Always in a hurry, the work to be delivered, the Dad of the children, a thousand other thoughts on my mind… and the pleasure of cooking and eating well becomes just a distant memory. But he comes to our rescue Miryam Sabolla, who combines his skills as a chef (and his passion for vegetarian cuisine) with the skills of a professional organizer. Et voilà : staying in the kitchen even becomes a way to lower the temperature of stress and take care of yourself.
Let's find out where to start, with our interview with Miryam Sabolla, professional organizer and cook: she studied at the Joia Academy (the most important vegetarian cooking school in the country) and is a member of Apoi, the country's professional organizer association. He has just published Eat Well, Work Better, a real vademecum for cook well in no time and without stress.
Is it really possible, after a year tormented by the pandemic, often forced to stay at home, to rekindle the enthusiasm and the desire to stay in the kitchen?
The most recent studies on the habits of the villagers show irrefutably that the time we spend cooking has decreased. Currently the average is 37 minutes. And the surge in the consumption of ready-to-eat foods and the delivery food phenomenon seems to confirm this trend. Yet in my work as a food mentor I have been able to see that what we lack is not the enthusiasm and taste of being in the kitchen but the space, organization and experience to be able to do it in half the time, indeed transforming haste into fun.
So is it just a problem of method?
Of course. Organization, creativity and happiness in the kitchen go hand in hand. The first thing to do is rethink the space we have available. It may seem trivial but we tend to accumulate mountains of useless objects that turn into real obstacles during food preparation. In the book I just published I give some simple tips to start an effective decluttering operation: this word, often used improperly, indicates the action of selecting objects according to a criterion of efficiency and use. Therefore, it is essential not to throw away objects at random, but to understand if we really need them. And this is not only good for our daily routine, but also for our mind. A recent study reveals that women living in houses overflowing with objects have a higher level of cortisol (the stress hormone).
So is it also a mental order?
Mostly. As Marie Kondo, the leading expert in home decluttering, says: “When you tidy up your home, you also rearrange your past”. It is a virtuous strategy that helps to understand what are the important and essential things in life, while at the same time getting rid of the superfluous.
MINI GUIDE TO ORGANIZE THE SPACE WELL
Before starting to tidy up, analyze the kitchen spaces. Try to divide them into homogeneous zones: one for cooking, one for food preparation and one for washing.
WASHING AREA
Washbasin. The ideal would be to have a model with two tanks, to be able to easily wash food and at the same time clean dishes and utensils essential for cooking several dishes at the same time.
Dishwasher. It is best placed next to the sink, in order to facilitate loading and unloading operations and to optimize the connections of the plumbing pipes.
Garbage. If you don't have a balcony, the ideal place to place the bins is under the sink. For hygiene reasons and to avoid odors, choose closed containers and empty them often.
FOOD PREPARATION AREA
It is essential to have free surfaces and different support points available to be able to work without impediments. It is not necessary to have huge kitchens: choose an area (even if only one square meter) that you will always keep clean and free from accessories.
Stoves. The ideal is that the induction hobs or hobs are close to the oven and the microwave, so that you can keep multiple cooking times under control at the same time without effort.
Oven. It can be positioned at eye level or low. Check that the gasket is in excellent condition to avoid leaks, especially if it is next to the refrigerator.
Microwave. It is useful for quickly reheating some dishes. You can keep it on the countertop. But be careful not to lean on weights and above all not to attach magnets.
The spices. Divide tea and various aromas by type into easily washable baskets and boxes. Label them clearly so you can find them easily.
The utensils. Choose a drawer where you will put all the useful tools for peeling, cleaning, slicing and mixing the ingredients.
