Kitchen Organizing Tips!

How are organized is your kitchen?

​​It seems that we never have enough time to straighten out the things that we use every day.

Here are some great kitchen organizing tips that will make your life easier.

1. Alphabetize your spices.

You want me to do what? Yes! That's what I said.

Alphabetize your spices. First, while you are doing that you can check the expiration date so your dishes are not made with spices that have lost their "oomph."

Combine any duplicates so that you have less jars or tins and toss out any that you really don't like or use much.

Now picture yourself reaching for a spice or herb in the middle of cooking. You go right to it, use it and put it back in its place.

It helps with time management and avoids distraction while cooking, which often leads to a burnt dish.

Everybody sing: A-B-C-D-E-F-G...Organize your spices, 1-2-3!

2. What's in your drawers?​

In my tiny kitchen I have only 2 deep drawers. In one I stack mixing bowls, my hand mixer and the mixing blades that go with it.

Every so often I empty the drawers and find that I can reorganize some of the contents and make more room for whatever I think works better.

Come to think of it, right after this I am going to change one deep drawer with the plastic wrap and foils and put them in a more shallow drawer and have more storage for deeper items.

There's always room for improvement. Yup...works for me, too.

3. Just how many spatulas and strainers do you need?

Gather all your spatulas and kitchen utensils. Lay them out according to function. I bet you have at least 3 spatulas, 4 strainers, etc. Pick out the ones you really use often and keep them nearby.

You can even put adhesive hooks inside your cabinets and hang them inside for easy access and more room in your drawers.

Now look at each one that's not a favorite...if you haven't used it in months either toss it or give it to some utensil-challenged person, or a soup kitchen, perhaps.

4. Your refrigerator door(s) have potential to save you time:

My youngest, when he was six, opened up the refrigerator and said with aghast: "Why would you put peanut butter next to pickles?!" He was so right!

I only have 2 refrigerator door shelves. My condiments are all together, upside down so that I don't have to waste time waiting to pour; mayonnaise and spreads together, liquid marinades in the same area, etc.

Not only does it help in reaching for something quickly, but you can easily see when you are running low or are missing an item. The key is to train your household to put everything back where it belongs.

5. A basket full of miracles.

If your cabinets don't go all the way up to the ceiling get decorative baskets, metal, straw, wood or whatever suits you. This actually creates more cabinets or pantry space.

Store light weight items there as you will need a step ladder to get the baskets down. Extra paper goods like paper napkins, new dish towels for when the old ones wear out, special serving utensils that take up too much room in the drawer.

Don't forget to label the baskets, with chalk labels or printed labels. Now you have more room on some shelves. "Up, up and away!"

Searching for spices, condiments or utensils don't really take up a huge amount of time but it does take some time and it can be frustrating.

And, after all, why waste any time? If we make an effort to set things up, we will end up with more space and more time.

Contact me for more ideas, or to come do the job with you and for you. We'll have fun!