A kitchen is more than the source of a hundred lovely meals. It’s more than a place for you to experiment with all the (fantastic) recipes you’ll find here. It’s a hub of family activity and a tool for everyday use. So it demands a certain level of care. A smarter kitchen owner is a cook that has to worry a lot less. Let’s get deeper into it.
An inspiration board
When you start truly enjoying food, you start coming up with ideas of your own — that’s what kitchen creativity is all about. You’ll make a recipe and think “it might need a little more of this.” Having a chalkboard (or white board) in the kitchen can be a great way to jot down your little hints of inspiration. On a more utilitarian note, it can also be a great place to make notes of groceries you need to pick up the next time you head out to the store.
Take care of your equipment
If you put a lot of thought into your choice of kitchenware, you’re probably spending quite a bit on them. (Or maybe like me, you got them as wedding gifts!) Yet wear and tear can have an effect on just about anything. To keep your food at its best, make sure your equipment is at the same level. Make sure you’re cleaning and repairing non-stick cookware with baking soda and water, then vegetable oil. Ensure you know what’s supposed to go in the dishwasher and what demands a bit more attention. Use knife sharpeners from places like Cut It Fine to make sure your utensils are in proper order.
Smarter storage
How many times have you threatened to pull your hair out over looking for one thing or another in the kitchen? If you’re truly wild about cooking, you will quickly realize that your storage isn’t enough. A few cupboards full of stuff isn’t the smartest way to store your food and equipment. Instead, think about making a few DIY storage changes to the kitchen. The spice rack is only the beginning of it. For instance, consider fitting a magnet onto the wall for your most commonly used tools like knives. Or a sliding rack for pots and pans rather than stacking them all atop one another. (Keep an eye out for full articles about better storage ideas. I’m moving soon and will be coming up with some fun ideas for my new home … and will share them with you!)
Avoiding the nightmare cleanup
A clean kitchen is something even a novice cook knows to cherish. After you’ve spent all that time cooking and enjoying a meal, you really don’t want to have to tidy everything up after. Get someone else in the house to do the dishes, but make sure any mess made while cooking is taken care of. The best way to do that is to tidy as you go. As soon as you’re finished with one ingredient, quickly wipe away the mess. When you’re done with a chopping board, rinse it. Deal with the mess you make in short, easy-to-handle bursts. That way you’re not cleaning up a whole kitchen after the work you’ve already done.
Your kitchen sees a lot of use. It takes a lot of time. But if you’re willing to put the work in and make a few changes, you can cut down a lot of that time. You’ll spend less cleaning, less organizing and more on actually making some gorgeous food.
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