Tip Tuesday – Kitchen Quadrants

With Thanksgiving and 2020’s many bread-making and baking phases behind us, how is your kitchen holding up? Perhaps NOW is a great time to rethink how you zone the key areas of your kitchen?

The four key quadrants are PREP, COOK, SERVE, and STORE. Grouping these items logically will help you create better flow and function, not just for the holidays but for a fresh New Year.

PREP = Everything you need to prep your food, like cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls, and measuring cups. Basic ingredients like flour and sugar could also be included. Don’t forget your food processor, blender, and other prep appliances. These things should be easy to access and ideally located by the counter that you use to chop and mix.

COOK = All of your pots and pans, utensils, pot holders, and colanders. This category also includes spices, vinegar, and oils that are used for cooking. Ideally, these items will be in close proximity to your cooktop. Think about your dominant hand and try to put utensils to your right or left side.

SERVE = All of your plates, bowls, cutlery, mugs, glassware, stemware, and trays. Be realistic about what you keep close to hand. If space is tight, perhaps only 8 of the set of 16 glasses need to be accessible? If you have more than one set of dishes, then the seldom-used china may need to be stored elsewhere to make room for your everyday plates. Ideally, these will be stored by the table or counter you eat at.  Glassware will be stored near the dishwasher.

STORE = Foil, wrap, plastic or reusable bags, and food storage containers. The little snack holders and all of the various lids that come with this group can be difficult to match and manage. When possible, store containers with the lids ON to save the frustration of trying to find a match.

If you want more tips, tricks, and ideas please join my FB Group where we share our organizing dilemmas and solutions as well!