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How organized is your kitchen?

 Does your kitchen cause you anxiety attacks?

Can you walk in and start cooking right away?

Do you know where all your ingredients, pots and pans, and baking dishes are located? Or do you have to pull out ten pans before you find the pan you are looking for?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. These articles will help you get a grip on having an organized kitchen that you enjoy.

Kitchen Organization
Solutions, Strategies and Rules to Organize the Kitchen
By: Karen Fritscher-Porter

Good kitchen organization means making the kitchen into the functional room it’s supposed to be. You cook in the kitchen. So your first goal when organizing the kitchen is to streamline cooking processes. You want efficiency and ease when cooking so it’s a smooth, enjoyable experience for you.

The second major thing you do in the kitchen is store food. So your second kitchen organization goal is to be able to see at a glance what’s in your kitchen food cabinets or pantry and what needs to be replenished. Plus you want to store food so it stays sealed properly and fresh.

Third, you clean up after cooking and eating in the kitchen. And this is a tiring task as it is so make it as quick and easy as possible to do.

Finally, you might eat in the kitchen. But you won’t find too many kitchen organization rules that apply to this task since this is mostly just about enjoying the end product from cooking.

So how do you meet the first three kitchen organization goals?

First, permanently remove anything from the kitchen that doesn’t belong there. This might include book bags, purses, coats, books or any other item you or family members regularly set on kitchen counters or on the table. Do not ever bring these items back into the kitchen. Make permanent homes for these type items in your foyer or entryway halls and closets using cubbies, baskets, containers or over-the-door plastic pocket organizers.

Now start streamlining your cooking area. Put items you most use when cooking near the work counter and stove and oven. This will be items that you use every day. If you don’t use the blender every day, why is it in your prime counter work spot? Because it looks pretty isn’t a good organizational reason. If you do use that measuring cup most days, why do you have to walk across the room to a far cabinet to retrieve it? Put it in the cabinet above your cooking preparation area.

Take a good look at what’s in your prime cooking and work area now. Decide what needs to move into that area and what needs to move out of the area, while still remaining somewhere in the kitchen. You also may find a few kitchen items that are one too many, such as 10 frying pans and eight spatulas. Get rid of the excess items by donating them.

For your second goal of storing food so you can view it a glance and replenish items as needed you can do things like turn all the food items in your kitchen food closet so that labels are facing you. Also cluster these dry goods into similar groups of items such as vegetables in one section and can soup in another. Empty multiple boxes of the same pastas and rice into translucent plastic storage containers.

Also, you might want to place a magnetic basket on your fridge with a pad and pencil in it. Use it to jot down items you use the last of in the kitchen. When it’s time to make a trip to the supermarket, you’ll know just what you need. Your third goal in the kitchen is clean-up. Keep your kitchen clean-up items such as dishwasher detergent, scrubber pads, gloves and more under the sink in a single pull out utility caddy. Use two if necessary. And don’t “steal” items such as the cleanser back and forth between rooms. Get a separate cleaning caddy for the bathroom cleaning supplies.

Remember, kitchen organization is all about putting “function” back into this work space and streamlining the organization to suit your functional tasks. Making using your kitchen convenient, efficient, and even relaxing.

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Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organization at http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com where you can read more articles about kitchen organization and shop for products to organize the kitchen.

How many times have you started to prepare a recipe and discovered you do not have all the necessary ingredients?

What do you do?

This often results in a recipe that is ruined, wasted ingredients, or you have to stop everything and run to the grocery store. When you get to the grocery store, you may have to purchase a large container of an ingredient just for a teaspoon or two that you actually need for this recipe. This is very aggravating and very costly since shelf life on spices is not a very long time.

Our common ingredient substitution list will help you substitute other ingredients for the missing ingredient. The substitutions could produce a slightly different flavor or texture than the original ingredient, however, it will save you time and money.

Do you have recipe book after recipe book lined up on your kitchen counter taking up valuable counter space? Do you have a recipe drawer you throw your recipes in, and are never able to locate the recipe when you need it? What are your plans for your recipes that you get from My Country Kitchen?

The staff of My Country Kitchen love organized recipes that make your life easier. Computerized recipes make it easy to find recipes, stay organized and reduce the stress in your life. Create the following categories for your personal computerize recipe database.

Appetizers
Beef
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast
Cajun
Cakes
Candy
Chicken
Condiments
Cookies
Crock Pot
Desserts
Food Mixes
Fruits
Holidays
Italian
Jam/Jelly/Preserves
Copy Kat recipes
Marinades/Rubs
Mexican
Oriental
Pasta/Rice/Beans
Pies
Pork
Potatoes
Salads
Sandwiches
Sauces/Creams/Dressings
Seafood
Soup
Turkey
Veal
Vegetables

What I suggest is to mark off time on your schedule to enter your recipes on the computer. Say 30 minutes a day or week, etc. Always remember to back up your recipe database.

Make a new document for each recipe and then save that document under the specific category on your recipe database.

Make a file for all your cooking tips.

Make a file for all your meals/grocery list you receive from My Country Kitchen.

Go through each cookbook and enter your favorite recipes on your database under Cookbook recipes. Unless the cookbook has sentimental value, sell your cookbooks. This will decrease your clutter. For the cookbooks that you are going to keep, make a chart with these subtitles: Recipe Name; Cookbook Name; and Page Number. This will allow you to find recipes in cookbooks easier.

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About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Do you need a time saving kitchen tool that will cook your meals in a third of the time? Turn to your trusty pressure cooker. It is a long time kitchen tool that older generations used almost all the time. Some people may think that your pressure cooker is just for canning. But this is not true… pressure-cooking makes it easy for even the busiest cooks to prepare meals from scratch which will be healthier for your family.

When purchasing a pressure cooker make sure you get a quality pan. I recommend starting with a new pressure cooker so that you will have the instruction booklet. Purchasing a pressure cooker at a garage sale is NOT recommended. Read and understand the instruction booklet for your cooker before you make your first meal. The newer pressure cookers are a lot safer than the older designs of our mother’s and grandmother’s time. A lot of people are scared away from pressure cooking because of stories about the pressure cooker exploding and food all over the ceiling. Chances of this happening today are less likely, because the newer cookers will not open if there is pressure inside them.

The two biggest concerns when using your pressure cooker are the gasket seal and the vent tube. These need to be working properly in order to cook food safely.

The gasket is the rubber seal on the inside of the cooker lid. Make sure this seal is flush against the lid to seal correctly.

The vent tube is equally as important. This is the tube in the center of the cooker lid that vents out the steam. The small weight that jiggles back and forth goes on top of the vent tube. If the vent tube gets clogged, you can have an explosion. This is why you must add a little oil to beans when pressure cooking them. Otherwise, the skins from the beans will clog the vent tube. You can prevent problems with your pressure cooker by neglecting to check the vent tube before you cook. Hold the lid up to the light and looking through the vent tube to make sure it is clear. You can check that gasket at the same time.

Most of the time, pressure cooking won’t be a problem, but you still need to use caution. Keeping your pressure cooker clean, particularly the lid, gasket and vent tube, will help prevent any problems.

Foods that normally take hours to prepare using conventional methods of cooking takes only a third of the time to cook in your pressure cooker. That adds up to both time and energy savings for you. With the newer pressure cookers very little steam escapes during the cooking process. This allows you to use smaller amounts of liquid and retain more vitamins and minerals in your food. Don’t be surprised if your pressure cooker ends up as your favorite cooking utensil.

Pressure Cooking is one of the healthiest ways to prepare your food it helps preserve the natural taste of your food, and is a faster way of cooking. Pressure Cooked meats are fork tender, and delicate fish or chicken are cooked to perfection in just minutes.

The pressurized steam which is produced by high temperatures inside a pressure cooker makes the food cook quickly and intensifies the natural flavors. This allows cooks to use less salt, sugar, and still get a better taste from their food. Pressure cooking creates an airless environment that retains more nutrients than other cooking methods. As the foods cook quickly with very little liquid, more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are preserved and not boiled away during cooking. Foods are cooked in a sealed steam atmosphere; which is a virtually fat-free cooking method. Rapid cooking techniques are better for retaining nutrients than slower methods.

So the next time you want to cook a brisket or tougher cut of meat, pull out your pressure cooker. You will be pleasantly surprised at how little of time it took you to cook a healthy meal for your family.

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About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Have you ever dreamed of having a personal assistant in your kitchen? Oh I have, many times! As I dreamed of things this personal assistant would do for me, I developed some time savings tips that will make your time in the kitchen less stressful.

One of the most efficient time savers is planning your meals by the week, for two weeks or even a month at a time. After you plan your meals, compile a grocery list. Buy each item on your grocery list, list the dish which you will be using that ingredient. This will help you once you return home from your grocery shopping. Do your grocery shopping on a day and time there are fewer people at the grocery store. This will allow less stress in fighting the crowds and will help you think clearly as you are making your food selections.

Once you get home, take time putting away your groceries. Clean and chop your vegetables such as herbs, onions, peppers, celery. Once cleaned and chopped, pre-measure your vegetables, place in a storage bag labeled with the recipe it goes in. Keep one shelf in your refrigerator for ingredients for your meals. Let your family know about this shelf so they will not eat your ingredients.

When you are browning your ground beef, brown all the beef you are going to use the rest of the week. Put cooled browned beef in plastic bags or containers, and label them with the recipe name. This will cut down on your prep time for the rest of the week. There is no use in browning beef several times in a week.

When thinking about your personal assistant, think about your appliances that can help you. Your slow cooker will become your best friend. In the morning, you can assemble your vegetables and meat in your slow cooker in less than 10 minutes. Your meal will be done when you return home in the evening. A slow cooker is a wonderful investment!

Always keep pre-packaged salad on hand to have a quick and easy side dish.

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About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com