February 2008, Issue 4

You are WHERE you eat

How many hours a day do you spend in your kitchen? Is it your personal sanctuary, or the most cluttered room in your home?

Whether you are a master chef or the premier take-out guru, the kitchen is a place that should provide nourishment, comfort and pleasure. Sometimes, however, amidst the tower of unwieldy pots and a freezer packed with TV dinners, pleasure doesn't seem to be the first thing that comes to mind. Consider reclaiming this important space at last - one shelf at a time.

This month, just clear out one cabinet. Assuming you're feeling a bit more ambitious, here are some more clutter-clearing suggestions:

1. Consolidate and Eliminate - You would be shocked to know how much room in your kitchen is being occupied by duplicate items. How many opened bottles of ketchup are sitting in your pantry right now? Pour all the ketchup into one, and you'll free up space immediately. And of course, check expiration dates and throw out any food that expired months - or years - ago!
2. Mix and Match - Take the Tuperware out of your cabinets and lay them out on the kitchen table. After separating the containers from the lids, pair matching ones up. Any container missing its partner gets recycled.
3. Label, Label, Label - Grab a sheet of labels and a marker, and head to the pantry. Labeling containers and shelves gives everyone the chance to participate in the organizing process. At long last, the rest of your family, guests, neighbors - whoever - will finally know where every item belongs. This is a big help when you're cleaning up from dinner or unloading the groceries. Once the organizing system is visible to everyone, anyone can help keep the space organized - not only you.
4. Date it - Before freezing the next package of chicken breasts, or leftover bagels from brunch, grab a permanent pen. After storing the food in freezer bags, mark down the day's date and/or the last day that the food can be eaten. You can find detailed fridge and freezer storage charts at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/refrfrez.pdf.
5. Creatively Contain - There are so many fun kitchen containers that make items easier to store and access. Stack spices on multi-tiered racks (imagine bleacher seating), add extra space with under-shelf storage, or move your lazy Suzy into the fridge! One of my favorite trays is below.

Pile on items - jellies, condiments, spices - and then give the tray a twirl - until you find whatever it is you're looking for.