Cooking in a cluttered kitchen can be quite stressful.
There is always the temptation to buy more kitchen tools and gadgets.
In this season of eating and cooking, the kitchen can be quite a mess.
It might take quite a bit of effort to clean the kitchen up after all the cooking and preparation, but the reward is worth it. I think a clean uncluttered kitchen adds a lot to the enjoyment of our home.
Of course, it’s not that easy to maintain a clutter-free kitchen. There is a kind of “natural” tendency to fill up empty counter space with kitchen appliances, gadgets as well as boxes of food or soda bottles whenever there is no more space in the cabinets to store them.
I recall a report about the practical impact that a cluttered kitchen can have on people. According to the report, one of the main reasons that people give for not cooking, and buying prepared food instead, is that a cluttered or messy kitchen puts them off from cooking.
Well, that could well mean that they are spending more on their food bill, and that’s not a productive strategy in today’s economy.
There are lots of articles giving tips on how to declutter the kitchen. But the first step is probably the hardest: deciding and discarding things that we no longer use or need. Hm.., I wonder if we use the word “edit” instead of “discard”, would that make it more psychologically palatable to clear some of the clutter.
In addition, we are constantly bombarded by television commercials and images of products that promise to make us a better cook or make our lives easier. The more recent ads include the meatloaf pan that drains the fat so that you will have a perfect, non-soggy meatloaf. There was also an ad for a vertical cabinet organizer that enables you to store your spice bottles using less space, and puts them in easy reach.
I admit I was quite tempted to order it, as my spice bottles are all mixed up in the cabinet. I have been telling myself that I should separate the spices bottles into one section for savory dishes, and another for baking or sweets. But I have yet to do that.
Well, I have not succumbed to ordering the organizer yet. But I have to say that these commercials are well-made, at least for the purpose of making you want their products. Another item that we may or may not use after purchasing; a potential permanent resident on the kitchen counter.
Building Bridges 