Organizing Your Kitchen

We all see the magazines that show lovely well organized spotless kitchens. Let's face facts...our kitchens will NEVER look like this. Why? Cause we actually USE them. LOL However, keeping the kitchen organized is a good idea, if for nothing more than convenience purposes.

Step 1: Start by emptying out all of your food cupboards. Clean the shelves of the cupboards down with a dry cloth (do not use a moist one as water + dry foods and/or cans = mold). Now stop and think of the following questions:

1. Which of these items do I use the most? (set those in one area on your counter)
2. Are any of these items used only on a rare occasion (like spices, herbs, etc)? Put those items in a second area on your counter.
3. Are there any dry mixes that I use more often than not? (i.e.: cake mix, cookie mix, pancake mix...etc) Put those into a third area on your counter.
4. Are any of these items outdated? If the answer is 'yes', OR, if the expiration date is within only a few days.. and you will definitely NOT be using those items...throw them out.

Step 2: Once you have everything 'organized' on your counters, begin putting the items back into easily accessible areas of your cupboards. Least often used things on the back of the shelves...most often used things on the front of the shelves. Make sure that these items are within a quick reach of your cooking/baking area. It will not only save on time, but also on your energy and feet.

Stop here and do a quick safety check. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I have at least 1 box of Baking Soda within reach of my stove top? If not, put one there. If so, go on to #2. ~safety tip~ If there is a grease fire, pouring baking soda on the fire will help stop the fire. Always keep a box within easy reach (preferably on the counter away from the stove) while frying with oils and other flammable cooking items.
2. Do I have a small fire extinguisher within reach of my cooking area? If the answer is no, make a note to buy one (small kitchen sized ones can be purchased fairly cheap at any hardware store) and then place it under your kitchen sink.
3. Is there a smoke alarm in my kitchen? If so, make sure the batteries are in good working condition. If not, make a note to buy one and install it as soon as possible.
4. Are any of my cooking/baking food supplies within reach of small children and/or pets? If so, use a child's safety latch to help ensure that your children/grandchildren and/or pets can not access potentially harmful herbs, spices and 'pure' extracts (these can be fatal for animals, and potentially fatal for children, especially if there are food or drug allergies involved) *note* anyone who has poppy seeds in their cabinets should place those as high as possible and out of the reach of children.

Ok, moving on....

Step 3: Run a 'mock' cooking/baking section. Pretend you are makings something for a large group of people. Begin with each step, taking out each supply as needed. NO, you are not going to actually cook/bake something. But this 'dry run' will give you an idea as to just how well you organized your cabinets. If it 'passed the test'.... move on to Step 4. If not, go back and reorganize.

Step 4: Pretend there is a fire on your stove or in your oven. Then see how quickly you can get your hands on the baking soda AND the fire extinguisher. If the time is under 5 - 10 seconds, you're in good shape. Move on to Step 5. If the time is longer than 10 seconds...rethink the positioning of your fire safety equipment, and repeat this step until your 'fire outage' time is between 5 - 10 seconds. (safety note: A grease fire can fully engulf a small kitchen in less than 2 minutes. Thus why it is extremely important to have your safety equipment very handy at all times)

Step 5: Now it's time to head over to your refrigerator. The dreaded 'fridge'. This is a very important (and thankfully the last) step. Open your refrigerator door(s) and take a good look inside. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is everything I use most often right up front?
2. Are there any items that can be now classified as secret science projects? (throw those out if the answer is yes)
3. Are any un-opened containers in here that are past their expiration dates? If 'yes', throw them out.
4. Does anything smell funny when I open the fridge? *note* The fridge should have NO smell at all when you open it. If there is a smell, that's a signal that bacteria and/or mold is building up within the fridge. Find the source of the smell, and throw it out.
5. Check the freezer and ask yourself the same 4 questions as you did with your fridge.
6. If needed, add a fresh box of baking soda to both the fridge and the freezer.

NOW your kitchen is both organized, and safe. :)
Happy cooking and baking!