. Other utensils that might need to be replaced or augmented: turkey basters, colanders, strainers, wire whisks, rubber or silicon spatulas, pot holders, cookie cutters and presses, pastry brushes and wooden spoons.

Stock

Take a test run in your newly tuned-up kitchen by making and freezing veal stock. It’s the basis for rich homemade soups, sauces and braises, and the supply you make now will come in handy dozens of times throughout the winter.

Freeze it in 8-ounce portions in freezer baggies or disposable plastic freezer containers or in ice cube trays, for those times when just a cube or two is perfect for finishing a sauce.

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Tuneup

checklist

* Clean and organize freezer; clean freezer condenser grate.

* Check, and if necessary, replace refrigerator water filter.

* Clean and organize refrigerator.

* Test, and if necessary, calibrate ovens and thermometers.

* Order replacement parts for small appliances.

* Repair or replace broken appliances and tools.

* Sharpen knives.

* Clean and oil cutting boards.

* Inventory cookware; replace or stock as needed.

* Discard old spices; inventory and stock new ones.

* Review expiration dates of staples; discard and restock as needed.

* Purchase basic pantry ingredients.

* Clean, organize and take inventory of cupboards and drawers.

* Check supplies; restock as needed.

* Review and upgrade utensils as required.

* Make and freeze veal stock.

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Getting the edge

At least once a year, knives should be professionally ground. Here’s where to go:

Bristol Farms meat departments sharpen knives for customers at no charge. For store locations, visit www.bristolfarms.com. Stop by and they may do them while you wait, or you can leave them.

Capehart Cutlery, 17539 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, (818) 366-0095. Knives sharpened at the store while you wait, $3 per knife. A truck travels to selected Gelsons, Ralphs, Whole Foods, Vons and Albertsons. Call (818) 831-5959 to find out when the truck will be near you.

Standard Cutlery, 9509 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 276-7898. Overnight service; charge is 80 cents per inch, $4 minimum per knife.

Cookin’ Stuff, 22217 Palos Verdes Blvd., Torrance, (310) 371-2220. Sharpens knives while you wait, 25 cents per inch.

Ross Cutlery, 310 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 626-1897. 75 cents per inch, (blade only), $3 minimum. Drop them off; they’ll be ready a day or two later.

-- Donna Deane

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Veal stock

Total time: 15 minutes plus 10 hours, 30 minutes roasting, simmering and cooling time, plus overnight refrigeration

Servings: Makes 14 cups

8 pounds veal shank and knuckle bones, meat cut into 3-inch pieces

2 cups diced onions

3 carrots, cut into 3-inch chunks

1/2 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

6 quarts cold water, divided

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the cut-up bones in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Roast the bones about 2 hours. Stir the bones during the roasting process so they brown but do not burn.

2. During the last half-hour of cooking, add the onions, carrots and garlic.

3. After 2 hours, transfer the roasted bones and vegetables from the roasting pan to a large stockpot.

3. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the roasting pan and stir to deglaze all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the deglazing liquid over the bones in the stock pot. Add the remaining water to the stock pot.

4. Bring the water to a boil over medium-low heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook 2 hours. Skim the stock to remove any sediment while cooking. Skim off fat.

5. Add the bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns and tomatoes. Continue to simmer, loosely covered, 6 additional hours.

6. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Cool. Refrigerate overnight. Remove the congealed fat from the top of the stock and discard.

7. Warm the stock to liquid and ladle it into labeled and dated freezer bags. Lay the filled bags on a baking sheet and freeze so they can be easily stacked. Smaller portions of broth can be ladled into ice cube trays, silicone muffin pans or plastic pint cartons and frozen. Once frozen, they can be removed and put into plastic freezer bags for easy storage in the freezer.

Each one-fourth cup: 11 calories; 1 gram protein; 1 gram carbohydrate; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 22 mg. sodium.