I love my kitchen, but I don’t love it when I can’t find anything. Andrew thinks it’s very funny that I keep moving things around in my cabinets even though we’ve been here a year. The book had a few good tips for getting and keeping kitchens neat and organized.
- Use clear containers for easy viewing: I heart this tip. As a glass jar addict, this was right up my alley. I recommend keeping those old spaghetti sauce jars and putting salt, baking powder, or another baking supply in them. You can see how much is left that way, and how amazing do jars look in all lined up in a pantry or cabinet? {drooling over this pantry featured on Design*Sponge}
- Clean as you go! Use Rachael Ray’s tip of a garbage bowl as you cook. And keep a sink full of sudsy water you can throw measuring spoons and other stuff in as you cook.
- Food storage containers: I love this tip for those seemingly endless stacks of storage containers: “Use a couple of small pieces of masking tape to seal all your containers. As you use them, you’ll break the seal. After six months (preferably encompassing Thanksgiving), get rid of the containers that still have unbroken masking tape seals. (page 165) {PS from me: try to use glass only when possible, and never, ever, ever heat a plastic storage container in the microwave.}
- And major woohoos for this “Cookbook Post-it Test”: “Every time you use a recipe from a cookbook, mark the page with a post-it. At the end of eighteen months, get rid of books that have no Post-its.” (page 166)
Nothing earth-shattering here, but just a few practical tips. I’d love to hear some of your practical tips as well. Wrap-up of the book tomorrow…
Image: Emersonmade pantry
