Kitchen Efficiency I – Preparing Your Kitchen

KITCHEN ORGANISATION

Cooking in a well-organized kitchen will give you extra joy. When you know where everything is and it’s easy to access, you don’t waste time looking for an ingredient or a tool, and your preparation and cooking becomes a joyful dance. Organise your kitchen according to equipment and ingredient categories—this will help you (and those you live with) remember where things are and create a more pleasant and intuitive experience overall.

STORAGE

To maximise the freshness and potency of your food ingredients, as well as to keep them free from unwanted pathogens, practice the following habits:
• Cover all food to avoid insect and rodent infestation.
• Keep smaller amounts in kitchen-sized containers in your
kitchen and the remaining ingredients appropriately
stored in another pantry/area.
• Store food at least 6 inches above the floor (avoid direct
contact with the floor).
• Protect stored ingredients from humidity, hot
temperatures, and light.
• Monitor expiration dates.
• Utilise the “First In First Out” (FIFO) principle.
• Avoid cross-contamination when scooping ingredients.

THE BEST STORAGE CONTAINERS ARE

• made from glass and nontoxic materials,
• airtight, and
• labeled and dated.

CLEANLINESS

We all know that a dirty kitchen is not very motivating to be in. Kitchen cleanliness serves a few purposes: it ensures food safety, keeps your mind peaceful and focused, and establishes a pure and uplifting vibration that then imparts into your food. Choose cleaning supplies and equipment that make it easy to clean, that way you’ll have little resistance to keeping your stove, sink, countertops, cabinets, drawers, and towels clean.
As you begin to reorganise your kitchen, you might want to do an initial detailed cleanup to really give it a fresh start, which will likely require the better part of a day. Going forward, it will be easier to maintain daily cleanliness. On that same principle, I recommend you wash dirty dishes as you prep and cook to keep your workstation tidy throughout your cooking routine.

TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR KITCHEN

Organise by category, then by subcategory:
Eating

Cooking
dish-/glassware, cutlery, napkins, place mats, coasters
utensils, vessels, appliances, tools for cutting, measuring

Fridge
shelves and drawers for categories of food

Food
nonperishables, storage containers, baking supplies

Reflective Questions

1. What organizational systems do you have in place in your kitchen? Do you flow with them?
2. List the tips you learned that you believe will most improve your kitchen organization.