Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Breaking the Chains

I don't know about you, but I get sick of spending hour upon hour in my kitchen. Don't get me wrong, our new kitchen is beyond lovely. But if I'm going to be hanging out in there, I want to be sitting at the table with family and friends enjoying fellowship. I don't want to be working! In an effort to reduce my time in the kitchen, I thought it was high time I start making my kitchen work for me instead of the other way around.

Turns out that just a few minor adjustments to my routine has saved me a lot of time. This isn't brain surgery. It's nothing major or earth-shattering, but I have learned a thing or two after being in so many different kitchens over the summer. I thought I'd share some of that knowledge...

Did you know that all efficient kitchens share one thing in common? They do - the kitchen triangle. This basic geometrical shape boosts efficiency.

diagram via mosaik design

Storage - I've also learned that the proximity of your daily silverware, dishes and glasses to your dishwasher matters - a lot. The less you have to move/walk when putting things away, the more time you save. Duh. If you have cabinets above your dishwasher, store your dishes and drinking glasses here. If you have a drawer right beside your dishwasher that can be pulled out while the dishwasher is open, that is the place for your silverware. And so on. Think through the placement of your everyday things.

Loading the Dishwasher - this literally changed my life when my MIL showed me. So small yet so monumental. Your silverware tray has several different compartments. Spoons go in one. Knives in another. Forks in another and so on. I even do a compartment for my littles' utensils. Think of this just like you would any other drawer. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't throw a few pairs of socks into your t-shirt drawer and then a few pair of underwear into your workout wear drawer. Right? Why do we do that with silverware? Once it's time to unload, you simply grab each section and throw it into it's respective compartment in the drawer. So simple. So good!

The Littles - Separate your littles' dishes and utensils, putting them in easy to grab locations for the shorties. I put my boys' dishes, cups, bowls and snack holders into one big bottom drawer. And their utensils get tossed into a drawer all their own as well. This is a major confidence booster for them. They know if they want a snack or a drink, they can go and get it themselves. Also, it helps with setting the table for breakfast and dinner. They get their stuff and help out! It's part of their contribution to making our family work as a team.

And I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention the mother of all kitchen time savers... the crock-pot! Dump everything in the pot in the morning and enjoy a fuss free dinner. I personally think the crock-pot is the #1 kitchen gadget for Fall and Winter. If you're looking for some delish recipes, the web is filled with 'em. In fact, I bet there's a crock-pot board or two-thousand on pinterest.

crockpot

How about you? Do you have any kitchen timesavers that you'd like to share? xo