When we cook every day, especially for fussy families, it can be a struggle to feel inspired. However, with some organisation and our suggestions, you have a head start. In this article, I talk about how to organise your kitchen and give you some ideas on where to look for delicious recipes that will please almost everyone.
1. Organise your kitchen
Are you like most of us with pots and pans spilling out of cupboards, a pantry with items at the back that are way past their use-by date and no room for staples that will help you put a meal together in minutes? Well, the easiest way to overcome this is to get organised.
First, clear out your pantry and toss any items you won’t use or are too old to use. If you have a bottle of tomato sauce in plastic with a date of 2015 on it, junk it. If your pantry doesn’t seem to have enough space for everything, try using risers like this extendable shelf from Kmart or this bamboo shelf that’s ideal for glassware and fragile items. Place the shorter items underneath and use the space on top to stack cans or place taller items. I like to corral items like oils, vinegars and snacks, too, so I can get to them easily. For this, I use old shoe boxes or containers I buy from a reject shop. I also have started keeping fridge items accessible with containers made for this purpose.
For the rest of your kitchen, declutter and get ruthless! If you’re never going to use that muffin tin or pots and pans again and you can manage with less, then donate the (cleaned) items if they’re in good enough condition or put them in the recycle bin.
Once you can see everything easily and know what you need, you won’t be doubling up on flour, sugar or rice when you go grocery shopping.
2. Stock your pantry with staples
Make sure you have pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes and beans, oils and even tins of anchovies or sardines in your staples. While we might not go to the lengths of Nigella Lawson and her pantry staples, we can work out what we would use if we ‘had nothing in the house to eat’.
3. Ensure your equipment is fit for purpose
Replace dull knives and ditch appliances that take up too much space for what they achieve. With a stick blender, sharp knives, a good-quality colander and, if you want to get fancy and make your own spice blends, a mortar and pestle, go a long way to making your cooking life simpler.
4. Grow some herbs
Together with some of your staple grocery items, herbs can help make a meal. My suggestion for non-gardeners is to start with something pungent, hardy and drought-tolerant like sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary. Once you feel confident, you can grow other herbs like parsley and basil (but beware of these as you’ll need to keep them under control in hotter months as they can easily ‘bolt’ and go to seed, plus they’re good for one season only). Mint is another great herb to grow but be sure to keep it in a pot or you’ll be digging mint out of your garden for years.
5. Get recipe inspiration from popular chefs
Whether you stick to well-known Aussie chefs like Bill Granger or look overseas to Jamie Oliver, you’ll find a wealth of inspiring recipes that are simple to assemble and add a bit of Wow to your dining experience. Check out Jamie Oliver’s YouTube channel or head online for Bill Granger’s Australian Food.
Even if you just organise your kitchen and borrow some recipes from top chefs and cooks, you’ll be well on your way to gaining more kitchen inspiration.
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