Saturday, March 31, 2012

8 Ways I've Simplified My Kitchen


When you do your wedding registry, you put all sorts of things that you really don't need. That laser gun is just so fun! But now, a few years later, I have realized a few things about how I manage my kitchen that have made my life easier and more simple. Check 'em out:

1. I have realized that I hate metal pans. I should have just registered for glass bakeware, because all of my metal ones have gunked up from non-stick spray baking on them. I've heard good things about the silicone bakeware, but for some reason I'm still skeptical. I feel like "they" will come out in a few years saying that silicone is unsafe or something. So far, glass has worked out the best!

2. Along the same lines as #1, buying expensive cookie pans is a waste, but also are really cheap ones. I've accepted the fact that cookie pans won't last very long. Between cutting up homemade pizza, non-stick spray, and other fun adventures, I don't expect them to last very long.

3. I have realized that the crock pot we bought was way too big for just two of us. Someday when there's more in our family, it may work, but almost any recipe I've tried is just too dry. My hypothesis so far is that a smaller crockpot may help keep more moisture in the actual food. We'll see....haven't given up yet!

4. For a non coffee drinker, the cheap-o $10 coffee pot I bought from the grocery store works great. It's big enough to make a couple cups of coffee for when I have guests staying over, and it's small enough to not impose on the day to day.

5. I realized I never needed to register for china. First of all, the everyday china we registered for to try to consolidate our dinnerware, chipped almost right away. We returned it and got all white dishes. We love our white set! Second of all, I inherited my grandmother's gorgeous china, which means so much more than a set I would have registered for.
6. Cloth napkins work great! We haven't bought a single paper napkin in our house! This is partly for environmental reasons, party for fiscal reasons, and partly because it's just easier. We have enough fabric napkins to last us through while dirty ones are being washed.

7. I have realized that kitchen utensils (tons, wooden spoons, spatulas, etc) are not very expensive and can easily go in the dishwasher. I used to hand wash everything outside of dishes, glasses, and silverware. Now, I've started putting more of my utensils in the top rack of our dishwasher, and even some of our older pans.

8. I have learned to save glass jars from pasta sauce, jam, and more to pour in bacon grease. Oh! and splatter screens are a must for making bacon!

1 comment:

  1. We love cloth napkins! They are so easy (just toss them in the wash with clothes), cheap, and pretty!

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