Okay, it's that time of the year again when I bug you to clean out your kitchen cabinets. I'm actually doing it myself today. Luckily for me we moved last June so there's nothing too old in there. As much as I hate moving, it does have it's advantages.

Some things you might check are baking powder, pancake mix, Bisquick, cake mixes, anything with an expiration date on it.

Did you buy something to try, didn't like it and stuck it up in the closet thinking maybe you'll use it someday? TOSS IT! If you didn't like it the first time, chances are you'll never use it. My daughter loves rice and often wants it for dinner but just try and get a young child to wait for 30 minutes while you cook rice. So, I bought some instant rice thinking that would be a good answer. Wrong, she won't touch the stuff and who can blame her? It really is vile. I just tossed a whole Costco sized container of it. Sure it felt wasteful but it's better than the annoyance I feel at my cupboards being packed with stuff I never use.

One other idea for kitchen organization - get yourself a couple of large lazy-susans, (make sure they'll fit in your cabinets), and group your small bottles, cans and boxes on them. This will help cut down on the time you spend searching for things. I have one just for baking type stuff, baking powder, those little bottles of extracts, decorating sugars, Karo syrup, and molasses. On another I have soy and other oriental sauces, BBQ sauce, etc. One is just for soups and other canned goods. There are even really nice double-decker ones you can buy. Those are a great space-saver.

Now, when you're done with the cabinets - tackle that fridge!

--- © Chef Raven

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