It’s no secret that we all spend a great deal of time in our kitchens, specially these days. And that time can be either a pleasure or a curse depending on how much we enjoy cooking or how well our home kitchens are equipped.

Having said that, while it truly is a blessing to have a fantastic range or the state of the art kitchen appliances, making your kitchen a more enjoyable place to cook isn’t always about the expensive “metal boxes” that make things hot and keep things cold. Sometimes, rather inexpensive accessories and tools can add greatly to your enjoyment of cooking or minimally, make it less of a chore.

Of course, you are more than welcome to twist and turn these suggestions according to your space; certainly you have to be mindful of small children, pets and whatever size constraints you may have in your own kitchen.

Edit, discard or donate. Tons of space may be taken up by things in your cupboards that you’ve never used and probably never will. From wedding gifts to impulsive QVC gizmo’s, get rid of stuff you’ve never or will never use. Donate it and you’ll win twice.

Rugs or at least some anti-fatigue flooring can relieve the stress and put a spring in your step as you move about. Keeping your feet and back happy in the kitchen is an important key to enjoying your time there.

Consider hanging things up in clear view. Nothing is as aggravating as rummaging through a poorly lit, cluttered kitchen cabinet on your hands and knees to find a pot, pan or bowl. Hanging some of your most used pots, pans or devices in plain view can be a decorative and interesting addition to your kitchen.

Music in the kitchen. With today’s access to tunes and even wireless speaker technology singing and dancing your way through a casserole recipe has never been more easily done.

Last but not least here is a list of some of my “Secret” kitchen weapons for creating kitchen efficiency and beating the clock to dinner.

• A good quality, sharp knife (you hear this over and over again by the “pros” and there’s a reason why. It’s the most valuable investment you can make.
• Knife Magnet Strip. If you don’t have small kids or pets on the counter, a wall mounted magnetic knife strip is about as convenient as it gets. And it’s decorative.
• Large mixing bowls. Everyone seems to have small and medium size bowls and it’s aggravating when you’re tossing or mixing something of a larger size.
• More is better. It’s a waste of time to continually be washing and cleaning your only whisk, rubber spatula or ladle. Consider a crock with NOTHING but colorful spatulas and spoons of different sizes and colors and keep plenty of cooking tongs, ladles and whisks in another. Like a bouquet of flowers, they’ll brighten up your kitchen and your outlook on cooking.
• A BIG cutting board. It’s impossible to keep most chopping or cutting projects on the cutting boards most people keep in their kitchens. A board of at least 18” x 24” is a must! And if you buy a nice one, it can also be a decorative accessory to your kitchen counter.
• Have seasoning salt and a good peppermill out on the counter and adjacent to where you cook. It saves time and looks like you mean business!
• And as for clean-up and storage, I’m personally in favor of 18” wide commercial grade plastic film and foil. It’s a one step, never miss, always have enough coverage over nearly anything you need to wrap, wrap.
• Zip Loc containers. 1 Quart size. I love, love, love these containers and should have bought stock in the company years ago. No doubt, they’ve made money from me.
• Lastly, if you can afford it, treat yourself to some decent cookware but that’s for another time, and another blog.