Keeping It Together in the Kitchen

I should have been a librarian because I love to categorize, especially in the kitchen. Maybe that’s just the nature of a Virgo at work, but I rationalize that having an organized kitchen is more efficient than trying to cook in chaos.

For example, I have a baking area that includes all the mixing bowls, utensils, tools, measures,  basic dry ingredients, and pans – in short, everything involved in baking except for cooling racks that are located by the oven. Spices are divided into two groups: baking and cooking, the first in the baking area, the second by the stove.

Another area that I categorize is clean up. I do enjoy the luxury of having a dishwasher, but I use it mostly for washing table service such as plates, glasses, flatware, and serving bowls. I load like things together. Not only do they nest together in a way that allows more things to go in, but they also make unloading easier. (OK, maybe I actually suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.) Here’s the bottom rack.

And here’s the top rack.

And here’s a dishwasher top rack poorly loaded. It started out pretty well, with some like things together, but fell apart at the end.

Almost everything else I wash by hand. Because I hate drying dishes, I  start with the little things. (Note the knife is point side down to avoid injuries.)

Then I wash the medium-sized things.

And finally I add the big things, wipe the counters, wring out the dishcloth, and walk away to read a book.

Who cares whether this is obsessive behavior? Even more than I love to categorize, I  love to read.

Copyright 2014 by Shirley Domer