Can’t find the eggbeaters? It’s time to organize

Something must be made perfectly clear. I am not an organized person. My husband wears the tidy genes in our family. Anything that I have learned in this area I owe to him.

Take my office. Whenever it becomes too unmanageable even by my standards I peek into his to see what new innovations of order he’s developed.

Sometimes it’s a simple thing, like actually removing books from his bookshelf that he no longer uses. Imagine that.

Sometimes it’s more structural. Like when he added a second story to his desk top for the computer monitor, disk caddy and reference books.

Following suit, I was happy to discover that with all of the computer junk floating 8 inches above the writing surface on a 1-by-12 plank I had regained control of my beautiful teak desk.

He’s just as clever in the kitchen. I would still be wrestling the pile of mixing bowls past the electric griddle if he hadn’t stopped me one day and asked, "How often do you actually use that griddle?"

"Hardly ever," I replied.

"Then why’s it occupying such valuable space, not to mention jamming up your whole system?"

I thought of mentioning that I didn’t realize I actually had a system, but when he’s in Organizational Mode I don’t like to mess with his mind.

You see, that’s when our kitchen really benefits. In Organizational Mode he once tackled the cavernous drawer underneath the stove. Grilling tongs, camping cookware and nondescript plastic jugs that used to lurk there became utensila non grata.

None of these items were ever used in conjunction with the stove. It just seemed like the best place to store them.

The fact that daily I was adding dozens and dozens of unnecessary steps to meal preparation because the skillets weren’t near the stove and the only way to put my hands on the wok ring was by balancing on a teetering bar-stool and reaching way back behind the fridge simply hadn’t occurred to me.

Another time he took on the pantry. The contents of cumbersome boxes of biscuit mix and unruly bags of powdered sugar were transferred into sturdy, see-through plastic containers with air-tight lids.

Even flour, our favorite medium-grain rice and our four most commonly used pasta shapes were assigned to plastic storage.

Besides being easier to stack, measuring from these wide-mouthed containers is a breeze and there’s no longer the threat of pantry pests from the insect world chomping through the cornmeal box

He de-junked one of our gadget drawers by first getting me to admit that the last time I had used even one of the 30-plus cookie cutters that were clogging the works was too long ago to recall. But he also understood that I was emotionally attached to those cute little cutters, so he found an equally charming container so they would be easy to locate in their new home: the garage.

The one area of step-saving in the kitchen where I am proficient is in actual meal preparation. I can whip out a tasty, nutritious dinner in short order, without relying on an unpleasant assortment of "convenience foods."

We eat fresh vegetables, have monstrous salads with homemade dressing and never have to buy those pre-breaded things that seem to be taking over the butcher case these days.

But I must admit, the preparation ease I’ve discovered in the kitchen only came once I learned how to organize.

In the space that follows, I’d like to share a few of the more basic concepts. Don’t feel bad if your kitchen isn’t there yet. As I said, the knack for orderliness wasn’t something I came by naturally. I had to marry it.

Think about it: If you work outside the home, visualize your work space. Do you keep your calculator, pen and stapler in another room forcing you to walk 20 extra steps every time you want to use one of them? I doubt it.

So why aren’t your chopping blocks, knives, measuring spoons and mixing bowls stored at their point of use?

You need to establish a mixing center. Time and motion studies indicate that the most traveled route in the kitchen is between the stove and sink. The second largest number of steps occur between the mixing center and the sink.

Logically, it would follow that the main mixing center should be near the stove and the sink. Once you’ve established where your main mixing center is, re-arrange your kitchen so that most of the equipment used in it is easily reached without taking more than one step or pivot.

To personalize this concept, think about the tasks that seem to take up too much energy. Is making coffee in the morning overly taxing because you store the filters in one spot, the coffee maker in another and your morning mug in yet another?

What about fixing cereal or assembling sandwiches? Do you hate to make homemade dressings because it’s too big an effort to assemble the oil, vinegar and seasonings?

I went to a local professional, Clutterbusters business owner Helen Tedder of Corvallis, Ore. Tedder’s also a longtime friend, so I know that her advice is sound.

Here are some of her pieces of advice regarding how to make your kitchen more cook-friendly by reducing the clutter:

Toss out: spices that have lost their smell; expired yeast and baking powder; canned goods more than two years old (if you think their flavor has been compromised); stale crackers and cereals; old cleaning products.

Give away, consign or stick in "deep storage": appliances you haven’t used in a year; duplicates (such as extra can openers, vegetable peelers and muffin tins); any potholders or dishtowels beyond six; plastic containers without lids and vice versa; old, scratched and mismatched glasses, bowls and bakeware that you don’t like to use; pots or pans that have lost their nonstick coating.

"And remember," Tedder said, "your countertops are prime real estate that can make or break the appearance of your kitchen. Clear everything off your countertops, then place an item back only if you use it at least every other day. And think about putting your canisters inside the cabinet if you’re not a baker."

Tedder also says that we would all benefit from dedicating a few minutes every night putting away things that do not belong in the kitchen.

"This," she said, "is your insurance to maintaining a clutter-free kitchen."

In this area, I’m able to provide my own advice, based on professional knowledge and years and years of personal experience: