Between trying to get more storage space out of your freezer, alphabetizing the spice cabinet, and fishing month-old leftovers out of the back of the fridge, maintaining a tidy kitchen can sometimes feel like an impossible task. However, with a few small tweaks to how you organize things, decluttering the kitchen can become a lot easier. One simple way to upgrade your organization system is to invest in a label maker, like this handheld model from Amazon. It may seem superfluous, but a label maker can seriously change your kitchen for the better by helping you keep exact track of the inventory.
There are dozens of ways a label maker can improve your kitchen’s organization. For example, everyone has searched through the refrigerator only to find a plastic container of mysterious food that has been there for some indeterminate amount of time. With a label maker, this scenario is a problem of the past. The next time you have some leftovers or a to-go box, label them with the current date so you know exactly how long your food has been in storage. This works for all sorts of perishable items — milk, yogurt, sauce; basically anything that has to be eaten within a time limit. By labeling your food with the expiration date or when it was opened, you have a better chance of eating it before it goes to waste.
Keep track of dates and inventory
Aside from helping you figure out when a certain dish made its way into your fridge, a label maker can remind you what exactly is inside an otherwise unmarked container. That way, you won’t accidentally open up a plastic container of salsa verde when you want guacamole. Labels are also helpful if you want your kitchen to match a certain aesthetic. If you like the look of decanted spices or baking ingredients, labels are a great way to distinguish various jars of similarly colored powders. Just to be sure to keep your decanted products safe by avoiding these storage mistakes.
Basically, a label maker just makes keeping track of things in the kitchen a little bit easier. Those who like to meal prep can see exactly how handy labeling each meal can be. No need to double-check the contents or think about when you packed the container, just grab and go (as long as you’re improving your routine, check out the best ingredients for meal prep). Finally, since some label makers can print larger words than most food packaging, labeling goods can be a nice way to make things easier to read if you live with small children or people with vision impairments.
