Organization in the kitchen

I have been called a few things when it comes to my need to organize, plan, clean, etc...you can guess them all. However irritating my neatness needs may be to my loved ones, they do come in handy in the kitchen world. In fact, a lot of organizational habits and methods used in the professional kitchen are easily transferable to the home kitchen. I have a very basic kitchen in my home. I don't have granite counters, exotic appliances (except my espresso maker), not much counter space, not even a gas stove. Of course those things would be nice, but I get by and have even come to love my kitchen by optimizing what I do have. Here are a few tips for transforming your kitchen habits to that of a professional Chef and those of a professional kitchen.

I organize my food much the same way as a professional kitchen. I tag everything I prepare for future use with a label and expiration date. Whether it's my garlic confit or creme fraiche stored in the fridge, or my stocks which I store in the freezer. Tagging removes all doubts about freshness of foods hidden in the dark corners of your fridge/freezer.

Along with above, wouldn't it be really nice to have a list of things in your freezer? Or, a visual plan on what may be on your menu later in the week? I bought a status board much like what you would see in any restaurant kitchen where I can jot down my food ideas. Trust me when I say that we all have that latent  childhood desire to write and erase on the chalkboard. I keep a list of my freezer contents to help me with meal ideas. It's so nice to know what I have in there at a glance when I am brainstorming about meal ideas. Additionally, I use the board to write down dishes that I would like to make in the future as ideas come to me. I also use the board to list upcoming dishes for events, dinners, etc...I love it!

A professional kitchen has work stations for performing different tasks. I have created stations in my kitchen to mimic the restaurant kitchen on a micro level. Of course, space is a factor here. I have a prep station next to the sink, a pasta making station (that I break down when not in use), a coffee making station, a dough working area, etc...It really helps with efficiency and speed to develop a habit of performing tasks in the same location.

Recently I decided that I hate constantly digging in and out of cupboards to retrieve and put away stuff. Maybe the restaurant has influenced me in this direction, but I find it a waste to time. I am not only talking about plates, but pans as well. So, I went out and bought an industrial storage rack to house most of my plates, serving dishes, pans, etc..Additionally I hung a pot rack so that ALL of my cookware, chinois, tammis, etc.. are within easy reach when I need them. What a difference in the functionality of my kitchen! Aesthetically this may not be for everyone or every kitchen, but if it is, I highly recommend it.

I used to be in the habit of pulling out the oils, vinegars, etc..as I needed them at the stove, but at some point I realized that it's much more desirable to have all of those things permanently next to the stove. So, I got a tray to store all of my oils, salts, and peppers. Along with this theme, I bought squirt bottles to allow for a more finessed application of a sauce, or liquid just as they do in a professional kitchen.

Finally, I am always looking for unique ways to organize. Recently I created this rig to hang my pasta instead of using precious counter space. I just put in 2 hooks in the ceiling and some string. It's easy to dismantle and re install as needed.

I hope some of these ideas have been helpful. Beth rolls her eyes with some of my kitchen organization ideas, but I don't think she has much complaint with the final product. Happy cooking!