To be honest, these things don't even matter.
For seven years I have been creating meals, harvesting herbs, freezing fresh foods, canning sauces, making feasts and baking cakes, storing canned goods and living everyday in a tiny, outdated apartment kitchen. The Key is organisation.
If your utensils are always in the same spot as before you will cut down half your cooking time wasted from all the 'searching and swearing'. And there is no proper place for any of it, just where it is most comfortable for you. The same goes for appliances, storing canned goods, baking needs, mixing bowls and serving dishes. Keep everything at it's most suitable place will keep you from going mad in the kitchen.
Speaking of energy, a calm and assertive space will also help run a tight galley. I have a beautiful and tiny earth goddess on top of my stove for peace and encouragement. She is also a reminder of why I cook to nurture in the first place. Beside her is a tea light, this has a two fold function, to continue the deep connection with nature by bringing light to my creations, and to burn off any extra grease smoke.
Some people prefer a stark and no mess kitchen, and this absolutely fine, I find beautiful things surrounding me encourages my love to cook and inspires me to continue my purpose to nourish those I feed. For instance, my fridge is full of picture of my nieces and nephews, colourful magnets, family photos and an Ayurvedic food guide. Oh, and a wine list containing my favourite finds. Because of the tiny space, I have resorted to hooks on the underside of the cupboards holding copper bowls, bags of garlic and onions. Pieces of pottery and crystal sit on my ledge for serving little delights and of course, for more inspiration.
My energy is bountiful in my kitchen, it seeps through every cupboard to the floor and into all the food the comes in and goes out. This is another key to a successful kitchen. How you feel when you enter your kitchen relates to the outcome of your meals. If ever I feel I need to restart the vibe in my space, then a smudging of sorts will help. I find that a cleaning schedule every season also helps with washing away old stuck energies and reviving the creative juices. I look at cleaning my kitchen cupboards and floor and fridge as a way to give thanks for the space, to really love my connection with the kitchen and all it has to offer me and my family.
So, organisation and energy as key points to an efficient and healthy kitchen.
As much as I may have a lot of stuff in my kitchen, everything is useful. Any clutter or unused paraphernalia, including unused cookbooks, must be removed.
Go through the cookbooks. At one point you may have wanted to try out a diet or flavour and it just wasn't you; give it away. Or maybe someone gave you a cookbook thinking it would be to your liking and you don't ever go to it; give it away. Unused cookbooks keeps stale energy within your creative environment. Now the flip side is if it has special meaning or one really good recipe you tend to use then consider writing it down on a recipe card and filing it or keep the book. This is to your discretion, the main purpose is to keep the books you really enjoy to use and tend to reach for first.
This tactic is important with all appliances, utensils, and dish-ware. I certainly have appliances I use only once per year, because it is seasonal. My cherry pitter comes out mid summer, my dehydrator comes out late summer and early fall, the roaster is used only a couple times a year. Kitchen equipment is expensive, so if it will be used keep it, if not, pass it along. It's a matter of placing these pieces in a space where it isn't in the way of getting to something used all the time.
For me counter space is a commodity. It took a few years of rearranging to find the right fit. I do not use my dishwasher (more storage!) so I have dishes and a dish rack taking up space. This is Ok for me. I do a number of washes to keep the flow of dishes going and so they don't take over my prep space.
Another space for potential clutter is in the fridge. KEEP IT CLEAN. Pair down your condiment usage, eat up your left overs, or freeze, and use fresh vegetable up before they wilt. If there is a spill from a sauce or the milk jar, clean it up right away and keep the crisper wiped up.
Start off with these key elements and you will be creating magic in no time.
A healthy kitchen means a healthy family
much love and goodness
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