Organizing – FoodWatcher

My Freezer Was a Disaster—Here’s How I Organized It

Unlike my fridge—with its many drawers, shelves, and condiment racks for storage—my bottom-drawer freezer functions like a toy chest. It’s easy to toss something in, and even easier to lose it in a jumble of bagged vegetables and fruits, impulse buys f…

I know I’m not the only one who treats their freezer like the land that time forgot. Recently, when a community member asked our Food52 Collective for tips on how to get her freezer in shape, it triggered a chorus of sympathetic complaints, and motivated me to bring order to my own frozen abyss.

Is There Really a Right Way to Store Spices?

Take a peek at your spice cabinet: If it’s anything like mine, you’ve got a mix of plastic and glass jars, and maybe a few pouches here and there, too. All of them are from different retailers, ranging from the nearby dollar store to Kalustyan’s, and there’s at least one duplicate bottle, from the time you forgot you already had a certain spice at home—in my case, cardamom.

Though it’s not the prettiest or best-organized cabinet out there, it’s deeply functional, and that’s what matters most to me. However, I wondered if—given the variety of spices in my kitchen (and their containers)—there was anything I could or should be doing to extend their shelf lives. Though spices don’t typically go bad or mold like other ingredients, they can lose their potency in a matter of months. So, I reached out to Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, a spice company that works directly with farmers to source its products, who had an unorthodox answer to my spice storage question.

4 Simple Tips to Make Decluttering Your Home a Breeze

This article originally appeared on Schoolhouse, a Portland-based company in the Food52 family of brands.

We know that living in a cluttered space can have negative affects on your mood, productivity, and overall well-being. A clutter-free home is n…

This article originally appeared on Schoolhouse, a Portland-based company in the Food52 family of brands.

We know that living in a cluttered space can have negative affects on your mood, productivity, and overall well-being. A clutter-free home is not only visually appealing, but also brings a sense of calm and order to your everyday routines. As the temperatures start to drop and we begin to embrace all things cozy, there's never been a better time to prepare your home for the season of hosting and gathering ahead. Below, we share some of our favorite tips to help you simplify your space and create a peaceful sanctuary that you and your guests will enjoy all season long.

The Calendar that Sells Out Every Year

This article originally appeared on Schoolhouse, a Portland-based company in the Food52 family of brands .

There’s a reason our Big Picture Calendar to complement every room and light fixture.sells out year after year. More than just a conventional…

This article originally appeared on Schoolhouse, a Portland-based company in the Food52 family of brands .

There’s a reason our Big Picture Calendar to complement every room and light fixture.sells out year after year. More than just a conventional calendar or planner, this simple yet mighty tool is the perfect blend of utilitarian function and modern charm, allowing it to fit seamlessly into any space. Designed to organize the whole year at a glance, each calendar features generously sized squares to write in key dates for simple planning, while tones of blue and yellow feel fresh and lively through the changing seasons.

How Private Chefs Meal Prep

Simply an act of forward-thinking cooking, meal prep takes on many different forms. For some, it’s a refrigerator full of identical portions of chicken and rice. Other times, it might be a batch of Bolognese so large it will last through the week. It could even be overnight oats, sliced fruit, or tuna salad. Regardless of preparation, the value proposition remains the same: Make your meals now so you don’t have to later.

There’s money to be saved as well. Meal prepping encourages you to buy larger quantities of food, something that typically generates savings, but, of course, the real saving comes from avoiding takeout orders when you’re hungry but don’t want to cook. If there’s good food in the fridge, that $15 burrito (plus delivery fees) is much less enticing.

10 Ways to Make a Tiny Kitchen Work for You

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Look inside my small (and I mean really small) kitchen, and you might not instantl…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Look inside my small (and I mean really small) kitchen, and you might not instantly guess that I love to cook. But I’ve never let a lack of space stop me from making any recipe, be it a homemade lasagna or an elaborate birthday cake. With careful planning, the right organization tools, and a few tips, a galley kitchen like mine can actually be the best kind of kitchen because everything you need is right at hand.

How to Create the Kitchen Counter Nook of Your Dreams

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

The kitchen is a sacred space for avid home cooks, and within this spa…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

The kitchen is a sacred space for avid home cooks, and within this space, there’s rarely a spot that receives more careful consideration than the countertop nook. What precisely belongs in this nook—and what it should look like—varies depending on who you talk to. We know Ina Garten, for example, keeps a row of cookbooks, handy utensils, glass bowls, and a speaker on her marble countertop. For others, it might be the ideal space to keep their most-used ingredients (salt, olive oil, and the like) nearby for easy access. In any case, the kitchen nook reflects what’s important to each individual, like functionality, design, organization, or some combination of all three. “A person's countertop kitchen nook says much about them, even more so than their astrology chart,” says Dominique Evans, Food52’s Social Content Creator. “It shows what they use daily, giving you a little peek into their cooking style.” Whether you’re curating a kitchen nook from scratch or just giving yours a spring refresh, this is a great place to start.

4 Things We Love In Stanley Tucci’s (Very Aspirational) Pantry

Earlier this week, Stanley Tucci made pasta for breakfast—and the internet loved it. While Tucci and his baked farfalle don’t necessarily invoke culinary wonder, his pantry is aspirational.

A combination of resourceful storage hacks, intelligent kitch…

Earlier this week, Stanley Tucci made pasta for breakfast—and the internet loved it. While Tucci and his baked farfalle don’t necessarily invoke culinary wonder, his pantry is aspirational.

A combination of resourceful storage hacks, intelligent kitchen equipment, and tasteful design choices (are those granite countertops I see?) make Tucci’s pantry both aesthetically and structurally pleasing. Regardless of how far you can walk into your pantry (impossible for me), these techniques and gear will improve any kitchen situation.