With New Year’s Day behind us, everyone is working on following through on their list of resolutions as we settle into 2018. No matter how organized you are, there is probably still at least one area in your life that could use some extra attention. If the stress you experienced cooking Christmas dinner convinced you it was time, here are ten tips for organizing your kitchen into a more efficient food preparation area.
1. Get Rid of Extra Pots and Pans
It can be nice to have extra pots and pans available when preparing a large meal. However, think about how many actually get used during the course of a year. Get rid of the older and more worn-out ones to make additional space.
2. Clean Your Cabinets
You would be surprised how things can accumulate in cabinets and then sit there unused for years on end. Empty out each cabinet and decide what you no longer need. Chances are you will run across some expired food items that will leave you shaking your head.
3. Clean Your Refrigerator
This is another spot that can get very disorganized. Follow the same advice as above.
4. Organize Pots and Utensils
Group each type of pot and utensil together. This makes them easier to find and use, and they take up less space (e.g. two saucepans fit together better than a saucepan and a frying pan).
5. Use Clear Plastic Storage Containers
Rather than having a bunch of different-sized jars and other containers crammed onto a shelf, try putting the contents into clear plastic storage containers instead. If you buy the same kind, they will fit together nicely, in terms of both look and spacing. This is more uniform and attractive than mashing a bunch of different coloured product labels together.
6. Labelling
Not sure how long you have had those leftovers in the fridge? Labelling food is a welcome way to take the guesswork out of if you should eat or throw something out. It also helps you remember what is in those plastic containers we mentioned above.
7. Lazy Susans
These come in various sizes and can be an attractive addition to your kitchen shelves. Better yet, if you group products by type, you can quite easily find what you are looking for much faster.
8. Command Hooks
Have some wall extra space? Why not use it to hang some of your pots and pans? If you don’t feel like drilling hooks into the wall or wish to avoid permanent marks, Command Hooks will work perfectly.
9. Pegboards
If you have additional wall space, these are another excellent way to get pots and pans out of cupboards.
10. Frequency of Use
That baking pan you cook the Christmas turkey in each year just sits the rest of the time, so put it at the back of the cupboard. Do the same with other pots, pans, and utensils you only use occasionally, so you can easily get at the more everyday items.
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