Organization In My Kitchen

Fortunately for me, the theme of this week's WFMW is kitchen organization. If it had been closet organization or paperwork organization, I would have really had to work hard at coming up with some ideas. Kitchen organization I get though. In fact, I get it so much that I blog about it a lot and this post feels a little redundant. But I like to do what I'm told, so here you go.

1. Menu planning, Grocery Lists, and Freezer Cooking. Although much of this work happens outside of the kitchen, it is my #1 way to maintain organization in my kitchen. I use a master menu plan, a master grocery list, and I grocery shop once a month. After the big shopping trip, I spend the next week to 10 days cooking extras and filling my freezer for the rest of the month. (You can read more about this here and here.)
2. Saying No to the dinner rush-hour craziness. A few years ago, I got sick and tired of the busyness and craziness that seems to go along with that hour before dinner. So I decided I was done with it. Obviously, my family still needs to eat dinner though. Instead of starting dinner an hour before we eat, I now have dinner fully cooked by one o'clock most days, unless there is something special that needs last minute preparation. My freezer cooking has helped this process along even more. (You can read more about my method here and here.)
3. Using the zone method. I have my kitchen set up in zones so that when I am working on something specific, nothing is more than an arms-length away. For example, my baking cabinet is in the same corner as my utensil drawer and my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Although I long for a large (huge!) kitchen, this is definitely a bonus of having a smaller kitchen.
4. Keeping my most frequently used utensils on my counter. I have a nice white milk pitcher that I keep next to my block of knives that holds all of the things I use the most when cooking. This means I never have to dig through a drawer at the last minute for my whisk or a spatula when I am cooking. It is also next to the stove, so again, whatever I need is never more than an arms-length away.
5. A well-organized pantry keeps me sane. There is nothing I love more than keeping my pantry well-organized. First of all, it's just fun to look at when it's full and in order. It reduces searches for food, especially when I need an item immediately. It is easier to tell at a glance what I need from the grocery store also. I store my beans and grains in glass jars so that I don't have to deal with a plastic bag/twist tie hassle whenever I need them. Plus, I like the way they look in their jars.
6. Numbers 1 - 5 aside, I'm not perfect when it comes to kitchen organization. (Or anything else for that matter.) I still have a few cluttered cabinets and drawers that get neglected on a daily basis. My refrigerator could probably stand to be cleaned out more than once a month. And for some reason, even though they are regularly on my grocery list, I always forget to buy carrots at the grocery store.

Don't forget to stop by Shannon's blog to read more WFMW kitchen organization posts.