Handy tips to ease strain in your kitchen

I LOVE my kitchen – it’s the heart of my home, where we swap stories from our days at work and school over dinner, and the place we congregate at parties.

It’s a sign of the way we all live nowadays: the kitchen has become a shared space for all.

Pasta is a big favourite in our house, but it frustrates me how many dishes, pots and utensils go through just to strain it and serve it up. Half of it ends up tipped in the sink. Spotted this Kitchen Gizmo Snap and Strain (Amazon, £5.40) and it’s so useful. Half the size of a traditional strainer, it snaps on to nearly all pots, pans and bowls and eliminates the transfer process and the mess. Easy!

CLEANING HACK: Fed up cleaning stainless steel products for them never to regain the shine they had when they were brand new? Me too. My mum passed on this tip. First, wipe down your appliances with a soft, damp cloth. (For really tough marks, add a little bit of vinegar.) Put some baby oil on the cloth and wipe it on in the direction of the grain. (What? You didn’t know stainless steel has a grain? Me neither, but look closely and it’s there.)

Then, using the dry side of the cloth, softly buff the oil off. I ended up with a couple of streaks on my first shot, but I did it again and got that perfect sparkling shine I was looking for.

Get more tips from Cheryl on Instagram @myhomeismyhaven

ICalvin Davidson, 16, Burntisland We came to Glasgow to go to a gig last night, so we’re shattered now. We’re just here for a bit then heading home. I’d say a lot of the music I listen to influences the way I dress. I like to wear cargo trousers and tartan trousers. I get a lot of my clothes online because it’s hard to get specific things in the high street – there’s less chance of me finding it, at least.