how I organize my (kitchen) life!

Decades in the kitchen have taught me a thing or two – and I’m sharing it ALL here!

organization or hack?

When Annie, Cindy and Mary Ann asked me to participate in their latest round up – on organization – I had to laugh. And it’s not because I don’t think I’m an organized person. I consider myself SUPER organized. It’s just that what I do feels either archaic (I see you, paper calendar and AOL account) or just weirdly specific to me. Could I come up with a substantial enough post that would actually be helpful to others?

So I gave it some thought and reframed the idea of “organization” to “hacks”. And I’ve got a bunch. The challenge was to actually identify them – I’ve been doing most of these things for so long that I don’t even think about them. But I’ve gathered them all up and would love to know what you think!

I’m kind of a kitchen ninja!

The kitchen is where I feel the most organized, having been an avid cook, baker and recipe sharer for decades now. And while it helps to love cooking and baking, feeling confident also comes from being organized and planning ahead. Here’s what I do to achieve that!

keep files!

In the age of smartphones this might seem a little outdated but then again, so am I. It’s nice to be able to print out a recipe from a blog post (like you can right here!) but not always easy to remember where you found that recipe the next time. If a dish is a hit I will copy it onto a word doc so that it’s always accessible. This also allows me to easily cut and paste the ingredients for shopping, and make any notes that I want to remember. When it’s time to cook I just print out the recipe and toss it when I’m through!

salmon with chickpeas and arugula

meal planning FTW!

I’ve been meal planning forever and will never stop. I wrote a post about it years ago that goes into more detail,  but here’s essentially what I do:

I start by noting the days of the upcoming week that I’ll be cooking dinner. I decide on a meal for each day and then copy the ingredients onto a list. I’ll then add ingredients for any other recipes I need to make that week for the blog, clients, etc. Once I have  everything listed I delete whatever I have on-hand (read this post for my baking “essentials”) and regroup what’s left – dairy, produce, butcher, etc. This is probably my most important life hack as it accomplishes 3 major goals for an easy, stress-free week:

1. I have everything I need at the ready – no realizing partway through a recipe that I don’t have that bell pepper I needed.
2. Once I get through the agony of thinking up the meals I’m going to make (and seriously, is it not AGONY having to come up with dinners?), I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week.
3. It makes shopping faster and more streamlined – no doubling back or forgetting items. I may have to do a pick up shop for more perishable ingredients mid-week but this is in general a game changer!

basil halloumi chicken

double up!

Most baked goods freeze beautifully so if I’m making, say, this coffee cake or this pound cake, I will ALWAYS double the recipe and freeze one. This has come in handy countless times over the years and is no extra work. The first time you realize you have a spare cake in the freezer you will thank yourself!

think ahead!

I HATE wasting ingredients. So if I’m getting an ingredient for a recipe that will only be partially used I’ll think of another recipe that will use it up and get the ingredients I need to make that one too. For example, this skillet lasagna only uses 1/4 cup of tomato paste so I’ll probably also make this pasta with quick ragu to use up the rest. This shrimp and rice casserole needs less than a full container of sour cream so I’ll make this salmon Caesar salad that week as well. You get the idea!

ice, ice baby

That said, you can’t always use up all your ingredients, but you CAN freeze more than you think. You probably already do this but I take it a step further and will freeze the exact amount I typically use. Take that tomato paste – if I’m not using a whole can then I’m usually using 1/4 cup. I’ll line a 1/4 cup measure with plastic wrap, fill with the tomato paste and freeze. Once frozen I can pop it out of the measuring cup and place it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Same with pumpkin puree. As I need different amounts for various recipes I’ll freeze it in an ice cube tray. Most standard trays hold 2 tablespoons of puree – 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup so you can grab as many cubes as you need for a recipe. Other items I don’t use up but always freeze are wine, buttermilk, bacon and pesto.

take note(s)!

I’m a note-taking nerd – always have been. This trait comes in handy for regularly used recipes as well as for holiday planning. As I keep my recipes on word documents it’s easy to add notes to help for future meals. Everything from steps that can be done in advance, to ingredient changes/edits, to good sides to serve with. For holiday planning – Passover, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah – I keep copious notes on EVERYTHING from year to year. How many guests, exactly what I served, the platters I needed, if I scaled up the recipe, etc. And then after the event I make even more notes on what worked/didn’t work/I need to remember for the following year. This is BEYOND helpful when I turn to those notes a year later (when I remember exactly nothing from the year before).

potato latkes

get a jump!

We’re all busy. And because I spend most of my day in the kitchen I want to make my own meal time prep as quick and painless as possible. So in the morning I’ll take a look at the recipe for that night’s dinner and do whatever I can to get a jump on things. And I mean all the things. Marinating protein, making the dressing, chopping up veggies. Even filling a pot with water. Everything you can do in advance will make the actual meal prep so much more easy and pleasurable after a long day.

DON’T reinvent the wheel

Social media saturation makes it tempting to try every new thing. I certainly feel this as a creator. But I’ve found over my many years of cooking for my family, and hosting holiday dinners and parties, that having an arsenal of “trieds and trues” is not only essential but people actually like it.

I’ve been making this bourbon grapefruit punch for my holiday party forever, and I know that my guests look forward to it. It’s easy, pretty and delicious and there is no need to change it. Same with my Thanksgiving menu. I may make a small change here and there but for the most part the menu stays exactly the same, which takes so much of the stress out of preparing – especially since I already have all my notes!

Like anything new these tips can take some time to become habit. Big pantry cleanouts and shelf organizing blitzes are great, but for me it’s the small, more subtle things I do throughout the day that have the biggest impact on my feeling of calm and order. I’d love to know what you do to keep your home and life running smoothly, and be sure to check out these other bloggers’ organizing solutions!

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About the author

Sheri Silver

Sheri Silver is a New York-based food photographer and recipe developer who has been cooking and baking for over 30 years. She works with brands, authors and restaurants to create recipes that are as beautiful as they are foolproof - and every recipe on this blog has been made, tweaked and eaten in her own kitchen.

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