How to transform your kitchen from chaos to calm
The kitchen is the heart of the house. It is the most used room in the house, used for multiple activities such as eating, entertaining, doing homework, etc. We go there when we are tired, hungry and stressed, so it is a great reward to organize it. A well-organized kitchen is welcoming and also saves time, energy and money. Here are some simple ideas to help you create a rich yet functional kitchen.
How to set up an efficient workspace:
• Set up your work area to avoid unnecessary steps and extra travel. In an efficient work area, the sink, stove, and refrigerator should form a triangle. Ideally, they should be no more than a step or pivot apart. It can be dangerous if draining the boiling water from the stove to the sink requires too many steps.
• Your counter should be treated like prime real estate; Keep only the appliances you use every day here. Not enough counter space? Improvise with a board wide enough to fit over the sink, or attach a hinged board to the wall and lower it when necessary.
Space-saving ways to store kitchen supplies:
• Store items within easy reach so you can see what you have and get what you need quickly and easily. Rearrange all items in cabinets to correspond with frequency of use. Items that are used most frequently should be stored in the most convenient places. Less frequently used items can be stored higher unless they are too heavy. Post a contents list on the inside of the cabinet door to help you remember what’s in those hard-to-reach cabinets.
• Store items near their point of use; toaster near dish cabinet; coffee maker near the sink, coffee, measuring spoon and filters near the coffee maker.
• Nest pans together to save space, placing the largest ones in the bottom.
• Pot lids can be stored in plastic baskets on the inside of cabinet doors.
• Store the cutlery, plates and glasses that you use daily near the kitchen table to save steps when putting it.
• Lay baking sheets and pans on their sides on wire divider racks, from largest to smallest.
• Stack plates and bowls on top of each other, but don’t mix sizes and types. Do not stack more than 3 items on top of each other unless they are the same size and type. Place taller items at the back of the shelf and smaller ones at the front.
• Hang the cutting board for easy access and save space.
• Use a permanent marker to code plastic containers to match their lids; use the letters of the alphabet.
• Install a wine glass rack at the bottom of a shelf.
• Children’s cups and plates should be stored at a height suitable for children to encourage independence.
• Avoid extra trips from the dining room to the kitchen by placing tablecloths in a dining room cabinet instead of a linen closet on the second floor.
Organization of your food:
• Group foods into categories of the same type to make it easy to see what you have in stock and avoid overstocking. Materials that are used only together should be stored together to save time (ie pasta with sauce).
• Avoid storing canned foods next to or on the stove – they can go bad, so choose a cool, dry cupboard instead.
• Spices can be stored on a tiered shelf so those at the back don’t disappear from view. Buy only as much as you can use within 6 months to a year, as spices lose their flavor over time.
• Open containers of sugar, flour, cereal, and pasta should be poured into square, stackable, clear plastic containers to keep insects out. Always choose square rather than round pans and containers; square edges line up and round ones don’t, so anything round wastes space.
Here are some of my favorite products to help you maximize your kitchen space:
• Drawer dividers. Don’t go for ones with specific shaped molded grooves, such as spoons, as these limit your options and waste space.
• 3-tier wire shelves allow you to create 2 or 3 shelves from 1.
• Rotating shelves can be useful for spices and cans.
• Two-tier Lazy Susan is useful if you have a corner space that is rarely used.
• Dish racks allow you to store dishes upright to save space.
• A narrow box keeps soup and pasta bags organized and stored upright for easy access.
• Paper and plastic wrap organizers can be helpful attached to cabinet doors.
• Pitchers or vases can hold bunches of small utensils like spatulas and serving spoons if you don’t have room to store them in a drawer or cabinet.