Kitchen tip: Magnetic clips

My tiny kitchen doesn't always allow enough space for ingredient prep, cooking and recipe display. Because of this we're always working to keep things off of counter tops.

Still, when using a new recipe or one with a lot of very specific ingredients the printed recipe has to be handy.

Magnets to the rescue. Obviously if you've got nothing on your refrigerator and the fridge is in a good location this can be a great place to hang a recipe while cooking.

But don't ignore the hidden magnetic display options. Behind the paint and texture and tape, a lot of our homes' finished corners are hiding metal corner supports. Yay!

Whether you use your fridge, a wall corner or the cook top hood you'll also need to ensure the magnet is strong enough to hold on even when it's got to penetrate layers of non-magnetic stuff.

Many of the stores where tough kitchen magnets are sold have metal shelving. If a magnetic clip set is in packaging with a cardboard back, just try to stick the cardboard against a metal shelf frame. If the magnets hold, they're probably tough enough.

For loose magnet clips, or ones in open packaging, find a magnetic surface and clip on your keys. Or, find something you can attach the clip to, then hold your keys up to the magnet on the back.

If it'll hold your keys without slipping ... it's perfect!

A few of my clips are tough enough to hold an entire magazine, open to the preferred recipe. When you come across clips that strong, pick up a handful of them ... you'll find yourself using them everywhere.