Kitchen Organization – “Prep, Cook, Serve, Store”
We have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately and it reminded us to revisit an article appearing in the April 3, 2019 issue of the Sunday NYTimes – How to Organize Your Kitchen Like a Professional Chef. It was quite a revelation – at once brilliant and obvious.
The article features tips for kitchen organization from Ellen Bennett, a former line cook and founder of Hedley & Bennett (purveyor of workwear and aprons to professional chefs and home cooks). The article is definitely worth a read, but if you cannot access it, what is talked about is organizing your kitchen as a restaurant kitchen is – with a place for everything, and everything in it’s place, as well as by process – Prep, Cook, Serve, Store.
In a deep drawer marked “Prep”, Ms. Bennett stores measuring cups, a large selection of bowls, a mortar & pestle, citrus juicer and a manual food processor – you know, the kind with the crank handle that sits over a bowl. Her cutting board is one of the few items to stay on the counter. The “Cook” drawer is filled with pots and pans, though an admirable collection of well-seasoned cast iron pans hangs above the stove. A cupboard filled with plates bowls and glasses is the “Serve” section, while another deep drawer, “Store”, holds stacks of clear, re-sealable containers.
Before disrupting your kitchen, it would be wise to review the concepts and think about how you might apply them to the layout of your kitchen, taking notes while you go through several days of meal preparation.
Reorganizing your kitchen is a great time to review your tools & gadgets. Items you rarely or never use can be donated, or at least stored elsewhere, making room for the items you reach for the most. Here in Santa Fe we have a great store selling used kitchen tools, equipment and cookbooks to benefit Kitchen Angels, a non-profit that delivers meals to homebound residents.
We produce unique custom kitchen cabinetry in many styles, with thoughtful design, layout and customization. To see more of our innovative cabinetry, please see the gallery section of our website. Feel free to contact us to see how we can build a La Puerta Originals’ kitchen for you!
