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Here Jen talks about how she keeps her kitchen organized.
(Elizabeth) How often do you organize your kitchen? Once a year, once a season, monthly?
(Jen) I live in a small apartment, so reordering the 2 cabinets serving as a pantry is a monthly job.
Everything else gets organized once a season.
What's area in your kitchen that seems to collect the most clutter?
I have a long countertop on my kitchen island that is a landing spot. I make it a point to clear it at the end of everyday. I am also lucky to have a built in kitchen desk where I have a large tray to collect mail, schoolwork, and papers to process and review.
What are your favorite kitchen tools?
The Vitamix, definitely. I use a pretty French press for coffee. A George Forman grill can be nice. I am minimalistic in my cooking.
How do you organize your spices? In a drawer, spice rack or some other storage solution? Do you label them?
My spices are on one clutter-free shelf that is really easy to shift around. I do buy all the same brand so the nice labels match. I feel like this makes cooking more pleasurable. If I haven't used something in a year, it definitely gets tossed.
Where and how do you store your big appliances (slow cooker, mixer)? Do you keep their user manuals? Where do you store those? Do you wrap the cords around the bottom?
My Vitamix stays on the counter. My slow cooker broke and was never replaced, and I don't bake enough to need a mixer, so I don't have those to store. I do have a big awkward dehydrator that is stored in a low cabinet. I pull that out to dry fruit occasionally. Also, I have a countertop grill that fits in another low cabinet. Without the luxury of lots of space, I am forced to be realistic with myself about what I will really use. Investing in the Vitamix saved me the need for many types of extra appliances. (Hmmm...I do wish I had a waffle maker though!)
I am absolutely not a manual keeper! Everything can be found online now.
How do you organize your recipes? Online or off? Or both? How are your cookbooks organized?
I have just a couple of cookbooks kept in a cabinet over my kitchen desk. All the rest of my recipes are stored on a Pinterest board and referenced on my iPad as I cook. I use technology as much as possible to stay clutter-free!
How far in advance do you plan meals and how often do you go grocery shopping each week?
I have strong feelings about grocery shopping! I used to be a major meal planner, but as a single mom and entrepreneur I've had to simplify our routine. We eat the same few meals at home all the time, so I buy in bulk at Costco once a month and try not to go to the grocery store too much in between, since I just don't have time.
I have definitely done the coupon thing before as a young mother, but I've matured in my view and am not a fan over the long run. I ended up justifying unhealthy food purchases and spending way too much brainpower thinking about "deals". When I'm in the grocery store, I look for what's on sale that's reasonably healthy and get out as soon as possible. I don't want to waste my time I could be giving to my kids or spending on my business filing coupons. It's not worth the few dollars saved on the healthy items I buy, and I see no appeal in being a Coupon Queen.
What do you *always* have on hand in your kitchen?
I take advantage of my freezer as much as possible for deals on chicken, salmon, and frozen fruit in bulk. I also keep a good stock of the things for my kids' lunches: juice boxes, snack bars, and fruit squeezes. I don't ever want to be scrambling for the basics. I also buy brown rice and oatmeal in bulk.
Any other tips to stay organized in the kitchen?
I keep storage containers to a bare minimum. The containers themselves have one shelf, and I keep the tops in a drawer.
I use the Wunderlist app on my phone for everything, including grocery lists. Make notes of what you need as soon as you think of it--never later.
Also, just simple advice. Staying on top of keeping the kitchen clean after every meal will help you enjoy being in the kitchen more. Make it a pleasure to go through your pantry every so often and consolidate and reorder. Basically, be kind to the person coming in next--it's usually you.
Read more kitchen interviews: Organizing Diaries: How I Stay Organized In the Kitchen
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