Tasking Your Kitchen: Organize Kitchen Duties into "Tasks"

Efficient cooking is all about saving steps. I'm not talking about steps of a recipe but rather the steps you take walking back and forth, retrieving certain items and completing tasks.

Let me give you an example:

Example #1 - The Disorganized Kitchen:

Imagine walking into your kitchen with the goal of baking cookies. You know you need the mixer, the mixer bowl, its batter attachment, the different ingredients, cookie sheets and the cooling rack. You find the mixing bowl on the mixer but can't find the attachment so you have to search different drawers until you find it. The pan and cooling racks are in different cupboards. All the ingredients are spread out around the pantry. The fridge is on the other side of the kitchen. By the time your cookies him the oven, your feet hurt and you still have to repeat all of those steps to put everything away!

If these items were condensed into "themes" or "tasks", everything would be in reach. You can spend less time searching and putting away and more time baking and enjoying warm cookies.

Now, let's look at another example:

Example #2 - The Themed Kitchen:

You walk into my kitchen to bake cookies and find that my baking area is centered around the mixer. The mixer sits on the counter, since I bake often, and is placed strategically next to the oven, with workspace on the other side. Above the mixer, you'll find a cupboard of baking supplies, like flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Below, you'll find the baking pans, including cookie sheets and cooking rack. The attachment can be found in the next cupboard, where my most used electric equipment (hand mixer, mixer attachment and immersion blender) are stored in separate plastic shoeboxes. The mixing bowl is turned upside down on top of the mixer when it isn't in use. The fridge is a step away to the right if you needed anything from there. When you make your cookies, everything is in reach and soon, cookies are in the oven and you can sit down with a cold glass of iced tea.

Compare the two examples above. You can see that the organized kitchen saves you steps and time. You don't spend all of that time searching for different items. Everything is in reach of the mixer. It's a great system! Mixing cookie dough is easy and I'm in and out of the kitchen in no time.

How do you organize your kitchen in this way? Here are some steps to follow:

Step One: make a list of your most common tasks. What do you do everyday? Every week? This list will be the basis of your "tasks" organization. I know, everyday, I make coffee and iced tea, cook on the stove and empty the dishwasher.

Step Two: take that list of tasks and expand it by listing what you'd need for each one. So, for coffee and tea making, I know I need the electric kettle, tea, coffee, sweetener, creamer and water.

Step Three: decide where you want the basics: basic cooking utensils and dishes. Items that you need to use when using the stove or oven needs to go near it so you do not get distracted, searching for something, while things cook. Dishes and glasses should be placed near the dishwasher or sink, for easy putting away.

Step Four: See what room you have left. Use this area for your "task" area. You will need to take in account where your major appliances. My baking area is next to the stove while my tea and coffee area are near the fridge, where I can reach for cold creamer and other coffee fixings (I would have rather had had it near the sink but counter space was limited there).

Step Five: Any leftover space should be used for everything else. Rarely used items should go in the "dead space" in the back of cabinets while the items you use more often are in the front, where you can reach them.

I hope that this method helps you get in and out of the kitchen faster, with less stress. It's worked for me!