Archives for Kitchen
Unclutterer on the Precision Change podcast
Live now is an episode for Precision Change I recorded titled Tired of the Crap? Become an Unclutterer! with the wonderful Duff McDuffee. You can download the 22 minute podcast or listen to it by clicking on the “Play Now” link at the beginning of the article.
In the conversation, I talk about:
- How clutter doesn’t always start out as clutter.
- Why if you are in a constant state of disorganization now, you absolutely can change.
- What exactly to start on to begin uncluttering your life.
- Why getting a storage unit is almost always a bad idea.
- The machine that will finally give you a paperless office.
- A simple way to clear out kitchen clutter.
- Why uncluttering is really just about finding what makes you happy and what really matters to you.
I look forward to reading your thoughts about the podcast! This is the first time I’ve been a part of a podcast and I must admit that it was a lot of fun.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Strategies to clear food clutter in your kitchen
Have you ever tried eating better but still had forbidden foods in the cabinet and refrigerator? You probably thought, “I don’t want that food to go to waste!” I’ve done it every time I’ve recommitted myself to healthier eating … until now.
Now that the college basketball season is over, it’s time to get back on track and eat better. In past attempts, I have left all of my not-so-great food in the cabinets — processed foods, pasta sides, etc. — thinking I’ll want to eat them again someday. In an effort to unclutter my life though, I decided to remove the forbidden foods from the cabinets. And I feel liberated!
I feel calmer and more ready to dedicate myself to a lifetime of healthy eating. When I go into the kitchen, I don’t have to think about the fact that I’ve changed my diet. I just need to eat what I have available. And if I get a craving for something unhealthy? I’ll have to find other options until the craving is satisfied or passes.
So what do you do with all of the undesirable food? You have a few options. First, I tossed all of the junk food. It’s not healthy and I never should have bought it in the first place. Second, I chose to put the not-so-bad foods from my pantry in recycled grocery bags and temporarily stored them on a shelf in a different room. That way, I’ll be able to eat them in moderation once I get into better habits, but I won’t have to think about them until I’m ready. Third, I moved the refrigerated not-so-bad foods to the bottom drawer of the refrigerator and labeled it “NO” with a yellow post-it note. Again, these are foods that will be okay in moderation once I get into healthier eating habits.
You also can donate your not-so-bad food to a local food pantry. This is a great option for those times when you clean out your cabinets and realize you’re never actually going to make anything with those canned artichokes. Good luck to everyone starting on a healthier eating plan!
Popularity: 3% [?]
Unitasker Wednesday: The egg cracker
I used to have a difficult time cracking an egg and not including at least a couple of pieces of shell in the egg as it dropped into the bowl … and then I turned 10.
Seriously, cracking an egg is not difficult. Unless you don’t have hands or have severe arthritis, there is no need for a gadget like this to take up drawer space in your kitchen. The makers of the Egg Cracker wouldn’t agree with me. So, I guess, thank goodness it is dishwasher safe.
If I had one of these, I’d find that it fit nicely in a drawer next to a butter cutter, mango splitter, and the pickle picker.
**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Additional cookbooks for busy people
I had no idea this morning when I posted the Semi-homemade cooking for busy people article that it would be such a controversial topic! Apparently, Sandra Lee is a hot button issue. Who knew?!
One of the good things that has come from those comments is that a handful of people have made suggestions for alternative cookbooks than the one I suggested. Instead of having you pore back through all of those comments, I decided to pull out the cookbooks that have been named. If you have other fast and easy cookbooks to add to the list, please feel welcome to put them in the comments to this post.
Hopefully this post will be more beneficial to our busy readers!
Fast and simple cookbooks:
- The Dinner Doctor
- Nigella Express
- Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Get Real Meals
- Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family
- Real Fast Food
- Twist of the Wrist
- Saving Dinner
- The Best 30-minute Recipe: A Best Recipe Classic from Cook’s Illustrated
- Quick Fix Meals
- Vegetarian 5 Ingredient Gourmet
- Desperation Dinners
- Meals in Minutes
Popularity: 8% [?]
Semi-homemade cooking for busy people
The first time I saw Sandra Lee’s cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking in the bookstore, I let out a condescending scoff. How could a self-respecting woman call herself a cook and not actually make things from scratch?!
I wish that I could say these horribly judgmental and rude thoughts happened decades ago when I was a young tyke, but if you followed the link above you saw that her book didn’t come out until 2005. Shame on me!
The truth of the matter is that Lee’s cookbooks are perfect tools for modern, busy people. If it’s a choice between eating dinner at a fast-food restaurant or eating a semi-homemade meal at home, the semi-homemade meal is the preferred way to go. The nutritional difference between frozen vegetables she often suggests using and fresh vegetables is minimal (no difference, actually, in a lot of cases). The time it saves in preparation is definitely worth it for people in a pinch. And, the value from eating a meal around the table is priceless. Even when preservatives are involved — and they aren’t in a good chunk of her recipes — they’re still in lower amounts than in lots of fast food.
A family that is trying to clear the clutter and make room for things that really matter in life can find instant help with Lee’s cookbooks. If you haven’t heard about them before today, they’re definitely worth a look.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes from Lee’s website:
Are any of you owners of Lee’s cookbooks? What are you opinions of semi-homemade meals? We’d love to read your views in the comments.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Month of Sharing: Unclutterer all over the internet!
We hope that you enjoyed Elysa from GenPink’s earlier guest post on our site. Now, head on over to GenPink to read our guest post! Elysa is doing an amazing ABCs project (we’re “O” for “Organizing”) with 26 guest writers, and it has been great fun watching each letter unfold. So stop making excuses and get on over there! Go on, go!
Don’t let your web surfing stop there, however. Unclutterer also appears today on Planet Green’s website discussing environmentally friendly alternatives to sticky notes. Planet Green will have a guest post on our site on Wednesday, so be sure to stay tuned for it.
And, while I still have your attention, here are a few more random items:
- Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
- Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal on why the size of your computer monitor affects your productivity.
- Read about the Ultimate Unclutterer here. He’s selling everything in his life — house, job, belongings, friendships — on ebay after a bad divorce. He wants to start over with no ties to his past.
- Happy birthday to my sister-in-law referenced in the GenPink article!
Popularity: 11% [?]
Weekend project: Tackle the area beneath your kitchen sink
I have to admit that I never think about the area under my sink. Even when I reach inside of it to grab the dish-washing detergent, I keep my eye on the soap and nothing else. It’s a dark pit and can be a scary place if left unattended.
This weekend, I want you to tackle the area beneath your kitchen sink. Would a pull-out drawer or shelving system help you to better organize the space? (I love ours, which is pictured, but I don’t know where the previous homeowner purchased it.) Are there things down there that can be thrown out or relocated to a more appropriate space? Are you accidentally hoarding sponges because you forgot you have already purchased two dozen of them?
Remember, too, that I’m not a fan of having your trashcan beneath your sink. I understand that if you have dogs, small children, or an incredibly small space that you may have no other choice. But, if your trash could be moved someplace else, maybe now is the time to consider that option.
If the area beneath your kitchen sink is organized, what about the area beneath your bathroom sinks? Can those areas be straightened or the space more efficiently arranged?
These areas are best to keep clear of clutter because of the damage that can result if a pipe bursts or your drain starts leaking. Plus, it’s good to be able to tell if your pipe or drain is leaking — something that is difficult to do if you have too much stuff in this place. It’s best to keep valuables out of these spaces and the area easily accessible for a plumber. The last thing you want to do is have to waste time clearing a path for someone who is about to cost you a hundred or more dollars an hour.
Popularity: 33% [?]
Modular kitchen design
While looking around the web for multi-functioning kitchen tools and gadgets, I stumbled upon the following design for a modular kitchen. As you can see from the photos, the modular kitchen designed by Fevzi Karaman is an interesting concept for small spaces. It looks to be, at this point, just a concept. Hopefully, in the near future this modular kitchen concept will be available for purchase. Just about everything you need in a kitchen is packed into this small, rectangular counter top:
Obviously, this is intended for small living spaces and isn’t going to be very useful for larger families. For a small space, however, it is well done.
(via Tuvie.com)
Popularity: 31% [?]
Creating extra storage and counter space in a small kitchen
Everyone welcome Teri Kieffer! This is her first post for us as an Unclutterer writer.
You’ve been a good Unclutterer and gone through your cabinets and discarded the items you never use. You’ve put away the rarely used appliances that sat on your countertop. For those with a good size kitchen, you’re done. Your kitchen is uncluttered. But what about the rest of us?
If you’re like me and you rent an apartment or own a condo with a tiny kitchen, your counter space still doesn’t offer enough room to cook a complete meal. I have size and poor design to deal with in my kitchen. I can clear my counters completely and still have a difficult time finding space to cut vegetables. To work around this dilemma, I have found a solution: A kitchen cart.
I used to think kitchen carts were silly. That is, until I had a real use for one. Now, I can’t exist without it.
My cart won’t fit inside the kitchen, so I have to store it against the wall across from the kitchen entrance. When it’s time to cook, I just wheel the cart over to the kitchen and, suddenly, I have all the counter space I need. It also blocks off the entrance, keeping my husband and the dog out of my cooking space.
Here is what to look for in a kitchen cart:
- Sturdy - You need to be able to chop things on it, so go for something that won’t rock or cause you to slice your fingers
- Wheels - You should be able to move it where you need to use it
- Wire Racks - This feature is great for holding mixing bowls and other items used for cooking
- Hooks (optional) - If you’re also short on drawer space, the hooks are nice for utensils
Popularity: 26% [?]
Creating a weekly meal plan
In my mind, there are two types of meals: utilitarian and everything else. Utilitarian meals are weekday lunches and dinners when my top priority is supplying my body nutrients for survival. Everything else meals are dinner parties and meals prepared when I have leisurely Saturday afternoons to craft a gourmet plate.
The utilitarian meals, the ones that often begin with phrases such as “What’s for dinner?” and “I’m starving, let’s see what we have in the kitchen,” are where disorganization can work against you. If you don’t have an organized meal plan, it can be easier to head to a fast food joint than to create a nutritious meal at home.
To help with meal planning organization, I created a Meal Plan worksheet (links to the worksheet at the end of this article). To use it, I start most Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee, a stack of cookbooks, and a pad of post-it notes. I flip through my cookbooks, flagging all of the recipes I want to use for the week.
My next task is to put an “X” on the worksheet through any of the meals that I know will be eaten out of the house for friends’ birthdays or whatever is lined up on our calendar. Then, I match up recipes I’ve marked in the cookbooks with openings on the schedule. If any of the items need preparation hours or days beforehand, I’ll list those under the “Prep for Tomorrow” section to help with managing my time. (For example, dough for homemade pizza crusts needs to be made 24 hours in advance of use … so if I want pizza tomorrow, I have to make the dough today.) Also, having at least two snacks listed on the worksheet ensures that I’ve got healthy snack choices available.
When matching recipes with meals, I’ll review the recipe and write down any ingredients on the grocery list section of the worksheet. This helps me plan out what I need from the store and my local farmer’s market. Sometimes, I’ll make two grocery lists for a mini-run on Wednesday night to get fresh produce.
Creating a meal plan takes a little time when it is written, but ultimately saves time and stress during the week. You also may find that a meal plan helps you to eat better and completely eliminate fast food from your diet.
The Unclutterer Meal Plan:
- As an Excel spreadsheet template
- As a PDF
Popularity: 100% [?]
Weekend project
I want you to imagine your dining room table right now. Is it covered in paperwork? Piled high with homework? Stacked with mail or dirty dishes?
If you can’t see the top of your dining room table, what do you need to do to be able to see it?
Whatever it is, do it now. Clean the clutter off of your table and make it a place where you can sit down and eat your meal tonight (and tomorrow and the next …).
If your table is clear, are there other horizontal surfaces in your home cluttered to the point that they aren’t serving their functions? If this is the case, clean the clutter off of those surfaces instead for your weekend task.
When clearing the clutter, don’t just move stacks around, actually take the time to do the job right. Do the work, then enjoy the benefits of your effort!
Pictured is my dining room. The table is by sculptor Michael Sirvet.
Popularity: 56% [?]
Are cookbooks a thing of the past?
Lucky for me, my wife enjoys cooking and baking. She has a shelf dedicated to her cookbooks, but she hardly ever uses them. More often than not she accesses recipes via the internet. The amount of information that is at your fingertips is astounding and the ease of accessing that information gets easier and easier.
One cookbook that my wife swears by is the Joy of Cooking. It is an encyclopedic volume of just about anything you can think of cooking or baking. She swears by its usefulness and relies on it quite a bit. Other than that, her cookbooks are seldom used. So are cookbooks obsolete? Why clutter up a whole shelf in your kitchen for a bunch of books that you never use? Here are the recipe sites my wife frequents instead of using a cookbook:
One site that I just happened upon is Supercook.com. The site lets you enter the ingredients you have in your kitchen and then gives you ideas on what you may be able to prepare. Maybe it’s time to let some of your cookbooks go?
Popularity: 30% [?]
More reasons to purge disposable plastic bags and try reusable bags
Whole Foods has announced it will stop using disposable plastic bags by Earth Day. This decision came on the heals of China banning production of these bags in an effort to curb litter for the 2008 Summer Olympics and to (allegedly) benefit the environment. Ikea made a switch away from disposable plastic bags in March of last year, and Costco has never used them.
The city of San Francisco also has banned the use of these bags, and, according to the Los Angeles Times, Bakersfield, Boston, and Phoenix are considering similar bans.
We’ve talked in the past about how plastic bags from grocery stores shouldn’t become clutter in your home in our post Reusable shopping bags. Now seems like an appropriate time to bring up the topic again since more stores and municipalities are requiring patrons to use their own bags.
We recommend bags that fold up into small totes so that you don’t create more clutter for yourself storing the reusable bags. Based on comments to our previous post and our internal research, here is an expanded list of suggestions:
- Baggu Reusable Shopping Tote
- Flip and Tumble Bag
- Environsax Reusable Bag
- Reusable Produce Bags
- Large Zip-Out Shopping Bagg
- Collapsible Micro Fiber Insulated Tote
- Shopper Bag
- Reisenthel Mini Maxi Shopper
- Acme Workhorse Bag
- ChicoBag
Popularity: 38% [?]
Barbecue accessory essentials
It is the middle of winter, so what better time to dream about heading outside in the warm summertime for a good old fashioned barbecue? Before you know it, spring will be here and you’ll be firing up your grill.
I was looking at some barbecue accessory sets and I couldn’t help but think a 22(!) piece set was ridiculous. A 22 piece set is way more than I need, so I decided to look at what a person actually needs to execute an enjoyable meal. Here is a practical list of what I think everyone will need for their grilling kits:
Essentials
- Tongs: They need to be metal, but a good set can work for you in the kitchen and on the grill.
- Spatula: Again, go with metal and dual use for the kitchen.
- Wire Brush: Buy a cheap wire brush at your local hardware store.
- Chimney Starter: Only necessary if you have a charcoal grill.
- Oven Mitts: You probably already have these in your kitchen.
When you shop for a barbecue set be sure to look past the number of items in a pre packaged set and look for the essentials. The gimmicks of barbecue accessories are not hard to find, but be sure to pass them by if you find yourself doubting their practicality.Photo via http://pdphoto.org/
Popularity: 24% [?]
Reader suggestion: Shelf life of spices
After our post on Uncluttering your refrigerator’s crisper, reader Josephine sent us the following information to help with keeping spices uncluttered in the pantry:
Sure, [dried] spices last a long time, but they don’t last forever. Some spice companies have online freshness checkers: Durkee, McCormick (with a sense of humor, to boot!), and Spice Islands (registration required).
It looks like most dried spices maintain their freshness for one to three years. I love on the McCormick site where it says, “If it’s from Baltimore/a tin, it’s at least 15 years old.” Riotous.
Popularity: 22% [?]
-
-
Search
-
