Let’s Get Ready to Cook!
If you really don’t cook but you want to eat at home more often for the sake of your health and your pocketbook this year, this is for you! New year, new you, right?
Much like setting up an office for a new job, getting your kitchen in order promotes a more clear path to cooking well, which can become a ritual that leads to a better balanced life. In this crazy world, there are many things we can’t control, but how we fuel ourselves is completely within our power.
January is my favorite time to clean out the pantry and create a more ergonomic work space. As you put away your holiday serving dishes and all the odd bits leftover from special recipes, it’s a ripe opportunity to reimagine what you can do with food that is nearing its expiration date and rearrange things to make additional space for food prep and storage.
Our first suggestion is that you set aside a little time to get your kitchen in order, and open a bottle of your favorite WSCW wine for extra inspiration. Have you ever tried our 2019 Texas Old World Reserve? It’s a dry white wine that has been aged on oak and can be served chilled or at room temperature.
CREATING SPACE FOR EASE OF MOVEMENT
Ergonomics in the kitchen matter, especially if your space is limited. Clutter in the kitchen is not only hazardous in terms of food and fire safety, but it makes it harder to cook. Regardless of the amount of space there is, starting with a clean sink and a clear work space is a must.
If you have tools or small appliances that you don’t actually use, it’s time to gift, donate or sell them online. You don’t really need a lot of gadgets to make great food, but the ones that work best for you should be easy to reach, clean, and store out of sight. The ones you use every day, or multiple times per day, should be easy to access at all times.
I am a fan of using serving trays of all types on countertops, because it keeps things organized and allows you to move a group of things to another location for entertaining or deep cleaning. Keeping your coffee making apparatus and tea kettle on a tray helps contain inevitable spills and protects countertops from stains and water marks.
Large wooden cutting boards or pieces of ceramic tile, slate, or granite make great trivets and temporary work spaces when placed on top of your sink or stove. Stackable cooling racks allow you to create more space for holding foods, and you can always employ a fold out table for extra production space.
Inside your cabinets and food pantry, small single tier shelves from Target, Ikea or Goodwill allow you to fit more in a small space. Clear food storage with lids and plastic bins help keep things organized and sanitary, and make cleaning all your food related spaces less of a chore.
The main idea is to store things where you can see them, so they get used before they spoil or go rancid. The other driver of this process is keeping healthy items visible, ready to eat and easy to prep so that you are less likely to order takeout, or ruin your appetite with junk because you are both tired and hungry when it’s time to make dinner.
In our next post, we’ll talk about what a well-stocked pantry should have in it, and how that can make cooking easier, healthier, and more enjoyable.
Love,
Kristie Stevens
