Food: Kitchen Organization Equals Real Meals

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Kitchen Organization Equals Real Meals
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

By Christina VanGinkel

Keeping your kitchen organized and clean is a great way to get yourself geared up to cook holiday, or any day of the week, nutritious meals. Why is this? Because a messy, disorganized kitchen is not somewhere you, or anyone else for that matter, would want to spend any time. This means cooking as little as possible, usually grabbing something on the fly, tossing a frozen meal in the microwave at best, which does not usually equal nutritious or well balanced.

It is not difficult to take a mess and turn it into a place that shines, as long as you are willing to set aside a few hours to accomplish the task, and to take part of that time to consider what you really want from the space.

Start by clearing the clutter. I say this every time I discuss any sort of reorganization project, as it is difficult if not impossible to evaluate what you have if you cannot see it in the first place. Clutter that does not belong in the kitchen in the first place is often a kitchen's biggest downfall. Sort, purge, and file all of the clutter as you remove it, or else it will just become clutter somewhere else in your home.

Evaluate the clutter that actually belongs in the kitchen next. If your countertop and table, and every other available surface are covered, start by moving all of it to one spot, so that you can see how much, and what kind, of space you really have. A tabletop or even the floor will work. Avoid keeping things on the counters themselves as you do this, as you risk not getting a clear picture of what space you truly have.

When all of your cupboards are cleaned off and emptied, take this opportunity to clean them thoroughly. If you have so much stuff that emptying the interiors and surfaces is daunting, use empty laundry baskets to keep things contained as you work.

If you are a gadget guru, this may take some sorting, but stick with it until you are done. If you have a central cupboard for gadgets, pull these out at the same time. For worst-case scenarios, those of you who have a mixture of everything from food, to dishes, to gadgets stored here, there, and everywhere, face up to the disarray all at once and empty the cupboards, all of them.

Sort the accumulation realistically. If you purchased a product, tried it a few times, and it does not do what you thought it would, pass it on, donate it, or toss. If you use certain gadgets, but only occasionally, separate them into their own pile. Those that you use often, put together. Designate separate cupboards if possible to these separations to keep your gear easy to access and store. If you cannot afford the space to separate, then invest in some internal storage bins, and store the less used items towards the back of the cupboard space, but in containers so that they are not spilling out each time you grab for another item.

For those cupboards that store food items, consider if additional storage is needed. The small storage items that you see in your local discount stores, like those for keeping envelopes of gravies, etc., organized, really work and are well worth the few dollars they usually cost. Clear containers for storage of items such as cereal, flour, sugar, pastas, etc., also are great ways to keep the clutter inside your cupboards under control. It is a lot easier to see what groceries are needed when you can glance at a clear container instead of a cardboard box.

This may all seem like a lot of work, but realistically, even a disaster of a kitchen can be tackled in an afternoon as long as you stick to the plan. The big bonus is when you are finished; your kitchen will once again be a place you do not mind entering to fix a meal that is more pleasing than another frozen dinner tossed in the microwave.

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