Tech Hacks to Optimize Your Kitchen ‘Work Flow’
Productivity ‘gurus’ spend a lot of time advising us on how to save time and work more effectively so that we can get more work done in less time. Often their advice comes in short, effective tips that are referred to as ‘hacks’ and likely they will often rely on technology.
But these sorts of tech hacks don’t just apply to our workflow in the office. In fact, there are many aspects of our daily lives that can be made quicker, easier and more efficient by leveraging technology. And seeing as we tend to spend so much time in the kitchen slaving away to make food or clean up, what better place is there to start?
The following tips then all involve making small changes to your kitchen workflow using technology and can all help you to save time and be more efficient and productive…
Get a Slow Cooker
A slow cooker is a device that enables you to cook when you’re not in the house. It works by cooking very slowly and on a slow heat, such that you don’t need to worry about starting a fire while you’re out. Just fill your slow cooker with the ingredients to make a bolognaise for instance and leave it to run while you’re at work. When you get home, it will be ready to eat!
Never Run Out of Ingredients
How annoying is it when you go to the shops to get dinner, only to come home and realize you’re out of salt/milk/tea bags/bread/pasta? It’s a common issue, but one that can be effectively eliminated with technology.
First, create a note on Evernote where you list items that you’re out of, or create a document in DropBox. Every time that you run out of any given ingredient, you’re going to add that to this list so that it remains constantly up-to-date.
Next, set up an IFTTT account and download the app. This is an app that allows you to set up ‘triggers’ that control social media and services in various ways. In this case, you’re going to set up a trigger that fires every time you go to the shops using your GPS. And what that trigger is going to do, is e-mail you that note you’ve been keeping. This way, every time you enter the shop, you’ll be reminded of everything you’re running low on and need to pick up!
Keep a Tablet in Your Kitchen
How do you remember to keep updating this list of items? One trick that can help is to keep a tablet in your kitchen. This way, you’ll constantly have a device to hand that you can use in order to update your list. At the same time, you can also use your tablet to look up recipes for meals, to watch films while you’re cooking, or to respond to correspondence. Having a tablet constantly in the kitchen means you’ll always have a useful tool without having to move anything around the house.
Create a Meal Plan and Shopping List
Tired of constantly letting things go to waste in the fridge because they go off before you use them up? Sick of running out of inspiration for what to eat?
The solution is to create a detailed month-long plan for your food that provides you with a strategy for shopping as well as for cooking while leaving some room for flexibility. This way, you can precisely control your diet, your budget and your supplies to be much more efficient. This is relatively easy to do on a spreadsheet.
Layout
The right kitchen design can help to improve workflow considerably by giving you access to more surfaces and appliances at any one time and by keeping everything easier to reach. Build your technology into the very kitchen layout so that it’s easy to access and thus easier to use. A smart design can help you to avoid clutter, wires covering your sideboards and more.
