Small tweaks, like keeping spices close to the stove in a spice rack designed for pull-outs, can help you save time in the kitchen. (Courtesy of Marni Jameson)
At a time when most expectant parents have left home, our daughter and her husband were in the middle of renovating: sawdust flying, workers buzzing about, every plate, glass, pot, pan and appliance lying abandoned in the living room next door as if someone had thrown a grenade in it.
When baby George was born four days early, Paige and Adam had just finished packing up their belongings in a rush. They were so grateful for their beautiful new kitchen and their new baby that getting everything in its place wasn't a priority.
Except for me.
At the risk of being a mother-in-law (me?), I waited until the second day of my visit to tell them I knew a great kitchen organizer in the area and would be happy to call them.
“We don't mean to interrupt you,” I whispered to Paige and Adam, careful not to wake the baby. “And I'm not saying that you guys don't already have a perfectly organized kitchen. Logically! I'm just saying that this organizer might suggest ways to organize your kitchen better and save you time.”
I instantly regretted making this presumptuous offer. Why did I think the idea would be accepted? George opened his eyes and let out a soft squeal. Paige and Adam looked at each other, then at me, and then, probably due to severe sleep deprivation, shrugged and said, “Sure!”
Twenty years ago, I met Mary Rogers, a culinary educator and kitchen organizer from Boulder, Colorado. I was living in Colorado and invited her to my home for a column. She taught me to observe the way I moved around in the kitchen.
“It's math,” Rogers said. “Five extra seconds to grab your ingredients, bowls and utensils may not seem like a big deal, but soon those five seconds become 20 seconds, which becomes a minute. Over a week, it becomes 10 minutes, and over a month, it becomes an hour.” She set up my coffee stand so I could make coffee without moving my feet.
“If your kitchen isn't efficient, you're not going to want to cook,” she says. “If cooking is a hassle, you're not going to cook healthy meals.”
After a quick tour of Paige and Adam's kitchen, Rogers noticed how quickly they prepared properly. They limited their cooking utensils to only what they would use. “In most homes, organization is the first step,” she says. They knew they wanted to keep important appliances and food close by, so they placed silverware, glasses, and dishes near the dishwasher.
She then took steps to make the couple's new kitchen more efficient:
Place the food where you want to cook it. Cooking ingredients like oil, spices, vinegar, and canned goods should be near the stove. Paige and Adam kept their spices in a drawer near the stove, but when they opened the drawer they could see the lids. They had to pull out each spice one by one to know what it was. Rogers suggested labeling the lids or building an angled spice rack for the drawers. Paige and Adam got a rack. Arrange the spices alphabetically.
Eliminate trips to the pantry. One of Roger's biggest pet peeves is seeing cooks running back and forth to the pantry, which should be reserved for spare and less-used cooking supplies like condiments, canned goods, paper towels, etc. Snacks aren't needed for cooking, so Rogers moved them to the pantry.
Thin the caddy. Many kitchens have utensil caddies that are filled with tools that cooks rarely use, Rogers says, “so when you take one out, three more come out with it.” Keep the canister thin and store only the 6 to 10 utensils you use most often.
Keep plates, glasses and cutlery near the dishwasher. The second best place is near the kitchen table for convenient table settings. If you can achieve both, even better. Similarly, store dish towels near the sink and potholders near the stove.
Clear the counter. Unless you use them frequently, keeping cooking utensils off the counter, especially those in the cooking triangle between the sink, refrigerator, and stove, will improve the appearance of your kitchen and give you more space for chopping and mixing ingredients.
Incorporate cuteness. Rogers praises all the moves that make a kitchen a welcoming place, including adding functional decor like fancy salt and pepper mills, pretty fruit bowls, and pretty linen dish towels.
Use bins strategically. While Paige and Adam labeled boxes of flour, sugar, dog treats and nuts, Rogers saw potential for much more, such as storing cleaning products under the sink: “Keeping them in a pull-out box makes it easy to access the products.”
Afterwards, Paige said, “I always loved my new kitchen, but now it's even better.”
Marni Jameson is the author of seven books, including the recently published “Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow.” She can be reached at marni@marnijameson.com.
