Small kitchen workflow audit: a 10-point checklist

Small kitchens rarely fail because they are small. They fail because the pan lives on the other side from the hob, the bin is under the only free counter, and the drying rack takes up the prep space. An audit finds those problems in one evening, and most of the fixes cost nothing.

The audit meal

Pick an ordinary weekday meal you cook often, something with chopping, a pan and washing up. While you cook, keep a tally on a sticky note:

• Steps: every time you cross the kitchen or turn round to fetch something.
• Searches: every time you open the wrong drawer or cupboard.
• Shuffles: every time you move something to make space.
• Waits: every time you wait for someone else to move.

Do the same for the washing up. The tally tells you where to look.

The 10 points

1. Counter clutter. What lives on the counter permanently? Anything used less than daily goes into a cupboard.
2. Prep space. Is there one clear stretch of counter for chopping, ideally next to the sink and near the hob ^[1]? Measure it.
3. Knives and boards. Within reach of the prep space, not across the room.
4. Pans and utensils. Next to or under the hob.
5. Plates, glasses and cutlery. Near the dishwasher or drying rack, so unloading takes the fewest steps.
6. Bin. Reachable from the prep space without opening a door or moving a stool ^[1].
7. Spices, oil and salt. Within reach of the hob, but not on top of it.
8. Kettle and coffee. Out of the main prep space; a separate drinks corner stops two people colliding.
9. Drying rack. Does it block the prep space? A rack over the sink, a folding rack or drying in a cupboard frees counter.
10. Doors and drawers. Can the oven, dishwasher and fridge open fully at the same time as a drawer ^[1]? Does anything stand in a door swing?

Fixes, cheapest first

• Move things to where they are first used. This alone fixes most tallies.
• Remove duplicates and things you have not used in a year.
• Use the height: a rail with hooks for utensils, a shelf above the counter, a rack inside a cupboard door.
• Add a surface: a rolling cart, a cutting board over the sink, a fold-down shelf.
• Move a job out: a drinks station outside the kitchen, washing up in a bowl on a trolley if the sink is crowded.

Recheck

Cook the same meal a week later and tally again. Compare the numbers; if one point still causes most of the steps, that is where a small purchase may be worth it.