Have you ever seen one of those amazing life hack videos where you learn that you can soften butter in minutes, make a functional carburetor out of 3 potatoes, and dispose unwanted olives (i.e., all olives)? I love those videos! And articles too (like this one).
As cool as they are, I rarely remember to use any of them. Up until recently, the only kitchen life hack I actively used from time to time was the trick for making an unopened beer cold in a few minutes. You fill a bowl with water and ice, then add salt. Place the beer can or bottle in the mixture, and in 5 minutes, it’ll be perfectly cold.
But when I moved into our condo last fall, I discovered one life hack that I haven’t seen. It’s a little different than the others, as it involves the actual construction of your kitchen. There’s a way around it without doing a remodel, though.
Here’s the problem: In the before-times when we were allowed to go into other peoples’ houses, did you ever find yourself looking through one cabinet after another to find a cup or plate? I sure have.
Here’s my solution: Keep some plates and cups on open shelves instead of cabinets. Or, if you have cabinets, dedicate 1 cabinet to remain open, and remove the door from it. Yes, you could use a glass door, but another perk to open shelves is easy access to the things you use the most.
We stumbled into this, but I can say after 6 months that I’m absolutely loving the open shelves in our kitchen. They’re great for daily use, and guests have never had a problem finding a glass or a plate.
What’s your favorite kitchen life hack?
As someone who enjoys cooking, having pots and pans hanging over the island and knives magnetized on a strip nearby is wonderfully efficient.