What is your favorite memory of your childhood home? I venture to guess that it took place in the kitchen. My fond memories from our kitchen are licking bowls and beaters, decorating Easter eggs and Christmas cookies, and gobbling cornmeal pancakes as fast as Mom brought them from skillet to table.
The kitchen is the heart of a home. Company always gravitates there no matter how comfortable your living room sofa is. Whether you cook more than once a day or only once a month – your kitchen can be a calming place, an efficient workroom, a place you want to be. The same principles that organizers apply to other spaces in your home work wonderfully in your kitchen as well. Choose one suggestion to put into action in your kitchen first. Then as you see the benefits (efficiency of movement, pleasing expanse of counter) you will be motivated to make other changes.
1. Clear the kitchen counter of anything you don’t use daily.
Small appliances can easily take up much of your counter space. The clutter is distracting to the eye. Plus, the little bit of remaining counter has to support all of your kitchen tasks: read recipes, prep, measure, stir, chop, pour drinks. It is frustrating to have to move one set of tools to make room for another activity. Use a lower cabinet, space under the sink, or a corner cabinet to store small appliances while not in use. A knife block and/or utensil holder are two on-the-counter tools that I do recommend for ease in locating these tools quickly and efficiently.
2. Consciously place your most-used items closest to your cooking area.
This is a blanket statement that applies to spices, pots and pans, utensils, dishes and baking ware. Look at your “triangle” made by connecting the dots between your stove, sink, and refrigerator. Are the things you use most within that triangle and between your knees and chest? If not, first take out the things you use only on rare occasions and put them up high, outside the triangle,or in a closet elsewhere. Then move your once-a-month use items to a low shelf or just above your head. Finally, arrange the things you use most often within an arms’ length reach. Don’t get frustrated if this transformation takes a while. Do one step every other month until you have an efficient arrangment. You will be surprised how much time you will save by not moving across the room to get that paring knife you use every day.
3. Store the same kinds/shapes together.
It is always easier to find what you need when there is one place to look for “that sort of thing.” Map your kitchen storage loosely in your mind and start to group like things together in cupboards, pantry, closets, and even the refrigerator! Some groups to start with are: oils/tall bottles; spices; boxed goods (cereals, crackers, sweeteners); kitchen linens; plastic and foil wraps; disposable plates/napkins/utensils; canned soups, vegetables and fruits; baking supplies. Gather these groups together and designate a unique storage place for each category. This is easier than it sounds. Once you know where you want to put “that sort of thing” it becomes easier to put stuff away and to find things later.
Times have changed a bit. I never fed my children hot cereals like cream of wheat. I didn’t fire up the oven to warm a freezing cold kitchen. I didn’t make sour cream cocoa cake with caramel icing from scratch. I really don’t know what my children will remember of our kitchens (we moved quite a bit, so that is plural.) “Nourishment with love and acceptance, and a side dish of fun” would be my wish.
I hope putting these suggestions to use in your kitchen little-by-little will make your time spent there easier, more pleasing to your soul, and you will make some memories for you and yours.
