An organized kitchen can save valuable time and money

The term Mise En Place (pronounced MEEZ ahn plahs), as translated means “to put in place.”

In cooking terms, it means to have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you start preparing a dish.

At the beginning of the new year we make resolutions to get ourselves in shape, but what if we make a resolution to get our kitchen in shape?

Having an organized kitchen not only saves you time and money, but it may even allow your family to eat more nutritiously.

Start with your pantry. Do you have spices and herbs older than your firstborn child?

Over time herbs lose their potency, so toss the old bottles and replace them with fresh ones.

If stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place spices retain their potency longer than you’d think—as long as four years for whole spices, two to three years for ground spices, and one to three years for leafy herbs, depending on the herb.

Herbs lose their flavor faster than spices.

Dried herbs that have no color and no or very little smell when crumbled in the palm of your hand are probably too old for practical use.

If they don’t look all that green anymore but still have some oomph when crumbled in your hand, use them freely.

For ground spices, shake the jar, let it settle, and give a sniff. If there’s essentially no smell, it should be tossed out.

If the spices have a bit of fragrance left but are not as potent as you think they should be, just use more in the recipe.

Then you’ll run out sooner and have a reason to start fresh with a new batch.

Herbs and spices can be frozen, however if they are removed from the freezer during preparation of a recipe there is a real possibility that enough condensation will form on the containers to cause caking of the contents when they are returned to the freezer.

Check all of the “best if used by dates” and the condition of the packaging of dried goods. Some items can be used after their “use by” dates, but the quality of the product may deteriorate.

Clean, and clean out your refrigerator and freezer.

Pull everything out one section at a time, wash down shelves and reorganize.

Toss out old gunky bottles and jars of dressings, sauces and condiments.

The same goes for your kitchen drawers and cabinets. Get rid of any cracked bowls as bacteria can lurk in those cracks.

Organize your utensil drawer and toss out what you hardly ever use. Do you really need 10 wooden spoons and six rubber spatulas?

Invest in sturdy glass storage containers that can go from freezer to microwave to table instead of the plethora of stacked margarine containers lurking in the cupboards.

Store items you use regularly close to your cooking area. Items such as cookie cutters, meat tenderizers and flour sifters, etc. can be kept in more remote areas of the kitchen.

Clear the kitchen counter. Pay particular attention to the number of objects you permanently store there.

The counter needs frequent cleaning and is your primary workspace.

Find another place for knickknacks and anything else that doesn’t absolutely need to live there, such as paper generated from newspapers, bill paying, mail, homework, etc.

Find another home for paper.

Create a paper-sorting center with bins for sorting paper, a recycling bin and trash can, space to write,and other necessary supplies.

Pace yourself and don’t try to organize the entire kitchen at once. You’ll just scatter stuff all over and get frustrated. Instead, go one drawer, shelf, or cabinet at a time.

Remember, the first step to getting organized is to assess what you have, edit down to what you really need, and arrange it in an efficient setup for easy accessibility.

By having your kitchen as organized as possible, it can make planning, shopping, preparing and serving meals so much easier.

In our crazy, hectic lives, isn’t that what it’s all about?