The Intuitive Organizing Tip That Streamlines Your Cooking Process

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Whether you're a dedicated foodie or a meal prep master, many of us spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen daily. It's a space where we nourish our bodies, get ready for the day ahead, or wind down in preparation for a peaceful evening. Since the kitchen is so important to daily life, keeping it clean and well-organized is not only responsible but can significantly improve your overall well-being. For instance, even something as simple as replacing the round containers in your pantry with square ones allows you to fit more containers on each shelf and use the space more efficiently.

The same idea applies to how you organize the rest of your kitchen. Breaking it up into work stations helps you streamline the process of prepping and cooking your food, enabling meals to come together faster. If, for example, you usually gravitate toward your kitchen island or the counter space next to your stove to organize and process ingredients, it makes sense to store your knife block, cutting boards, mixing bowls, and measuring cups in that area. That way, you're not running from counter to cupboard gathering tools, as they're all within easy reach.

You can also use this organization technique to break specific kitchen "rules," such as the convention of storing all of your seasonings in the same place. If your favorite weekday breakfast is a French omelette à la Julia Child's quick and simple technique, it's most efficient to keep your favorite seasonings in a small basket near the stove.

When thinking about how best to reorganize your kitchen to streamline the cooking and tidying process, it's important to consider how you use the space. If you love having a freezer full of pre-prepared, homemade meals, you'll need a station stocked with things like ½ Cup Silicone Souper Cube Freezer Molds, gallon-sized resealable bags, and specialized tools like food processors and blenders.

Meanwhile, someone who bakes constantly may benefit from a station filled with neatly organized loaf pans, muffin tins, a dough whisk, and supplies like flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Keeping all of these things in one place may not be conventional, but it'll make it much easier and more enjoyable to throw together your favorite carrot cake cupcakes sprinkled with caramelized walnuts if you don't have to sort through your whole kitchen to find everything first.

Without a doubt, the stations every kitchen needs are for keeping both dishes and surfaces clean. Try decanting things like dishwasher tabs into clear glass jars so you can see when you're running out, and group them with dish soap and sponges on a pretty tray near your sink. Disinfectant spray, surface wipes, and microfiber clothes can be folded neatly into a plastic caddy inside a cupboard, preferably stored alongside your broom, mop, and neatly folded trash bags. Keeping cleaning supplies in the room you'll be cleaning makes it more convenient to keep your space sanitary, meaning you're less likely to put it off.