Get organised in the kitchen
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Catherine Saxelby shows us the secret to healthy cooking with 7 simple steps: |
1. Use a meal planner to plan dinners
Spend 15 minutes one night and jot down seven meals for the next seven nights (or just plan Monday to Friday). Find 7 recipes and check the fridge and cupboard to make sure you have all the ingredients you’ll need.
- If you shop weekly, you’ll need to plan and shop for 5 or 7 meals over the week.
- If you live near a supermarket or food market where you can shop daily, plan at least two meals ahead.
Sample 7-day dinner planner:
| Monday | Spaghetti Bolognaise, salad |
| Tuesday | Tuna Mornay |
| Wednesday | Steak, potato, green veg |
| Thursday | Chicken satays with peanut sauce, noodles, veg |
| Friday | Stir-fry of lamb with Asian vegies, rice |
| Saturday | Dinner out |
| Sunday | Slow-cooked beef, mashed potato, green veg |
2. Stock up on basics
Keep some basics in the cupboard for quick meals such as pasta, rice, canned salmon or tuna, pasta sauce, canned beans plus a variety of dried herbs and spices.
Keep ingredients in your freezer such as frozen peas, spinach, berries, fish plus your own frozen soup and casseroles.
3. Minimise clutter
As the hub of the household, the kitchen can be a clutter magnet. Ideally you want to create a clean, organised work space where you can cook efficiently. Here are some ideas:
- Make sure you can find cooking necessities easily - the right utensils, chopping board, knives, cookware (wok, pans or frypan), pot holders, kitchen paper, towels, basic ingredients like oil, onions, garlic, flour, spices, stock or pasta sauce.
- Put ingredients and tools near where you’ll be using them.
- Organise your pantry so food staples, such as stock, flour, canned beans and oils are grouped together. Divide spices into groups e.g. savoury like basil, paprika or chilli and sweet like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Keep tongs, spatulas, spoons and turners in a tool holder or large canister on the counter.
4. Keep a shopping list.
Use a notepad, piece of paper or large Post-it notes to jot down when you run out of things. Take the list with you when you buy your groceries. Using a list saves time and stops you buying ‘doubles’ of things you already have or extras you don’t need. Check what’s in your refrigerator and freezer before you shop.
5. Keep it top of mind
Hang a small white board with a cork section in your kitchen. Use it for writing down what you're planning to cook, pin a recipe you want to try out, and what leftovers are stored in the refrigerator. This is handy for teenagers who want to heat up something quickly and can’t ‘find’ anything in the fridge.
6. Organise your recipes
Most families have a repertoire of about 10 dinner meals that get rotated. For instance, I can cook from memory meatloaf, Italian meatballs, any sort of grill, beef stroganoff, tuna pasta bake, any pan-fried fish. But when I want to try a new recipe, I cut it out and keep it in a ring-binder folder.
Use recipe cards and tear out or photocopy your favourite recipes so you can flick through them to get ideas from time to time.
7. Cook ahead on weekends
If you can, cook double quantities of recipes that freeze well or take a long time to prepare and cook. Then freeze into freezer containers in two or four portion packs for meals for another day.
As long as you’re at home over the weekend and can occasionally check, it’s the ideal time to do a slow-cooked casserole, a curry or a big pot of soup.
More articles by renowned dietitian and nutritionist Catherine Saxelby