10 Simple Things I Do In My Kitchen That You Should Do Too: Part 1

My kitchen.  Quite possibly my favorite room in the house.  I spend so much time in it, you would think that I slept there!  Which I may or may not have done a time or two…

Speaking of kitchens, I am always intrigued how other people organize and cook in them.  I am intensely interested in what they have learned along the way from relatives, friends, jobs, experience, and how they use that in their lives.  For example, my Aunt mentioned to me that she saves the wrappers from her sticks of butter and tucks them in the freezer.  Whenever she needs to ‘butter’ a casserole or dish, she just pulls one out and uses the paper to do it!  Smart right?  I do it now as well.  I mean, really!  Doesn’t everybody want to improve their technique and efficiency?  Or at least get a little inside information on what works?

I thought so.  I can practically see you nodding.

Which is why, you may have noticed, that this is only Part 1 of this blog post.  I have a surprise of you in Part 2 which might include a giveaway and may include wisdom and inspiration from other favorite bloggers!!  Be sure to check back soon!!

In no particular order, here is my top list of things that I hope will make your time in the kitchen easier/smoother/more pleasant/more enjoyable.  Some of them may change your life!  Well, probably not, but…you know.  A few of these you may already do or some just may not really apply to you and your life.  Thats groovy.  We all have our own way of operating.  The point is, you should always keep learning; in the kitchen and in life.

1. Weekly/Monthly Meal Planning
Having some kind of game plan or strategy for what comes out of your kitchen not only makes your life easier but it saves you money too.  Less trips to the grocery store equals more cash you aren’t spending on random things and more time doing…well…anything else. Curling your eyelashes, clipping coupons, or polishing your silver!  It also streamlines your time in the evening when you have planned ahead to accommodate busy schedules.  I recently discovered that I can’t assign different meals to different days.  I tried it.  I never stick to what I write and I always end up changing the roast chicken over to Friday because I don’t feel like chicken today but instead feel like salmon and OOPS! Mike brought home tacos for dinner as a surprise so we will have tonights soup next weekend…and on and on.  Instead, what works for me is a master list of meals that I know I have the ingredients on hand to make.

My current list looks something like this:

I make a note if I need to reference a recipe on my computer (C) or a cookbook and page number. This is what works for me. Others prefer a weekly or monthly list that they can fill in and follow-no exceptions.  Whatever your style, it could revolutionize your week and lower your stress at the same time.  It is strangely empowering to have the age old question of ‘What’s for dinner?’ answered and taken care of!  The web is FILLED with resources and free print-ables for organizing this, as well as free apps to suit any situation.  If you need a place to get started, try here or here.  Or simply make your own!

2. Read Your Recipe All The Way Through

It has happened to all of us.  We start making something only to find out that we should have toasted the coconut before hand.  Or soaked the beans overnight.  Or zested the lemon before we juiced it.  We are all guilty of beginning a recipe in earnest, only to get halfway through and shriek NO! when we realize the dough for those cookies you need to leave the house with in an hour needs to chill before baking.  When I used to teach, this was the FIRST THING I MADE MY STUDENTS LEARN!  It ensures that you are never without an ingredient you need and makes everything that much more efficient and enjoyable.

3. Wash Your Knives By Hand
Don’t argue with me.  Just do it.  Pairing knives in the dishwasher I will allow, but everything else needs some individual care.  Your blades will stay sharper longer, the knives themselves will last, and less injuries will occur at clean-up time.  Even if your knives are less than stellar quality, treat them with respect.

4. Own A Microplane
A microplane, or rasp, is one of my go-to tools in the kitchen.  I use it all. the. time.  You can get them just about anywhere and in a rainbow of colors.  I grate parmesan cheese with it, zest every kind of citrus imaginable, and turn fresh ginger into lovely piles of grated fragrant spiciness.  It is a major player in healthy cooking and you will find yourself reaching for it more than you ever thought possible.

5. TASTE YOUR FOOD AS YOU ARE COOKING
This was a hard one for me to get in the habit of doing, but after spending some time in professional kitchens, you  realize how important it is to cooking.  When you experience the flavor of your food during all stages of a recipe, you become aware of the WHY those certain ingredients are paired together in the first place, how they play off each other, and what your food needs at what times.  I’m not talking about eating a bowl of cookie dough to determine if it has enough chocolate chips in it (although that is good too).  I’m talking about tasting your pan sauce after  you deglaze with red wine.  Or dipping a big piece of romaine into your salad dressing to see if it needs more honey to balance out the acidity of the balsamic vinegar.  Maybe all that parmesan cheese you added to the alfredo made your pasta plenty salty and it doesn’t need anything extra.  And perhaps the strawberries you picked up at the market for shortcake aren’t as ripe as the ones from last week and you need to add a bit more sugar to get the flavor you want.  No one wants to sit down to a meal after spending 15 minutes or 3 hours of time and energy putting it together, only to pick up your fork and say “Well, I hope its good!”  Tasting your food and your ingredients is a simple and effective way to be a better cook.  I am basically giving you permission to become a professional snitcher.

6. Use Commercial Sheet Pans 

I don’t know what I would do without my sheet pans.  I use them for absolutely everything.  I use them to bake, roast, broil, toast, and to place under a pie I am slipping in the oven.  They are made of 18 or 19 gauge aluminum and they last forever.  As a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment, they are, I believe, one of the best investments you can make in your kitchen.  Any restaurant supply store will have them and most good kitchen stores will.  I have four, I use them ALL, and they are still like new eight years later.  If ordering is your thing, check them out here or here.

7. Be Flexible

I get asked about substitutions in my recipes all the time.  Can I use brown sugar for white?  Applesauce instead of eggs?  Pecans instead of walnuts?  Usually my answers are yes, as long as the result would still be edible.

Quick story:  A friend of mine is notorious for switching out ingredients to accommodate what she has on hand but occasionally misses the mark.  When she told me she changed out the white wine in a recipe and used white wine vinegar instead, she scoffed, “They are basically the same thing.”   I nearly fainted.  And we aren’t talking about a tablespoon or so in a salad dressing, which would have been fine.  No, we were talking about several cups used in a marinade.  When I stammered and sputtered and tried to explain why those two aren’t universally interchangeable, she rolled her eyes.  “Close enough, Britt!”

The point is, using spinach instead of kale in soup, adding extra carrots to a salad, or skipping cilantro in a casserole because it makes you gag are all great.  Make recipes your own and know that it is OK to just do what you have to do.  But be willing to do it as well.  It is less stressful and much more fun to lose that rigidity.  Forgetaboutit.

8. Cook And Freeze In A Practical Manner
I am always surprised when people tell me they halved a recipe for soup or made a half batch of muffins.  You should utilize your freezer to make your life easier, friends!  If you know a dish holds over well or freezes great, make a double batch!  It is so easy to tuck a meal or two away every week or so and keep a rotating menu of good food available.

On that same note, if you are chopping carrots for stew that night, chop up what you need for the stir fry you are making in a few days.  If you have a bottle of clam juice you needed for a recipe, search for other dishes using that same ingredient so that you use what you have.  There are dozens of tools and apps out there that let you search by ingredient.  Don’t forget to go through your pantry and freezer regularly and USE what you have purchased and clean out your supply, instead of just shopping new all the time.  It is a practical way to cook that is both economical and makes the most of your precious time.

9. Freeze Leftover Lemon Juice
I am constantly telling people to do this.  I am all for using bottled lemon juice if I have to, and I try to make sure to specify in any recipe I post that has it, wether or not you can cheat and use the fake, not fresh.  But no matter what, fresh is ALWAYS better to use.  I don’t always have fresh lemon juice on hand, so when I do pick some up or the are on uber sale, I plan dishes that week that use them up, and I freeze what I don’t use.  I make sure to juice any leftover lemons-that may be in danger of shriveling to little yellow lumps of rock-with a hand reamer.  I pour the juice into ice cube trays, but only fill the wells half full so you get 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time.  Once frozen, I pop them out and store them in a freezer bag.  If I only have a tiny bit of juice, I freeze it in my teeny tiny rubbermaid container that is so small I can’t use it for anything other than sorting a days worth of vitamins.  Then I always have a supply of fresh lemon juice on hand for sauces, glazes, marinades, dressings, and I even throw them frozen into my smoothies for an extra antioxidant boost.  One little block and mug of hot water with a spoonful of raw honey is about as good as it gets when you are sick.  And is super cleansing to boot!

10. Have Fun
This may be my most important tip.  I know firsthand how stressful time in the kitchen can be; wether you are cooking for one person or ten.  But I implore you to find your groove to make it more enjoyable!  Flip on the 80’s station on Pandora or make your own culinary playlist filled with upbeat, groovy music!  Or a relaxing list so you can chill while you chop.  Put a favorite movie on in the background (The Princess Bride is perfect for this) and quote lines as you go.  Relax and have fun.  If all else fails, order pizza.

What are YOUR best kitchen tips?!  Add them to the comments below so that everyone can benefit from your wisdom!