Tips for Cooking Great Meals in a Small Kitchen
It can be incredibly difficult to cook intricate meals in a tiny kitchen. Whether you're in an apartment, condo, or just a house that isn't quite as big as you'd like, cooking fantastic meals in a small kitchen is totally possible. You don't need a big kitchen to make a big meal; all you need is a little creativity and these great tips.
Organization
Organization is key for any small space. The more organized you are, the more space you have leftover to do with what you want. This means you need to be organized before you start cooking as well as while you are cooking. Organizing your pantry, cupboards, fridge, freezer, and any other space where you store food is incredibly important. If you aren't organized in a small space, you will end up not knowing where anything is and you'll probably be frustrated before you even start making the meal. It's a great idea to keep all of your boxed items together in one place, all canned items together, all your produce together, and so on. When you do this, you'll have no trouble finding all the ingredients you need. This can also save you money, too. How many times have you opened the pantry to see if you have a certain spice before you go to the store to buy it, only to not be able to find it? At that point, you go to the store and buy another canister of the spice, and then you find the old bottle a week later. Organization can save your money and a trip to the store. While you are cooking, pull out all the ingredients you'll need for the meal, and keep them all on the counter in one place. Spreading out all over a small kitchen isn't an option, so watch how much room you're using for your ingredients.
Cleanliness
They say that cleanliness is next to godliness, and when you're cooking in a small kitchen, that's absolutely true. You can't be throwing ingredients around and splattering food on the counters and using up all of your spoons and pots and pans. Separate your recipes into sections and try to use only one bowl and a pot or pan for each recipe. Instead of grabbing a new bowl or pot, try to use the ones that are already dirty. While you're waiting for something in the oven or on the stove, clean up the utensils you've used that you don't need anymore. Put away ingredients at that time, too. This will free up space for you and create less work in cleaning up after the meal has been enjoyed. This is a great example to follow in every kitchen, big or small.
Cooking Alone
You know that saying that everyone always congregates in your kitchen when you're hosting a dinner party? The best idea in a small kitchen is to kick everyone out while you're cooking. If you barely have enough room to turn around while you're cooking, you'll need as much space as you can get; so don't let anyone in your kitchen while you're preparing the meal. This is unless, of course, they are helping you chop veggies or round up ingredients. There's never anything wrong with asking for a little help, but if someone just wants to chat while you're cooking, they'll probably just get in the way.
Plating
With limited counter space, it's probably not the best idea to have a buffet style meal. If you don't have room to chat with people while you're cooking, you probably don't have enough room for guests to line up and get their food. If you have the counter space to plate the meal yourself for each guest, that's probably your best bet. Otherwise, you can always pass serving dishes at the table and store them on the counter for people to get second helpings if they want.
