Efficiently Clean and Update Your Quick Stir Pitcher | Tips and Tricks

[dexheimers]

Hello all,

Billy and I had another show last night. It was a lively audience and a lot of fun!!

Anyway, one of the guests said that she had purchased a 2qt quick stir pitcher a couple of years ago. She thought it was different then the one that we were demoing. So here are two questions...

1) Have the quick stir pitchers been updated recently?
2) Do you have any tips on how to effectly clean the quick stir pitcher? She complained that she couldn't get the lid and plunger apart which led to the pitcher getting mold spots on it.

Thanks for your help!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The QSP was redesigned in Spring '06.

I've taken the plunger apart in the past on mine - in fact, my old one comes apart by itself pretty well. The turbine end is a pressure fit but I'm not sure it's supposed to come apart.

Did you check the product care area in CC?

Edited to add: Never mind. I just did, there's nothing about cleaning on there.

 

[pamperedgirl3]

1. Yes, they were updated S/S 2006. They used to be white & clear, with a different design. Same size & function.

2. I put the lid & plunger apart as best as I can, rinse it & put it in the top shelf of my dishwasher.

HTH!

 

[gilliandanielle]

They are not supposed to come apart at all! My flat bottom part came off and I called HO. They said that it is one piece and isn't meant to come apart for cleaning.

 

[pamperedgirl3]

They are not supposed to come apart at all! My flat bottom part came off and I called HO. They said that it is one piece and isn't meant to come apart for cleaning.

Mine don't come apart--I just pull the plunger away from the top as much as I can so that water & soap can get in there to clean it. I didn't mean that it actually came apart all the way--didn't write that very well!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, I hate to admit this, but when you use the QSP, don't pull UP with as much vigor as you press DOWN. The not-supposed-to-come-apart plunger comes apart. [Looking down, digs toe in dirt]Tell you client to try this (orange juice tends to mold up pretty quickly) as I do. Put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the bottom and add very warm tap water, about half full. Then mix it up like you would Kool-Aid. It not only gets sudsy but it gets pretty clean.

 

[dexheimers]

Well, I hate to admit this, but when you use the QSP, don't pull UP with as much vigor as you press DOWN. The not-supposed-to-come-apart plunger comes apart. [Looking down, digs toe in dirt]

Tell you client to try this (orange juice tends to mold up pretty quickly) as I do. Put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the bottom and add very warm tap water, about half full. Then mix it up like you would Kool-Aid. It not only gets sudsy but it gets pretty clean.

Great tip!! I might serve that as a drink to some of those people at shows who nitpick and have bad things to say about the products....hehe

Thanks again...

~billy

 

[lisacb77]

Interesting points. All I've used it to make so far is Crystal Light ice tea. DH and I keep it full regularly with a rinse in between, so I guess we don't give it a chance to mold!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Interesting points. All I've used it to make so far is Crystal Light ice tea. DH and I keep it full regularly with a rinse in between, so I guess we don't give it a chance to mold!

Unless you put sugar in the tea, there isn't a lot in there to get moldy in a hurry.

 

[lizcooks4u]

nitpicking complainers....

Great tip!! I might serve that as a drink to some of those people at shows who nitpick and have bad things to say about the products....hehe

Thanks again...

~billy

The shows I observed my Director doing were:

A party cop was assigned and given a squirt gun, ANY negativity at all mentioned and she squirted that person.

A cheerleader was assingned and cheered with clappers for whatever was told to cheer for.

There were like 4 different people assigned different duties, also mentioned at the start of the show were : WE'RE HERE TO HAVE FUN, ANY PROBLEMS, ETC WITH PC--WE CAN DISCUSS AT THE END ONE ON ONE.

That usually helps and it's GREAT fun too.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Maybe the party cop could boo or throw something soft at the negative person! If I went to a party I would be REALLY mad if someone sprayed me with a spray gun no matter what I said! Did they ever spray anyone or was it just a threat??

 

[lisacb77]

Unless you put sugar in the tea, there isn't a lot in there to get moldy in a hurry.

That explains it. Crystal Lite uses a sugar substitute.

 

[jenniferlynne]

Had the same problem!Even though I use Splenda (no sugar) and clean my pitchers in the dishwasher, they were still getting gross in some spots. One day I made a new pitcher of tea and after it sat in the fridge awhile, it got a horrible taste. I dumped it out and soaked all my plungers in some mild bleach water. The next batch was great and the older white one looked almost new again! Just make sure you rinse the plungers really good to get all the bleach out!

 

[krzymomof4]

I don't have problems with mold, I have the pink one and it gets this nasty film on it all the time, that I just can't seem to get off. Yuck!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Even though I use Splenda (no sugar) and clean my pitchers in the dishwasher, they were still getting gross in some spots. One day I made a new pitcher of tea and after it sat in the fridge awhile, it got a horrible taste. I dumped it out and soaked all my plungers in some mild bleach water. The next batch was great and the older white one looked almost new again! Just make sure you rinse the plungers really good to get all the bleach out!

I love the taste of chlorine in the morning. It gives that citric acid a little extra kick.

Seriously, when I find mold in mine, it's usually up inside the lid and on the shaft of the plunger, where drops of orange juice (or whatever is in it) have formed and not run off. I seldom get mold on the turbine blades themselves because they are at rest in the liquid and (if I remember my high school biology correctly) mold needs oxygen to grow.

I wash my QSP by hand so I can get to those places with a sponge or dishcloth. Maybe it's just my suspicious mind, but I'm just not convinced that the dishwasher reaches all those nooks and crannies.

 

[Shawnna]

I clean mine in the dishwasher. I take the strainer off of the lid, pull the handle through the lid about half way, so the plunger is seperated, and place the lid on the top rack of my dishwasher and the strainer in the silverware basket. I put the pitcher on the bottom rack of my dishwasher...I do not use heat to dry my dishes, so it won't melt. When I get a film or it starts to look stained, I soak all of the pieces in a little bleach water before putting them in the dishwasher. We drink a lot of tea at our house and things can begin to turn brown if you don't watch out. The place I find that there will be mold is between the strainer and the lid.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Who would have ever thought we could drag out a dicussion of the QSP for two days and two pages? Okay, what product should we tackle next?

 

[jenniferlynne]

Who would have ever thought we could drag out a dicussion of the QSP for two days and two pages?

Okay, what product should we tackle next?

I got one!!! I have always wondered what the deal is with the Cheese Bistro Set. Does anyone actually sell this? Why is it better than our little $8 cheese knife (other than our commission of course). I just want to be ready since the cheese board is coming up as a special soon.

 

[nikkijo]

I have the cheese bistro set and I love the knife for the softer cheese. It has holes in it so the cheese will not stick to the knife, no matter how soft the cheese is. I haven't used the one for hard cheese yet. This set also has silicone on the underside of the handle for a more comfortable grip. I also don't have the $8 cheese knife.

Hope This Helps

 

[jenniferlynne]

That is helpful. I didn't know that the cheese wouldn't stick. It does stick to the other cheese knife.

 

[nikkijo]

thank you for letting me know that it does stick to the other knife...I did not know that.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Hey...shouldn't there have been another thread started if we were going to talk about something else?!?!? *looking around to make sure Anne isn't behind me*teehee...jk

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

 

[mommyhugz1978]

Ya'll are quite funny!!!!!!

 

[bbauman07]

I don't have a problem getting mine clean but I do the same thing the kitchen guy does.

However alot of my customers have been exchanging broken ones lately so much so that the one I'm working on right now is the 5th from 1 show And HO sent me an email saying it had already be processed however it was just a different guest from the same show

 

[gilliandanielle]

Maybe call and explain what is happening! That will save you from getting stuck in the e-mail system! I LOVE HO's call back system so I don't have to hurt my neck waiting on the phone. The hardest part is staying off the phone waiting for the call!

 

[bbauman07]

Thanks, I keep it in mind if it happens again. It has already been proccessed though. I think it is just because there has been so many from one show, must have been a factory defect.

 

[supergirljennie]

thank you for letting me know that it does stick to the other knife...I did not know that.

The trick with the cheese knife (not in the bistro set) is to wet it before using. It slices through much easier.

 

[chefsara]

You can try to use a denture cleaner tablet. You can run water and inch or two in the bottom of the pitcher, drop in a denture cleaner tablet or two (depending on the amount of water) and then put the plunger in. Let the cleaner work and then wash as usual and let it air dry. It works well on the blade cover of the Food Chopper as well. Just make sure to wash the pitcher in dishwater afterwards. I haven't had any trouble with the fizzy tablets damaging any of the pieces I have tried it on. Get a tablet from a parent or friend that had dentures and give it a try before you go out and buy a whole box.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

That seems like a rather toothless claim.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Always the comedian, huh KG??

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Life is FAR too important to take seriously. We're never going to get out of it alive, anyway.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I heard that on Van Wilder, LOL!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

It's a pretty old line. Walt Kelly used something similar in his comic strip, Pogo, many, many years ago. Pogo was a possum that lived in the Ofeefenokee Swamp with a cast of characters, including Porky Pine, a porcupine, cynic and philosopher who often remarked, "Can't take life so serious when y'all considers the alternative."

This famous phrase, coined by Walt Kelly with apologies to various American naval commanders, was made famous in this strip that appeared on Earth Day in 1971.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I can't decide if you have too much free time or too much information in your head! You make me laugh either way...

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I'm a veritable walking compendium of useless information. If I could remember anything IMPORTANT, I'd be in good shape. No, Jeopardy doesn't work, either. "I'll take Useless Crap for $1,000, Alex."