Quick Tip: Keep a Permanent Marker in Your Kitchen

We use a marker almost every day in our kitchen. We label containers of leftovers, mark the date on freezer bags, and make quick notes to ourselves about recipes. It used to be that we never had a pen when we needed it, and then we realized – duh! – keep one in the kitchen!

We actually keep three different markers handy these days: a permanent marker, a dry-erase marker to use when we don’t want it to be permanent, and a ball-point pen for making recipe notes.

We keep these pens in our silverware drawer so we always know where to find them and so they don’t get lost in the chaos of other drawers. If your pens have a tendency to wander, label them with a piece of colored tape so everyone in your house knows these pens belong back in the kitchen.

Is a pen part of your essential “cooking equipment”?

(Image: Flickr member mikelao26 licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (11)

Great Tip! I keep both a dry erase marker and a permanent marker in my kitchen too. I've also started keeping a roll of blue painter's tape for making quick labels. Sure, they aren't as pretty as actual labels - but they are much easier to peal off of jars than actual labels.

Del
Delementals

I keep both a black and a silver sharpie in the kitchen. The silver one is great for writing on dark containers and any kind of power cord (especially gadget chargers).

Instead of a sharpie or a dry erase marker, I use a china marker (wax pencil) on my leftover/freezer containers. I can scrub it off with a sponge once the container's empty.

I also keep a Sharpie in the kitchen to write on freezer bags, etc. but I do like the above tip about the wax pencil for my resusable containers. Thanks!

I have a clicky top sharpie in the kitchen for labeling. It's easy to use one handed.

I'm a fan of the Sharpie in the kitchen. I also have masking tape handy. The two work great together.

TNF
http://whatsonmyplate.wordpress.com

I use pens with a steel shirt clip, so my tiny super strong magnets can keep tham handy on the fridge. I can only do this with pens, But I LOVE the idea of keeping the other markers with the silverware.
Genius - as always - and thanks!

I keep a Sharpie around for labeling plastic freezer bags and a China Marker (grease marker) for leftover containers. Super handy and wipes off easily.

Wait...so this tip is that you should keep a marker in a place where you might want to use or need a marker? I don't mean to be offensive, but this seems a little to obvious to even be a tip. I mean, is anyone reading this and going "Ohhh. I've always wanted to write on things in the kitchen but there's never a sharpie there. Now I know what to do. If I take and put a sharpie in the kitchen, I'll be able to use it to write on things with."?

Maybe people really are that stupid, but I choose to believe that humans are adaptable enough to eventually stash a tool somewhere useful after a few times of wanting to use such a tool and not having it handy.

I also keep a Sharpie, a ballpoint pen and a highlighter (for recipe notes and grocery lists) in my silverware drawer. It didn't dawn on me how essential these items were to have in the kitchen until I began keeping them there. Now, I honestly question how I or anyone else ever got on without them!

I helped someone move and the one thing I wish I had brought with me is a permanent marker for the kitchen!!