One Man's Trash …
I've written a lot about kitchen and/or cooking organization because it's something I'm really passionate about. And if you've ever read anything I've written on any topic, you'll know I'm usually pretty cheap. Oh, I don't mind spending money on quality necessities, but I do object to spending big bucks on generally useless gadgets and geegaws that, more often than not, wind up in a junk drawer or a “donate to Goodwill” pile.
So let me share with you a few of my favorite cheap and easy ideas for keeping your kitchen neat and organized. You can call them “hacks”.....but I won't. I hate that over-used word for things we used to simply call “tips.”
Easy Appliance Cord Management
Appliance cords are a pain. You can try wrapping them up like the electricians do with their long extension cords. Or you can tie them up with rubber bands or something equally ineffective. Works okay until the rubber band stretches or breaks. I saw some cool-looking thingys on Amazon that looked like little cleats you can attach to your appliance and then wrap the cord around the cleat. Fine if you want a cleat permanently affixed to your toaster or mixer. And they're a bit pricey.
But if you nip down to a decent hardware place, you can pick up something called a “Cable Cuff.” I get mine at Home Depot, but I'm sure they have them elsewhere. Amazon's got 'em. It's an adjustable, reusable plastic clip that's intended to be an alternative to cable ties. It's got serrated teeth and a push-button release. You just wrap up your cord, slip on the cuff, clamp it shut, and.....that's it! Push the button to release the clamp when you want to use the appliance. They come in a variety of sizes to accommodate anything from a skinny little cord to a frickin' tow cable. Well.....maybe not a tow cable, but you get the idea. They're durable. I've had some of mine for years. And they're …. here's my favorite word....cheap. The mini size is about a dollar, the small and medium ones are less than two bucks, and you can get large ones for around three dollars. I wrap up extension cords with them and they live on my KitchenAid mixers (both hand and stand), my fryer, my griddle, my bread machines, my induction cooktop burners, my immersion blender, my immersion circulator, my Instant Pot, my air fryer – pretty much anything in my kitchen that has a cord. They are cheap, easy, and indispensable.
Free Appliance Slider Mat
Speaking of my KitchenAid mixer, that rascal is heavy! Depending on the model, super well-built KitchenAids, with their all-metal construction, weigh in anywhere between twenty and thirty pounds. And that's wonderful for performance and stability. But it's also hernia-inducing, especially if you're storing it on a lower shelf in you cabinet. My sister has one of those nifty spring-loaded lifters built in to her cabinet. When she wants to use her mixer, she can just lift the shelf it's stored on and lock it in place. A hundred, a hundred-fifty, two-hundred dollars for the convenience. No thanks. There's also a cheap plastic solution called a countertop slider. It's a two-piece gadget where the top part slides over the bottom part on little plastic rollers. The one I have is really cheap. It's one of those “As Seen on TV” things and I think I paid $9.99 for it. And I got what I paid for. I use it under my SodaStream because anything heavier than a pound or two just crushes it. It doesn't have a prayer of standing up to my KitchenAid. They also make a so-called “slider mat” just for heavy buggers like mixers and such. It's just a rubber mat with a grippy side on top and a slick side on the bottom. They run about ten to fifteen bucks on Amazon and at the big box stores.
OR...…if you're cheap like I am, just get a dish towel out of the drawer and spread it out on the shelf where you mixer lives. Fold it double if you want but just make sure you leave enough of the towel exposed that you can grab on to an end. Now set your half-ton appliance on it and easily slide the machine to the back of the shelf. When you want to use it, grab that end of the towel you left exposed and pull it forward. Slides like a dream. And it won't cost you a nickel. Of course, you'll still have to lift and lug the thing to wherever you're going to use it, but at least you won't have to wrestle with it in the depths of the cabinet, and that's half the battle won.
Cheap Prep Bowls
You know what prep bowls are right? They are the little bowls the pros use to.....hold their prep. You see them on the TV cooking shows all the time. And, wonder of wonders, you can use them at home, too! You can find sets of glass or metal prep bowls on Amazon or in those overpriced kitchen stores for anywhere from ten to twenty dollars a set. Or you can do what I do: recycle trash.
Surely at some point you've bought little single-serving, lunchbox-size plastic cups of applesauce or fruit or pudding or Jell-O or vegetables or something. Don't toss them in the trash when they're empty. Toss them in the sink, wash them up, and then use them for prep bowls. Most of them are a ½ cup capacity and they are perfect for holding your spices or other ingredients. I have stacks of them in my kitchens and they are an integral part of my mise en place. Whenever I'm cooking, there'll be rows of these little plastic cups containing measured amounts of butter or salt or pepper or sugar or oregano or minced garlic or chopped onions or carrots or whatever. And they're free! Can't get cheaper than that. You don't have to worry about breaking them or denting them like you do with the expensive ones. And if you do somehow mess one up, just go eat some more applesauce.
Cheap Pan Protectors … And More!
I have a pretty large collection of cookware. In years past, it hung on pot racks in my home kitchen like it did in my restaurant kitchens. But these days, I have one of those fancy cabinets with roll-out drawers under my main cooktop, so all my pots and pans currently live in there. Now, nothing will screw up the surface of a pan – especially a non-stick pan – like nesting or stacking it with another pan. The only thing worse is just throwing them all in a drawer like throwing cats in bag and seeing which ones come out unscathed.
I'd really rather still have my pots and pans hanging up, but since I have to stack them, I stack them with pot and pan protectors in between. These, too, can be pricey little dudes if you go online or to the kitchen place with the hyphenated name. Between ten and twenty smackers for as few as four of the silly things.
OR....you knew there was an “or,” didn't you?....you can hie yourself down to the dollar store and pick up a roll or two of non-slip padded plastic shelf liner. The rolls are a foot wide and five feet long. Do you know how many little padded pot and pan protectors you can make out of that? Lots. For just a little over a dollar. And you can cut them into whatever size and shape you want and need.
And while we're on the subject of non-slip padded shelf liner, it has some other handy kitchen uses. In culinary school, they teach you to slip a damp towel or cloth under your cutting board to keep it from slipping around. Well......the shelf liner in question is non-slip after all. Cut a section to fit under your cutting board and Bob's your uncle. (Actually, George was my uncle, but that just ruins a perfectly good British-ism.) And you know those little rubber/plastic doodads that you can buy or procure as promotional items from stores and insurance agents to help you get a grip and loosen the lid of a stubborn jar? Non-slip shelf liner works great for that purpose, too. Sometimes appliances like mixers and bread machines like to “walk” around on slick countertops. And if you don't catch them before they take that final step off the edge......well.....it ain't pretty. Been there, done that. But a nice hunk of non-slip shelf liner keeps those wandering appliances right where you put them. And, of course, you can use it to line your drawers and shelves, too. Great stuff. Versatile and cheap!
Free Silpat Storage
Do you have silpats in your kitchen? You know, silicone baking mats? If you don't, you should. They are a baker's dream and they're handy for other general cooking purposes, too. They come in sizes ranging from full-sheet to half-sheet to quarter sheet. They even come in rounds and octagons. And whatever size or shape they are, they are wretched things to store. Storing them flat is not a really good idea. They are very much prone to getting torn, scratched, melted or just generally damaged. And they are kinda expensive to replace. The good ones are, anyway. No, the most efficient way to store them is to roll them up. Here again, rubber bands are about useless. You'll be hunting a new rubber band every other time you use the silpat. String? Wire ties? Not so much. “They” (the manufacturers) make a gee-whiz little silpat storage band to protect your investment and it will only set you back about five bucks. Each. Let's see......I've got eight silpats, so that's......that's way more than I'm gonna spend.
SO......you can just recycle more trash. I'll bet you've been throwing those empty paper towel rolls in the ol' bin, haven't you? Tsk, tsk. Save those cardboard cylinders and stuff 'em with rolled up silpats. They fit perfectly, leaving an inch or so outside the tube for easy access. And if you have smaller mats, you can cut the cardboard rolls to size. And when they get raggedy after a few hundred uses, just wait until you run out of paper towels again and you've got a brand new silpat storage container.
One man's trash … can sure save you a lot of treasure.
