5 Ways to Simplify Your Kitchen and Reduce Your Stress!

The New Year or even the change of seasons usually brings a long list of "mores." Eat more greens, cook more at home, or try more complicated recipes. But at Appetite for Life, I believe the secret to a thriving life isn’t adding more—it’s embracing less.

And that means starting with your kitchen.

When you are surrounded by clutter, no matter where it is, your mind gets cluttered.  Think about how you feel walking into your office with unfinished projects everywhere.  Or, trying to get a restful night’s sleep when there is stuff all around your bedroom.  

When your kitchen is cluttered, it makes you feel overwhelmed.  What happens then?  You buy ingredients you don’t need, get takeout, or opt for store-bought fast food.

The result can be a lot of wasted time, money, food, and energy.  Who needs that?

To help you reclaim your time for the things you truly love, let’s start with these five simple shifts to reset your kitchen for a stress-free year.

5 Ways to Simplify Your Kitchen

1. The "Daily 3" Rule

Every night before you go to bed, ensure these three things are done: the sink is empty, the counters are wiped, and the coffee pot (or tea kettle) is prepped for the morning. I’ve been doing this for the past year and can attest that walking into a clean kitchen at 7:00 AM changes your entire perspective of the day.

My cleaned and prepped kitchen is waiting for me and makes me feel taken care of.

2. Evict the "Unitaskers"

How many gadgets do you own that only do one thing? The avocado slicer, the quesadilla maker, the strawberry huller—they are stealing your space. 

A sharp chef’s knife and a solid cutting board can do the job of ten "as-seen-on-TV" gadgets. Clear out the clutter and keep only the tools that earn their keep. Simplification is about quality over quantity.

Now, of course, there are probably tools you absolutely love even if you only use them for 1 thing.  If that is the case, keep them and ask yourself how else you can use them. 

For example, I have my Mom’s rotary ravioli cutter.  I love it, but I only use it once a year.  After going through this exercise, I now still use it for ravioli, and I also use it to make bow-tie pasta and my sourdough discard crackers.  Here’s a bonus. Every time I use it, I think of my Mom, and it makes me smile.

3. Implement a "Working Pantry"

This is the area I will be working on in January because I can treat my pantry like a museum for "just in case" ingredients. 

I have a terrible habit of collecting ingredients without a plan of how I will use them, or I have multiple jars of a favorite ingredient just as backup. 

A simplified kitchen relies on a Working Pantry—a small, curated list of items you actually use every single week. (Check out my Essential 10 list, which I’m using as my perfect starting point!) 

When you know exactly what’s in your cupboard, decision fatigue disappears. Then, when you want to make that dish with your favorite sauce, add the sauce to your shopping list.

4. Group Like Things Together

Do you lose time hunting for the basics? Simplify your workflow by grouping "like with like" near the area where you use them. 

This was a game-changer for me a couple of years ago.  Knowing that what I need is where I need it makes food prep so easy, and cooking a joy.  Now I have my spices, salts, and even baking supplies grouped together.  I know exactly where to go for what I need, depending on what I’m cooking.

Another way to stay organized and keep things simple is to have those items that you use frequently, like salt, olive oil, etc., right next to the stove. I also keep my cutting boards and knives in the same zone. 

My current kitchen isn’t big, so I know you can do this, whatever size kitchen you have. By reducing the number of steps you take across the kitchen, you make cooking feel like a breeze rather than a marathon.

5. Give Yourself Grace with a "Backup Meal"

Nothing creates kitchen stress like a plan that falls apart. Simplify your mental load by always having one "Backup Meal" in the freezer or pantry—something that requires zero thought and 10 minutes to cook - like your favorite jar of marinara and pasta or a frozen leftover dinner. 

Knowing you have a safety net reduces your stress when you run out of time during the day to plan and cook dinner.  

Reclaim Your Time

Simplifying your kitchen isn't just about organizing spoons; it’s about organizing your life. It’s about creating a space that nurtures you so you can go out and nurture others.

Are you ready to dive deeper into a simpler lifestyle? Check out our other articles about The Great Kitchen Reset. 

If you want the tools, the recipes, and the community support to make this your most confident year yet, I’d love for you to join us as an Appetite for Life Cooking Club Member.