You know the feeling: You’re elbow-deep in a recipe, when it tells you to grab some special item in the next step. Maybe it’s a lemon juicer, or a cheese grater, or a potato masher. You search frantically for the implement in question, only to find… nothing. It’s not in the drawer. It’s not in the dishwasher. It’s not in the cabinet. Where the hell is it?
Tools are flying, your dinner is burning — and still, your tool is nowhere to be found. You finally grab whatever’s handy and try to make do, which works out ok, but the damage is done. You’re feeling stressed the F— out. (And perhaps your dish suffered a bit in the process.)
So much for a relaxing night of cooking, right?
Kitchen organization (or lack thereof) is the cause of endless kitchens failures. If you’re missing the right tool, one of three things usually happens – sometimes all three: A) You use something else that doesn’t work, B) Your dinner burns/congeals/goes limp while you’re running around, or C) You get totally distracted or stressed by having to dig into every corner of your kitchen.
Other signs of a disorganized kitchen:
- You buy all of the ingredients you need for a recipe, start cooking, and suddenly realize that you’re out of something really important, but hadn’t noticed.
- You end up buying something at the grocery store, only to come home and find you already had three of the same item.
- You go to pull something down from a shelf, resulting in a shower of boxes and pans raining down onto your head.
- Your pot lids are in an awkward pile in your cabinet, and finding the right one ends up sounding like a five-minute long cymbal solo.
- Your counter is such a mess that cooking always becomes a game of, “Where can I put this mixing bowl? Where can I set this pot while it cools? Where did that damn spatula go?” Bonus points if something inevitably ends up smashed or splattered on the floor.
Never fear, my ninja friend. Kitchen organization is well within reach. Check out these tips for creating clarity in both your kitchen and your culinary life:
» Pot lid drama is a real thing. Here are 10 ways to organize your pot lids.
» A GENIUS way of storing pots, pans, and baking sheets.
» Are some of your spices older than you can even remember? Then it’s time to do a spice audit.
» If your kitchen drawers are a completely disaster, check out this DIY organizing idea.
» Perform a pantry makeover with this guide, which includes handy printable lists.