Organized. Tidy. Neat. Dreaded words, but invaluable ones in the kitchen. When your pancakes are about to burn onto the pan, you don’t have time to yank open all the drawers in search of the heat-proof spatula!
You’ll enjoy cooking and baking much more if you take a little bit of time to organize your pans, utensils, and ingredients. Do whatever seems logical to you–just make sure that you can remember where you put that colander when you really need it. I find that it’s easier to group things according to how they’re used. (That way, if you can remember where you put one of those items, you’ll find the rest!) Here’s how I’ve arranged my wares:
- a drawer for baking utensils (measuring spoons, cake decorating tools, pastry cutter, candy thermometer, pastry brush, etc.)
- a drawer for general non-baking utensils (garlic press, mushroom brush, slotted spoon, egg slicer, meat hammer, salad spoons, etc.)
- a drawer for oven mitts and potholders
- a stovetop container of cooking implements (long-handled spoons, spatulas, whisks, ladles, pasta forks)
- a cupboard of spices and teas
- a cupboard of baking dishes (glass and metal pans, springform pans, ceramic quiche dishes, tube pans, etc.)
- a cupboard of oils and vinegars
- a cupboard of baking ingredients (flours, sugars, honeys, nuts, oats, molasses, etc.)
- a cupboard of dry goods (canned vegetables, pastas, rice, dried fruit, grains, etc.)
Getting organized may seem like a pain at first, but trust me–an hour of organization now is worth a baker’s dozen later on. No more spills, curses, or inadvertently-blackened-pancakes…or, at least, you’ll have fewer of them!
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Tags: cooking, kitchen tips, organization
