How do I cook properly in a tiny or shared kitchen?

Small kitchens fail on workspace rather than equipment. Every surface is needed for preparation, so anything left out reduces the space available to cook, which compounds quickly.

What you'll need

• A small set of equipment (optional)
• A storage box (optional)

Step by step

1. Clean as you go, without exception.In a small kitchen there is no surface to accumulate on. Washing the board and the bowl while something simmers is what keeps space available.
2. Keep only equipment you actually use.A knife, a board, two pans, a few utensils. In a small kitchen, unused equipment occupies space that is needed for working.
3. Use a chopping board over the sink or hob for extra surface.A board that spans the sink creates workspace where there was none. It is the standard solution in small kitchens.
4. Use vertical storage.Hooks, magnetic strips, over-door racks, shelves above worktop level. Wall space is usually the only unused space available.
5. Prepare everything before starting to cook.In a small kitchen there is no room to prepare while cooking. Everything measured and in bowls first is what makes it workable.
6. Cook things that use one pan.Traybakes, one-pot dishes, stir-fries. Fewer pans means less washing and less space needed at once.
7. In a shared kitchen, keep your things in one labelled box.It prevents the slow spread across shared cupboards and makes it obvious what belongs to whom.
8. Leave shared surfaces clear and clean.It is the single thing that determines whether a shared kitchen works. Anything left out becomes someone else's problem.

Tips

• A single good pan is more useful than four mediocre ones in a small kitchen, both for cooking and for storage.
• Nesting equipment — stacking bowls, pans with removable handles — is designed for exactly this problem and is worth the cost.
• Batch cook when you have the kitchen to yourself. It reduces how often you need contested space at peak times.

Common mistakes

• Letting washing up accumulate — In a small kitchen the sink and drainer are also workspace. Accumulated washing up removes the ability to cook at all.
• Keeping equipment you rarely use — It occupies space that is needed for working. In a small kitchen, storage and workspace are the same scarce resource.
• Preparing while cooking in a tiny kitchen — There is nowhere to put anything. Preparing everything first is what makes a small space workable.

Questions people ask