Five Practical Tips That Help the Kitchen Flow (A Little More) Smoothly

The kitchen is one of the busiest—messiest—places in my home! I love my kitchen…but sometimes I get a little overwhelmed when it looks like an army of hungry people have torn through it, leaving a massive trail of destruction.

I am definitely no expert, but over the years I’ve found a few little tweaks to make my kitchen run a little smoother. Here’s five of ‘em.

1. Open both sides of the kitchen sink.

I have two sections to my sink. (I envy those people that have the huge farmhouse sink!) I used to leave a dish strainer on the right side. Well, when I was having my postpartum vacation from housework, my husband moved the strainer to the area on the counter next to my sink…and left the whole sink open. He put my drying mat under the strainer, and it works out great for me!

Thanks, husband!

It totally changed the way I did my dishes! It may just seem like a little no-big-deal tweak, but I’ll take it, because it makes my life easier.

On first glance, if you know me, you would just think that it leaves extra space for dishes to PILE up! Sometimes it does, but I have room to move around, and I don’t feel *as* overwhelmed after dinner.

Bonus Tip: If you do dishes as you go…it’s so much easier. My mama tells me this constantly. I totally agree that it makes it easier, but I still go against my own advice sometimes and let the dishes “soak” too long.

2. Find a spice rack with minimal depth.

By this, I mean if you buy a spice rack that is too deep, your stuff will pile up and you’ll waste time looking for your seasonings. You’ll also waste money buying more when you still have some hiding in the shadows.

Do I know this from experience? Oh, yeah.

My husband came to the rescue again, and made me a spice shelf that is PERFECT. I can only fit one box or bottle depth-wise—and it is great. I can quickly grab what I need, and I’m not stuck shuffling through dozens of spices/flavorings/ingredients.

It really helps when I keep it organized. This is also where my essential oils live.

3. Allow yourself two mixing bowls.

Maybe some of you don’t struggle with cleaning up dishes like I do. When I cook, my entire kitchen is destroyed. I don’t know how, but a perfectly clean kitchen will be such a mess after one meal!

I’ve found that if I use only two mixing bowls while making dinner…I’m forced to clean them out if I need to use another one. For example, say I’m making meatloaf. I use a bowl to mix the raw meat with all the other ingredients. Instead of throwing the bowl in the sink to be washed later, I’ll wash it to use for my mashed potatoes instead of getting a clean bowl out. (less mess) I’ll usually use another bowl to mix up salad dressing, or another side item.

If I allow myself only two, there won’t be four or five bowls piled in my poor sink.

Sometimes I get in the zone and think I’m Martha Stewart, complete with a camera crew and kitchen crew that will stay behind and clean up my mess…well, that’s never going to happen, so I have learned to take two extra minutes and clean the bowls as I go.

4. Learn to measure ingredients without the measuring spoons.

This one has taken me literally seven years to figure out. Learn how to eyeball a tablespoon, or a teaspoon, and you won’t have to dirty fifteen measuring spoons during your meal prep!

You know what? It’s ok to study how measurements look and you can measure in your palm, or your fingertip. That’s really not against the rules at all, and it makes you feel like a pro.

If you don’t agree with this one, that’s ok. I just don’t like washing three separate tablespoons, and left looking for a dry one when I need it. I don’t like it when the powdery spices stick to wet measuring spoons.

5. Invest in an immersion blender.

This is one appliance I use every day! It’s right up there with the coffee maker. It makes my life so much easier.

If you’re familiar with THM, you know that their recipes use a blender in almost everything. Instead of dirtying a big blender bowl, the blades, and the lid, just whip out the immersion, or stick blender, and stick it in the pot!

I just did this for dinner tonight. I made Cream of Mushroom Trimmy Bisque from Trim Healthy Table, and instead of draggin’ my big ol’ blender out, I just used my immersion blender, easy peasy. (THM affiliate link above.)

It also doesn’t make as much racket as the big blender, and it didn’t wake up my baby that was napping.

I love my immersion blender, and use it pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day. I love this KitchenAid. This was a Christmas present from my parents. So thank you! (Amazon affiliate link above. Use it and I’ll receive a small commission.)

Did you find any of these tips helpful for your home? Sorry if not…this is the best I can do! 😀

Don’t be afraid to share! I’d love to hear from you.