Eat out!

Mine is to clean as you go. I make sure that as soon as I am done with something it goes right back to the proper place. The cans or packages that I empty while cooking imediately goes in the trash. Makes for less clean up when I am done. I can't survive without my slow cooker or my roasting oven, they are must haves for me.

Stay out of the kitchen !!! LOL that is why there is carry out :wink: Teach them young the numbers ( well , now computer) for pizza :thumbup:

Let DH do most of the cooking!!!! :)

No, but my mother always says my kitchen looks like a tip. (a dump for the non australians)

stay out of and quilt more. no need to clean it:)

I found this tip in a magazine ,organize your pantry by specialty cooking or what ever your family likes Example:Mexican- refried beans ,Rotel,wheat tortillas, etc, Italian, Veggies and so on, then when family hollers "We want mexican" you know what you have at a glance.And I also do like Raptureready and cook a family sized pk of ground round and freeze in # pks, also cook chicken this way(chicken breast skin & bone in)allow to cool, pick off, shred and freeze in quart freezer bags, allow broth to congeal , spoon off fat, freeze broth in bags( yum:chicken fahitas or dumplings in a snap!)
Three(4?) things I do before cooking:
1.Wash hands & set out all ingredients
2.Empty dishwasher
3.Run sink full of hot water only !-by the time you need it ,it's cooled to just right.
And I also store appliance cords,etc in the pot/pan they belong to, that way no tangled cords in a drawer,especially electric skillet& fry daddy(which we no longer use, gotta stay away from those fried foods. :cry:

Sliding shelves in cabinets.... I want them, but don't have them yet.
Someday.... lol

I did this for DD's kitchen in Ireland.
Save large cardboard boxes, cut down to height that works for you, and put slippery freezer paper on bottom so it can slide in & out for you, but only good for light weight plastic ware, and dry goods.

those fancy sliding shelves...you can buy the hardware separate and then just shop for the drawer mechanism at junk stores and yard sales.

So now for two real tips.

First:
I have a special "composition" style lined paper notebook just for special recipes...the ones that work every time, as well as the special ones friends exchange with me. Mine is an antique from an estate sale, with leather binding outside.

I organize it on the inside with subject tabs...vegetable dishes, deserts, breads, main dishes, and msc.

Now in that section I have a recipe for such things as doggie biscuits, play dough, finger paints, glue, etc.

Second is one an Italian friend taught me decades ago.
If you place a long handled wooden spoon across the top of your pot, it will not boil over. Does not work with plastic or metal, only wood.

The last tip is not really how to organize the kitchen, but how to organize the shopping.

I keep the shopping list on the fridge door.
But I plan out a menu rather like the school does, only not as strictly adhered to.
I plan for one week, plus one day.
I list the ingredients, and check to see if there is enough in pantry or what I need, and that part goes on the shopping list.

I plan one more time consuming recipe.
Plan several average time meals of moderate energy as well,
and two quickies.
Add one for when company shows up,
and the last can be more like heavy snack...salad and soup, with a good show.

There you have one week's worth, and you can re-arrange any menu for any day of the week.

If I find a good sale, I can indulge.
I really like to plan as if it were an 8 day week, in case I can't shop on the day I like, the cupboard is not bare.

Our adult children know how to watch for what's up so they can plan their visits around what they would like to eat while over...and know what they will need to bring that way as well.
An extra carrot, potato or what ever...

When DH grills out, he always over cooks for the amount of meat we will consume. Then we can wait until it has cooled, and put extra chicken, de-boned and chunk-ed up, in freezer, or cut up the roast he also grilled/smoked, and that too is put down in the freezer. With mad cow disease still out there, we proffer not to only cook up ground beef where you can not tell what parts they put in...so we use our own selections.

Also, for when mad cow does pop up again, if you select your own roast, you can ask the meat department to grind it while you wait. Make sure to ask them to clean the grinder. Or, if you are really fearful of the germs, buy a food processor with a meat grinder/pasta maker attachment.

Hope you liked my hints.

ALWAYS HEAVILY COMPLIMENT SOMEONE ELSE THAT COOKS!!!!

(it encourages them to cook again...soon!)