The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where morning coffee is made, where warm hearts prepare hot meals, and where everyone gathers for nourishment -- both physical and emotional. It’s a great feeling to have your kitchen run smoothly, an effortless place of convenience and beauty. Here are some easy ways to make yours even more lovely and efficient.

1. Go green

Part of the ritual of a terrific family meal starts at the sink, with food prep. But if you’re cooking something like raw chicken, you definitely don’t want to share germs. You also don’t want to keep going through endless plastic bottles of dish soap.

This clever C-pump Single Handed dispenser allows you get soap without touching the handle. You just use the back of your hand to press down, stopping the spread of germs. Plus, you can refill it over and over, making your household more eco-friendly:

And if you want to engage in the greenest of acts, reduce waste, and get high-quality soil at the same time, consider composting. Now even city dwellers can compost with the Full Circle Compost Collector. Put it on your kitchen counter or balcony; its patented design lets air flow through organic kitchen waste for odor-free, bug-free collection.

2. Clean up your storage

There’s no need to keep endless clippings of recipes from magazines when you can just check them out on your tablet.

The Bamboo Cutting Board with Knife Storage is crafted from naturally strong, antibacterial bamboo, with an integrated tablet stand. Follow recipes or even cooking how-to videos, all while keeping knives safe and at hand:

Another oft-cluttered part of any kitchen is the leftover containers drawer. Make that chaos a thing of the past with a 12-piece Storage Container Set of convenient, nesting, and color-coded containers.

And if you’re looking to cover a bowl that already has food in it, here’s the perfect option that reduces your need for foil or plastic wrap. Cover practically any bowl with a Lid Lover -- their grooves fit over bowls both large or small, making it simple to store salad, leftovers, salads, noodles, and more:

3. Make your sink sleek

After a delicious meal has been consumed, it’s time to wash and dry the dishes -- it’s the sink’s domain from here on out.

Instead of letting damp sponges sit, keep them clean, dry, and sanitary with the Lil Holster Mini. Its grippy edge sticks to any sink and it helps you keep your counter clear:

Take back even more counter space with the clever and collapsible Over the Sink Dish Strainer. Rigid enough to stand on its own, its extendable arms let you place it over the sink for drying. That means no more moldy towel under a traditional dish drain, plus it collapses to ⅓ its size for storage.

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It’s easier to be a gourmand when you’ve got the right tools, equipment, and storage.

Just don’t forget:

“Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”

– Harriet Van Horne