As a society of busy people who work in the home, out of the home and sometimes both, we can be masters of organizing our schedules, our home offices and our families.  Why is it then that with all we have to do meal times become one of the most stressful issues of our day?  Often the problem lies in how our kitchen is laid out and how we work in it. The fridge and pantry may be full but you find yourself staring blankly at the contents trying to find inspiration to make yet another meal and hopefully a healthy one at that.  If your cooking spirit has left you low and you feel like you need to restore order to your kitchen then it might be time to bring in a coach.  A kitchen coach that is!
 
Like a fitness trainer, a kitchen coach can help you and your family make a healthy change to your life not only physically through better eating habits but mentally by relieving stress in the kitchen.  Nadine Hughes, owner of The Cook’s Companion, a lifestyle cooking and entertaining school offers her clients a specialized service called The Kitchen Companion – Personalized Kitchen and Meal Coaching.  This is an in home service that provides meal assessment, kitchen and pantry re-organization, cooking instruction and on-going support all geared towards your lifestyle.  “If you have a well stocked pantry then cooking a fast and fresh meal should be a simple affair.  It’s knowing what to put into your pantry and how to keep it stocked and organized that are the difficult parts!� comments Nadine. 

Here are a few simple organizing tips from Nadine to help get your kitchen back into form and working for you.

Tip #1 - Location:
• Make sure your pantry is cool, dark and well ventilated, not musty or damp.
• It should be easily accessible to your everyday cooking area.

Tip #2 - Pre-Organization:
• Review your pantry and throw out all the items that have past due dates, are stale or crushed.
• If there are unopened items that you have not used within the last 12 months consider donating them to a food bank or make a list of them and post them on your fridge.  This will remind you that you have them and may inspire you to use them up.
• Each week before you go grocery shopping, make a mental list of some of the ingredients you would like to use up that week and purchase accompanying ingredients to finalize your recipes. 

Tip #3 - Initial Organization:
• Maximize your space.  Invest in pantry organizers or use containers that you already have such as:
o Lazy Susan’s for hard to reach corners and for those items that have a tendency to drip or spill easily.  Easier to take out and clean a Lazy Susan than a whole cupboard.
o Wire racks for double height storage
o Pull out wire drawers or riser shelves to eliminate the inability to see the back of the cupboard
o Hanging door rack for spices or smaller items
o Consider square storage containers instead of round which take up less room in the refrigerator and pantry.
• Organize for how you personally think or cook.  Set up suggestions:
o By type (ex. Cans, bottles, bags – similar to grocery store)
o By people (lower shelves for kid friendly items)
o By purpose (baking, snacks, ingredients, nationality)

Tip #4 - Ongoing Organization:
• FIFO (First In First Out) – put new items in the back and use up older items first
• Keep a grocery list on the fridge to add items as they get low or run out to help reduce unnecessary trips to the store
• Buy in bulk those items that you know you use on a regular basis such as dried pasta, canned beans, rice, canned vegetables
• Twice a year (or more if you feel it needs it) take everything out of the pantry, clean it out, purge and reorganize.  You might be surprised at what you find or even how your cooking needs have evolved.

Nadine Hughes is the creator and owner of, The Cook’s Companion and The Menu Companion, through which she offers kitchen consultations, menu planning services as well as private cooking classes for adults and teens throughout Southern Ontario. She is also a published author and avid blogger who is often called upon for “emergency� cooking and entertaining advice.  Pick up a copy of her latest eBook “The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet – Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining� for $7.99 at www.groovemamma.com.

©Nadine Hughes 2009

Tags: kitchen coach, nadine hughes, organization, organizing the kitchen, pantry, pre-organization, tips