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For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.De-cluttering your countertopsFirst things first: Take a good hard look at your countertops. What’s on them? Coffeemakers, blenders, food processors, stacks of bills, permission slips, and grade school art projects? Counter space is the single most overlooked item in many kitchens. The counter is where you set out and prepare food (often on a cutting board), stack plates, put kitchen machines, and lose car keys amid the clutter. A clean, clear counter space can inspire great meals. A cluttered one is more likely to make you want to pick up the phone and order a pizza. Try to keep your counters neat and clean. So many kitchen counters are cluttered with paraphernalia that they become nearly useless.
The most important key for organizing your counter space is to keep it clear of most stuff. Unless you use an appliance at least several times a week — the coffee machine, toaster, and blender, for example — put it away. That’s precious workspace you’re filling up with all that stuff! Also remember that a kitchen counter is not a magazine rack, plant holder, wine bin, or phone book shelf, so try not to use it for these purposes if you actually want to cook! In addition to keeping your countertops clutter free, take steps to care for them. Use cutting boards for cutting and trivets for hot pots and pans, and wipe up spills quickly to prevent stains. The nicer your counters look, the more you’ll enjoy being in the kitchen.
Let there be lightingKitchens should be well lit — the stove and workspaces most of all. If you have a combination kitchen/dining area, you may want to put the lights on a dimmer. That way, you can keep the kitchen bright while the dining area is dim. Lights under the stovetop hood can really help when stirring sauces or sautéing vegetables. You haven’t replaced that burned-out bulb in a year? Time to do it!
Another option is to have special lighting for the cooking area, either inset into overhead cabinets or in the ceiling. Nothing is worse than trying to check your food in a dimly lit area. If your kitchen is poorly lit over the cooking area, the least expensive solution is a wall-mounted supplementary light.
Staple city: Organizing your pantryThe pantry is the place where you store your basic cooking staples, as well as other dry goods. Dry goods are foods that aren’t refrigerated or frozen, including staples like flour and sugar, and packaged foods like crackers, cookies, pasta, and rice. If you’re lucky enough to have an entire room or closet dedicated to a pantry, keep it well organized so that you can see and easily reach the staples you use most, like flour, sugar, and cooking oil. But even if you have only a cabinet or two for your pantry, organization is the key to efficiency.
The first thing to consider in organizing your pantry is the kind of closet or cabinet you decide to use and whether the food you store inside of it is easily accessible.
We’ve seen many ingenious kitchen cabinets on the market, such as those that have storage shelves on the swing-out doors as well as inside, Lazy- Susan-type cabinets that rotate for full access to round shelves, or cabinets with shelves that roll out on tracks so you can easily reach even those things you store at the back of the shelf. If your cabinets don’t have these convenient features, you can improvise by mounting racks on the inside of the doors or installing those handy roll-out shelves yourself. Look for such kits in hardware or kitchen stores.
A good cabinet or closet system enables you to see exactly what’s in your pantry, thus helping to inspire your culinary creativity and allowing you to grab what you need without knocking over vinegar bottles and stacks of spice jars. Store dried beans, pasta, different kinds of rice, flour, sugar, tea, and coffee in large glass or clear plastic jars with lids. This type of storage is practical and looks professional, too.
If you use something all the time, consider taking it out of the pantry and storing it closer to your stove or workstation, in a “satellite” pantry like a cabinet or shelf. You might want to do this with your cooking oils and sprays, your spice rack, or your baking supplies such as baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.
Kitchen islands are extremely efficient in that they can have considerable storage space below. Moreover, they can double as a kitchen table. If you don’t have an island (and you have the space), consider buying a butcher block table with shelving underneath.
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For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.