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.