The chances are good that your kitchen is a much busier place than usual right now, as so many holiday preparations call for a lot of food prep, cooking and baking. Anything you can do to make it all faster and more efficient would therefore be very welcome right?
One of the secrets to truly efficient, faster, and maybe even pleasurable cooking is a well-organized kitchen. A kitchen that is set up for success will help you not only to get meals prepared faster and with less stress, but it will also make cleaning up afterwards easier—and who doesn’t want that?!
The best way to organize your kitchen for this busy season – and it general – is around the way you personally use it. And while everyone does so differently, here I am going to offer some of my best kitchen organization tips, both as a professional organizer and a keen amateur chef that should help anyone get all of that holiday cooking done with less stress, hassle and mess and then head into the new year with a kitchen space that will work better all year!
General Kitchen Organization Suggestions To Speed and Streamline Your Food Prep
Start out tidy.
Make sure your prep area is organized before beginning any cooking session. That, at a minimum, entails clearing the counters and washing the dishes. Even while it might seem like a waste of time, since you won’t have to deal with trying to work around a mess, cooking will go much more quickly as a result.
Keep lots of dishcloths on hand.
These workhorses are excellent for cleaning messes, serving as pot holders, and securing wobbly cutting boards (dampen a dishcloth, fold it in half, and put it underneath your cutting board to stabilize your cutting surface).
If you haven’t used it in a year, do you need it?
Just like your clothes closet, try to go through your kitchen once a year or so and evaluate what you do and don’t need. If you’ve got appliances, cooking tools, pots and pans, or ingredients that are gathering dust, ask yourself if you really need to keep them.
Evaluate the contents of your pantry.
To create more pantry space, and make those essential ingredients for holiday cooking easier to find, dispose of foods that no longer make it to your table, consolidate open snack and cereal boxes, and refrain from buying more stuff until you reduce your current inventory.
Kitchen Organization Tips to Improve Access
There are some easy ways to organize – or reorganize – your access to the various areas of your kitchen that will help make it more efficient and easier to navigate as you cook:
If you are the primary cook, products and equipment should be stored at your eye level and reach.
Keep a foldable step stool nearby.
It can make higher cabinets more accessible, opening up more storage space!
Review the contents of your cupboards and move them around if necessary to maximize access to essential tools.
Are large, rarely used items and appliances hogging counter space? Do baking items occupy prime cupboard space when you only use them a few times a month, if that?
Think outside the box! There are often ways to make even better use of the space you have.
For instance, most kitchen shelves are adjustable and products such as shelf risers (I like this version for cans and dinnerware and this version for spices) and turntables work wonders. In addition, hanging your pots and pans from the ceiling can save you a ton of kitchen space (and racks like this one make doing so easy.)
If you have children, help them to become self-sufficient by making things accessible. Designate one or more accessible pantry, refrigerator, and storage drawer or shelf for them.
They will appreciate the ability to make their own meals and snacks, and it will make it easier for kids to help with chores (e.g., unloading the dishwasher, setting the table) if they can reach the shelves. If you have younger ones, devote lower drawers or cupboards to kid-friendly pots or storage containers so that they can help too.
Stove Area
This area is where a lot of magic happens, so you want it to be as easy to use as possible.
If space allows, keep cooking utensils in crocks near the stove.
This will help when you quickly need to stir or flip food. Store your cooking oils in a cool, dark location as close to the stove as possible. This will allow for easy access.
Keep salt, pepper, and other seasonings nearby. Seasoning as you cook will lead to more flavorful meals. A Lazy Susan can be great for space saving and easy access to many spices.
Make favorite pots and pans accessible. Many of us have certain pots and pans that we use more than others. Make sure those are stored at the front of your cupboards (or are hung nearby) so that you have easy access. Bonus tip: some people even store their #1 favorite right on the stove top!
Food Storage
Keep your food storage containers, bags, wraps, a permanent marker, and labels or masking tape in a single, easy to access location. This will allow for quick labeling and storage of leftovers.
Store grains, beans, and other shelf-stable bulk ingredients you frequently use in accessible, labeled, transparent jars. This will allow for quick access when cooking and easy inventory when making your shopping list.
Prioritize your pantry so that the ingredients you use a lot are more easily accessible and visible.
Organize your freezer by food type. Frozen vegetables in one area, baked goods in another, meat in another, prepped meals in another, etc. This will allow for easy access, quicker assessment of what you have, and fewer lost or forgotten items.
Label food in the freezer with item and date (month and year is enough). This will help you more easily keep track of what you have and also what you need to use up.
Dealing with a cluttered kitchen you just don’t know where to start with? Just Organized by Taya can work in person with those in the Greater Houston area or virtually with those anywhere else in the world to help you declutter and organize your kitchen – or any other home or office space for the holidays and beyond!
Contact us here to discuss your project, or get started right away by booking an appointment here.
Working with Taya and her team is easy. You can book an appointment easily on her website, or contact her directly at 832-271-7608
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