There’s nothing worse when you’re whipping up a fabulous dish than futilely rummaging through drawers in search of that special spoon or garlic press. If you hate to stop in mid-chop, it’s great to get organized. With a place for everything and everything in its place, cookery can be fun, fast, and efficient. Whether you’re a gourmet cook or a basic burger flipper, these five tips will help you save time and effort.
- Use It or Lose It: If your table or countertop is a repository for useless appliances, books and magazines, electronics, clothing, or any other non-kitchen items, you should get organized. Move the waffle maker, pickle picker, and other unused appliances to the dead space above the refrigerator or take them out to the garage. Clear up the clothing and other clutter and create a spacious space for cooking.
- Stand Up Spoons: Now that you’ve removed the useless gadgets, you have room for useful tools. Get a wide-mouth vase and use it to stand up spatulas, cooking spoons, strainers, and the like. They’ll be available to grab and go when you need them. You can even store flatware this way and free up drawer space.
- Put a Lid On It: Rice, flour, sugar, beans, grains, nuts, and other bulk foods often come in large clumsy packages. When stuffed back into the panty, the improperly sealed packages attract ants, cockroaches, mice, and moths. Mason jars with those neat little lids are stylish and a great investment; I’ve been using the same ones for years by just replacing the tops periodically. My bulk rice, flour, and grains stay fresh, easy to pour, and I can be sure I’m not attracting pests.
- Hang it Up: If your kitchen is on the small side, a painted pegboard can be a miracle worker. Kitchen wizard, Julia Child, hung dozens of her pots and pans on a large, bright blue pegboard. The hooks can also be used to hold spoons, colanders, towels, and potholders.
- It’s a Shoe-In: An over-the-door shoe organizer can be used for more than footwear. Hang the organizer inside the door of the utility closet and fill the pockets with cleaning products, brushes, wash gloves and other scrub-a-dubs. The handy pockets can also hold canned goods, pasta and other pantry foods. With clear pockets, your days of blindly searching for items at the back of the shelf are over.