Simplifying Your Kitchen

With the holiday season fast approaching, I am looking forward to a reprisal of my season preparation series. To get in the mood, I thought I would talk a bit about simplifying the most used (and most-visited) room in our homes, the kitchen. In the upcoming months, I am sure that there will be many hours spent cooking, whether for small family dinners or large holiday dinners. Let’s spend some time getting ready…



• Don’t try to clean the whole room in one day. Clean two cabinets, or a shelf in your pantry each day. This way it only takes 15 or 20 minutes a day, for one week and you’ll have it organized without burning out!

• Do use labels. I always thought this was silly, but here’s what happens if you don’t label each shelf… You will go away for a few days, or come down with a cold. And then someone else who doesn’t know your system will put things away in the wrong area, you won’t be able to find things for weeks. Trust me.

• Don’t mix things up all over the place. Assign one cabinet or shelf for baking items, one for spices, one for your pickles or jams. Whatever works for you, but put things together logically.

• Do remember to think about how you use the items. Put the tools and ingredients you use all the time in easy reach. That turkey roaster or fondue pot can go on the top shelf, in the back. If you use your mixer all the time, put it where you can get to it (mine is even on the counter, those things are really heavy to lift out!)


I hope that these ideas can be of some service to you. I just went through my own kitchen this week, and am feeling better every time I open the cabinets. I am planning to put labels in the fridge too! (And yes, I do have a problem with OCD, and no, I’m not joking.) Please share any tips you have, I know I always love getting new ideas (especially since with my housekeeping disorganization I do need all the help I can get.)
And later this week, I will be sharing a post on my journey to my faith. This is a very personal story, which I have been going back and forth on posting about. I have really felt like if it is something that might help one person, it is worth it to talk about.