As a student, I lived in a tiny apartment with an equally tiny kitchen with only about 12 inches of counter space in which to cook.
Until I found out that there was a dishwasher in the apartment, I was always unable to figure out how, during a time when cooking was very popular at home, they managed to fit in so little space, especially without a dishwasher, even though the apartment was built in the 1930’s.
If you are wondering if you can do this, I am here to tell you that it is possible. If you want to power through delicious meals in a small kitchen, there are some tricks that will help you get through it.
If you want to pump out delicious meals in a tiny kitchen, you have to plan, stay organized, and improvise at all times. So if you are struggling with cooking in a small kitchen, here are my tips that helped me survive.
And its recipe Apronese sent below for your reference.
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Tips for Making the Most of Small Kitchen Spaces
1. Plan
- Stay on top of your inventory. In order to shop the store effectively, you should start by looking in your pantry. As well as keeping your “inventory” low and reducing the need for storage space, staying aware of what you have on hand and using the ingredients first reduces the need for storage space. (In addition to keeping your grocery costs low and reducing waste, this will also result in a lower cost for your groceries). You should keep regular records of your ingredients and cook from them as much as possible, and only buy what you need at any given time.
- Cook one-pot, sheet pan, or skillet meals. As you will see, these all-in-one recipes will save you time and money in the kitchen during the cooking process. It will cut down on the amount of dishes you have to clean and the amount of activity you have going on in the kitchen while you cook. Check out the One Pot Meals category for more ideas.
- Make a game plan for cooking. The first thing you should do before starting cooking is to go over the recipe(s) you plan to cook in your mind in order to make sure that you don’t need your limited workspace to handle two things simultaneously. The sheet pan must be placed where it will cool after it has been cooked. When draining pasta in a colander in the sink, make sure there is enough space in the sink. It is not a good thing to be dancing around your kitchen with a hot pot in hand and no place to set it down while you are cooking.
2. Organize
- Limit your tools, equipment, and appliances. It is important to me to keep things simple in the kitchen, to use only the simplest kitchen tools possible, and to use multipurpose kitchen tools to accomplish a variety of tasks. A basic chef’s knife can handle hundreds of different tasks, whereas a banana slicer can only do a single task. In addition to being a soup pot, a Dutch oven also serves as a roasting pan for meat. There are a variety of things you can shred with a cheese grater. You can shred cheese, frozen butter (for pastry), or even remove the zest from citrus quickly.
There are many things that can go wrong in the kitchen, but you can stay away from single-use kitchen tools, go for tried and true classics, and find this list of essential kitchen items that can get you started.
- Mise en place (prep first). Considering that your workspace will probably be used for multiple purposes throughout the cooking process, it makes sense to do all your cutting, measuring, and prepping before you begin cooking, since you will likely be using your workspace to a large extent. As a result, you will be able to work at your own pace, and concentrate on one task at a time, rather than frantically trying to accomplish more than one thing at a time when the heat is on.
- Clean as you go.It can take a lot of time, and if you don’t pay attention, you will accumulate dishes and utensils rapidly in your tiny kitchen and quickly encroach on the prep area. Take every free moment to clean a dish, a utensil, or an ingredient. Instead of watching the pot while it boils, clean away a few items. Do you have something baking in the oven? Put everything away that has already been used. Added to that, cleanup is so much less of a chore once you have already done half of it in small increments along the way as well. There is no doubt that it will take you some time to build this habit, but once you do, it will be totally worthwhile.
- Invest in nesting bowls, pots and pans, and containers. In your cabinet, you can finally get rid of that pile of random containers that have been sitting there with their lids long since they lost them. It’s wise to invest in nesting items in order to eliminate the chance of components getting lost, save cabinet space, and create the appearance of a clean and decluttered kitchen. Yes, now there are even pots and pans that nest specifically! Yay!
4. Improvise
- Think outside the kitchen. If you have a dining room, dinette, or some other small table and chair set near the kitchen, make use of it! Have yourself a seat and chop away, my friend. Have a closet in another room that isn’t being used to its fullest? Take advantage and make it do double duty for extra pantry items. Just pretend your whole apartment is a giant kitchen (that also happens to have a sofa and bed). 😉
- Transform your sink or stove top into a prep surface. In my small kitchen where I had limited counter space, I probably used the following technique the most often. You can use a large cutting board over your burners or straddling your sink to serve as a prep surface for food. In order to ensure that the board sits evenly and is stable, it is important to be careful when it is placed over the burner. In fact, there are even cutting boards that are made specifically to straddle the sink or cover the burners on the stove.
- Try a mobile kitchen cart. There is another great way to get extra prep space without taking up much of your kitchen space is by using a kitchen cart. You can wheel that mobile prep surface in and out of the kitchen at your convenience, and most kitchen carts can be used in a number of ways. Some include shelves for extra storage, or even hooks on the side so you can hang utensils.
- Utilize wall space and the inside of cabinet doors. You may have empty walls? Make your walls look great by hanging lightweight objects like cooking utensils, measuring cups and spoons, kitchen towels, etc., using removable hooks. If you have the time, you may wish to use stronger hooks and drywall anchors in order to hang heavier items such as pots and pans. This Buzzfeed article is probably the best roundup of ways to add storage in a small space that I’ve ever seen, so take a look at it for some great ideas on how to utilize the insides of cabinets as well as empty wall space.
How do you cook for a small family of four, if you don’t have a large kitchen? If so, share your favorite tips in the comments sections below for help from others living in tiny homes.
Apronese thank you for sharing your recipes and feelings with everyone.
