Day #3
Kitchen Tips
What are your favorite organizing kitchen tips?
The number one favorite of my all time favorite kitchen tips? Clear off your counters. Here are my tips to enlarging your kitchen by cleaning off you counters.
- Reclaim some counter space. The most valuable real estate in your entire house is the space on your counter. There should be nothing on the counter that doesn’t either: 1. Work for you on a regular basis (i.e. My coffee maker sees more action than the funnel cake stand at a county fair, so it deserves a place on the counter. My food processor I only use once a week or so. It has not earned the right to be on the counter.) Or 2. Make you happy to look at.
On a regular basis I have to fight with my “stuff” to keep it off the counter. I promise you, clutter and appliance migrate there in the middle of the night. I am constantly waging a battle to keep my counters cleared.
Here is a list of things that have not earned the right to be there (but keep trying to sneak their way on):
- Slow Cooker
- Can Opener
- Kid’s school projects
- Dishes that just don’t want to get put away
Things that have earned the right to be on my counter:
- Coffee Maker
- Canisters (they are not just decorative, they hold everyday essentials like coffee filters, packets of sweetener, and dog treats.)
- Toaster Oven (so we don’t need to fire up the big over very often,)
- Spices
- A container of frequently-used utensils
- A butcher block of knives
- Toaster
Your use of counter space is going to be different than mine, but you get the idea – be thoughtful about what you give your permission to live on your counter.
Another great counter space saver is to see what you can have mounted under your cabinets or on your walls. For the longest time, I had a vertical paper towel rack that sat on the counter. It was a constant frustration to me that it took up so much space. Then one day it occurred to me that just because our house wasn’t built with an under-counter towel rack, didn’t mean I couldn’t do the job myself, (or bribe my cute husband to do it with a plateful of chocolate chip cookies.) I also have a microwave and CD player/radio mounted under my cabinets to save space.
And on my walls? I have a very cute set of stainless steel measuring spoons and a coffee scoop. I use them every day, they look great on the walls, and everyone in my house knows where to put them away.
I am constantly looking for those eleusive kitchen tips to make my kitchen life run smoother. Now it’s your turn: Tell me your favorite kitchen tips – whether it be for shopping, unpacking your groceries, cooking, cleaning, meal planning, meal planning calendars, anything! One of my lucky commenters will win the (yet to be released!)Creative Slow-Cooker Meals by Cheryl Moeller. You know I’m a HUGE fan of the Slow Cooker – so I know you will just LOVE this creative book!
Here are the kitchen tips you’ll get
from Cheryl’s Book
Creative Slow-Cooker Meals: Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty and Easy Dinners comes a new kind of cookbook and a new attitude toward planning meals. With an eye toward the whole menu, not just part of it, columnist Cheryl Moeller teaches cooks to use two crockpots to easily create healthy, homemade dinners.
Don’t worry about your dinner being reduced to a mushy stew. Each of the more than 200 recipes has been taste-tested at Cheryl’s table. Join the Moeller family as you dig into:
• Harvest-time Halibut Chowder
• Salmon and Gingered Carrots
• Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
• Indian Chicken Curry
• Apricot-Pistachio Bread
• Shrimp Creole
• Rhubarb Crisp
… and many more!
I organize the pantry and fridge by shelves like the bottom shelve is snacks so it’s easy for the kids to reach. For the rest of my kitchen I am a clean as you go girl.
I need to see in black and white what’s going on in the kitchen since we make all meals from scratch and don’t eat out. The meal plan for the week is on the fridge so I can send a daughter to the kitchen to get started on whatever’s coming next. The inventory posted on the inside of the pantry door tells you where to find things and how much of it is left.
We buy all our food online from Azurestandard.com once a month. There’s no shipping fee and the prices are better than anything we can find locally. Saves time and money and hassle! We supplement with weekly produce from farmers’ markets or grocery store. My dry bulks (legumes, rice, grains, etc.) are in gallon jars on top of the china cabinet–nice looking and handy. Our family of 7 uses them quickly and they are refilled from the stockpile in the extra freezer (which also has an inventory on it).
We once lived in a house so tiny, the kitchen had only two drawers. I hung my potholders and kitchen towels in a three-tiered hanging basket over the sink…functional AND cute!
I am always struggling with counter space! Its always full then I have no room to cook! Anyways, my tip for the kitchen, it has to do with putting away groceries. I used to put the bags on the counters then put things away and since I do have lots on my counters I would miss a few items every time that needed to be in the fridge and they would be bad by the time I noticed them. So now, the bags go on the floor! I take things out and put them in their spots not on the counters. Since i don’t keep things on the floor I always see what I have missed and no more wasting them.
I always make sure the dishes are done and the kitchen cleaned every night before I go to bed. That way every morning I wake up to at least a clean kitchen!
Don’t laugh…I keep the microwave oven on the clothes dryer. It’s just too big for the kitchen and we find we don’t really use it that often. Space is at a premium. We only use it for reheating dinners or coffee and popcorn. I’m sort of old school in my cooking ways. 😉
I would love to say that my blog is a great kitchen organization tool as meal planning really does help. But I think that my Snaplock containers for all my baking supplies (I do a lot of baking) help keep the panty and my cupboard devoting to baking organized. I generally buy many of the things from bulk bins so instead of having bags of everything piled on the shelves, it’s all neat and organized in containers. And they are clear so I can see when I’m low on something.
When we remodeled our house, we forgot to put in a pantry in the kitchen. (I know, how could you forget something so important?). So… I have two upper cabinets that are dedicated to pantry items. One is for baking & breakfast items, the other is for a few canned goods and other cooking ingredients. I only keep a few things on hand in the kitchen and extras are stored in the garage pantry closet we installed (easier than remodeling the kitchen, AGAIN!). This way I can still buy in bulk and stock up on sale items, but just keep the everyday items inside.
My sweet husband built me a pantry for Christmas, and now I am freakish about keeping my counters clean. It makes me happy when I can pull out the ingredients for dinner and NOT have to rearrange the entire kitchen to prepare them! I also try and throw away all junk mail daily, and organize paperwork at least once a week so that it doesn’t over run the kitchen (the heart of our house). Loving reading the other ideas!
Anything and everything you can do in advance the night prior or even in the morning.. Do it! Dinner time comes and you never have the energy you did when you first start your day. Weekly meal plans help too because you have already shopped for the stuff. Just don’t have it set in stone for a certain day because it never fails, I don’t feel like spaghetti on tues! Become one with your crockpot if you work or if you don’t! It frees up so much time!!
I have my pantry organized so I can find what I need easily. All canned goods are on the same shelf and then organized in rows (soup in one row, beans in another, etc). All rice and pasta is stored together, condiments are together, etc. I know exactly where to look for something and also helps planning my shopping list…I know when I’m running low on an item. I have also found that keeping all my baking supplies on one shelf is very helpful.
http://thedistracteddomestic.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-for-dinner-day-3.html
day 3’s post is up with my tips!!
I put everything away in my pantry and refrigerator in a specific spot. Some of my friends think I am crazy but I just need to glance at that spot to see if In need to buy more. I also put baskets in my pantry for soup mixes, pastas, granola bars, kolaids, oatmeal packets, micro. popcorn packets, etc. I can put them in the baskets when I get them home and recycle the boxes. Keeps them more organized and I can see when I need more. No more empty boxes left on the shelf. 🙂 I also have bigger baskets to organize my baking items so when it is time to bake I just carry the basket to the counter and have all that I need.
It seems like the state of my kitchen sink affects my whole kitchen (AND my mood!). If the dishes are done and the sink is clean and empty, it spreads to the counters, table, floors, etc! It makes me happy, too! Hubby has caught on to this and helps out with the dishes A LOT! 😉
For the time being, I have given up trying to keep my counters cleared off. My dear husband bought me a Jersey milk cow, so we ALWAYS have milking equipment, glass storage jars, cream ripening for butter and the butter churn out. To keep my sanity, I was trying to keep one area of the counter neat, but dear husband usually has a basket full of fresh eggs sitting there waiting to be cleaned and cartoned. Some days it is enough to make a farm girl loose her mind. I’d love to have a roll away island for my kitchen, but I don’t think I have room.
As I am cooking, I like to do most of the clean up and the dishes at the same time. That way, after dinner there is not much time spent in the kitchen cleaning up!
I live in a small apartment, so I have to maximize my kitchen counter space. After I moved my microwave to a kitchen island table, I freed up a lot of counter space. I also have a baker’s rack, where I keep my two coffee pots (one for multiple cups and one for single cups) as well as my napkin holder, paper plates, water pitcher, and plastic utensils. This way, everything is within reach and the counter space is mine for cooking!
When I start a meal, the very first step is to half way fill the sink with hot soapy water. It makes cleaning as you go, so much easier.
My favorite kitchen tip is to wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. I know it takes a little extra time but they come out CLEAN! I don’t have to let them soak after being washed just to was them again. And I believe it is easier on my dishwasher, it seems to not work so hard ;).
Katy – I used your tip this morning with my groceries! Melody – what did you use to label? Do you have wooden shelves or the metal ones? Kim – where did you get the glass soap dispenser from? Cheri – love it! Wish I had room in my kitchen for one. Loving these tips!!
My kitchen seems to have a lot of counter space, but much of it is not useable WORK space.
So, my life-saving organizational strategy was to buy (and build!) a rolling drop-leaf island for the kitchen.
( https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1187485210281&set=a.1141340176684.2022122.1322847386&type=3&theater )
When we need a surface for making or serving food, we roll it out. Otherwise, we fold it up and roll it back next to the refrigerator…where it does collect mail, stacks of books, etc. until the next time it’s needed!
I bought a glass dish soap dispenser. It doesn’t ooze soap all over my counter, it’s handy on the counter, I use less soap than before and since it’s pretty to look at, doing dishes doesn’t seem like such a drag (OK, it’s still a drag, but using the dispenser makes me happy while doing it, if even for just 4 seconds). So I’m more apt to have clean counters. I hated that slimy soap bottle.
I have labeled all the shelves in my pantry with what the type of item that is stored there (pasta-rice-beans, breakfast stuff, baking stuff). This way my husband and I always know where to find things.
Using the various couponing sites has been a huge help in my shopping. I can see what is on sale and get my coupons together. Not only am I saving money, but it helps me to be more organized and figure out meals for my family.
I would have to say my most useful tip for the kitchen would be how I unpack my groceries. I empty all the bags from the store onto my counters then put the products up, so I can see all my cold items, frozen and so on….it saves energy bills and time for me. Also, since I don’t really like cooking, this book would be perfect for my family =) Thanks for doing all these awesome giveaways!!!