People always tell me they don’t have time to cook, and I totally agree with them because they probably don’t have an efficient kitchen. I wouldn’t be able to make meals as fast as I do if i didn’t maximize my kitchen space. I spend on average 20-30 minutes max to cook a full meal, and I owe it all to my setup. My philosophy is that the more efficient you are, the easier it is to cook, the more you’ll cook.
I have one of the smallest kitchens I’ve ever seen, but I use a ton of kitchen utensils on a regular basis. I’ve been tinkering with new ways to hang things in visible places, so I don’t have to search through cabinets when I need something. This is what I came up with, and I think I’m finally at a place where everything I need is at my fingertips.
Lets start with the hanging rack over my sink. This is one of the most important parts of my kitchen. I simply added a bar over my sink, so the freshly washed utensils can drip into the sink. This came about when I got rid of my dry rack because it was taking up too much of my limited counter space. I then added a wire rack on top of the bar for drying larger bowls and things that can’t be hung. I installed this at a slight angle towards the sink, so the water would drip into the sink and not behind my sink. I also use this to store some of the things I use all the time. The bar is just a piece of electrical conduit from home depot fastened in with some screws.
This is my main pots and pan hanging storage, which is just a piece of electrical conduit from home depot as well. I used the o-ring screws to tap into the studs (MAKE SURE YOU TAP INTO STUDS or else you’ll have a ton of cast iron pans fall on your head). All the hooks are from IKEA and they cost about $2.50 for 5. This is a must have for my kitchen because I just don’t have cabinet space for this many pans. Even if i had the cabinet space for them, I would loose my mind searching through cabinets to find a pan. I simply look up and unhook. And also notice my hanging immersion blender in the bottom right hand corner. This has saved me hours of my life since I’ve installed it.
I was fortunate enough to have an open top area above my cabinets so I can put my jars all around my kitchen. Mason jars are a must have in my kitchen because they keep things fresh and organize things. Having food in jars allows you to see what you have quickly. This allows me to keep track of what needs to be eaten because everything is visible.
My IKEA spice rack is the best because is has a bar you can hang other utensils on. I highly recommend this one. It’s cheap and it looks rad. Once again, I use jars to seal in the freshness. Light does spoil spices and food, but my view on it is that I should be using these ingredients before light has the ability to spoil it. It takes several months to spoil from light, so I buy what I use often in smaller quantities that allow me to use all of it quicker.
