The kitchen is so much more than a room for food preparation. It stores the memories of the extravagant dinner parties, the makeshift family meals, and the odd baking disaster. But most importantly, it stores all the tools that make these memories possible: the pots, the pans, the wooden spoons and the whisks. Except, where is that darn wooden spoon. Pretty sure it was in the third drawer, but maybe it was moved to where all the other baking tools are.
So here lies the root of all cooking problems: a lack of storage space.
It can be pretty tough trying to figure out where to put everything. So here are a few tips on how you can keep your kitchen organised, regardless of its size.
Clear the Area
Does it feel like there’s just never enough space for food prep? It’s probably because your counters are just get overrun by cookware that you don’t even need to use! To get started on a more organised kitchen, you need to clear out a bit of space. To do this, get rid of all the items you no longer need.
This is where we address your hoarding. It’s probably about time you chucked out you’re old frying pans and worn out chopping boards. You can probably keep all your fancy bowls and cutlery, but they’re probably better stored elsewhere if you’re not going to need them any time soon.
Vertical Space
Many kitchens have a lot of unused vertical space. Sure, you can stack your items one on top of the other in the cupboard, but you’ll definitely have trouble when you need the ones at the bottom. Here are some tips for utilising your vertical space:
- Place a series of hooks on the wall where you can hang up big pans. These pans take up a whole lot of space in your cupboard, so it’s better if they’re not squashing in with your pots. Hooks beneath your cupboard can also be used to hang some mugs.
- When it comes to storing your pots and pans, keep the pots together, and store the lids beside them. As pots often have different sizes, some of them can fit into the bigger pots.
- Instead of putting your utensils horizontally in a drawer, store them vertically. If you’re a real stickler for using the right spoon or fork for certain dishes, you can separate all your salad forks, dessert forks, soup spoons and teaspoons neatly when you’re using vertical drawer storage. Gone are the days of picking through all of your cutlery just to complete a set of salad forks!
- Similarly, you should store knives vertically. A magnetic knife rack on the wall or a pull out knife block works better than a box filled with knives of all shapes and sizes. And by keeping these metals apart, you’re also reducing the risk of making your knives dull.
- A little low on floor space? Use swivel stools beneath you a sturdy table so you can pull out a stool when your legs are getting tired.
Optimise Those Cupboards and Drawers
Cupboards aren’t just boxes with doors where you can stash oddly shaped pots.
- Use the door of your cupboards to store different items. Hang up some tiny hooks and you’ve got a place to hang up your measuring cups. Screw on a spice rack and your spices now have a home. Add on a door mount for keeping your chopping board. And if you’ve got a lot of wax paper, cling film and aluminum foil, put a vertical magazine rack in the door so they’re all in one place.
- You know those useless drawers that don’t really open? Get rid of them and use the limited slot to hold a paper towel!
- Some cupboards are quite tall, but you may often only be using its bottom half. This is especially true for lower cupboards store pots. Insert a divider to give your cupboard a second floor. You won’t have to cause a fuss the next time you pull out a pot from the bottom of the stack.
- Some drawers don’t need to be very deep, especially if they’re just for keeping tea towels and napkins. Add a pullout chopping board on top so it has its own space and you’ll never have to worry about storage. You can go all the way by putting a hole in the chopping board with a bin underneath. Slide the unused bits into the hole, and it’s instantly in the trash!
- If you’ve got pets, go all the way and insert a pullout pet feeder at the bottom of your kitchen counter! The possibilities are endless!
The Little Things
Kitchens are full of delightful little things that are impossible to find when they’re dwarfed by large bags of flour or huge jars of ingredients. Here’s how you can keep the smaller items visible so you won’t need to rummage when you need them.
Add a magnetic strip to the bottom of little spice jars and stick them onto the fridge. Just make sure you label them so you won’t have to guess what’s inside!
- Again, don’t forget about the potential of the good ol’ cupboard door. Do the same for your pantry by hanging up racks for skinny bottles of jams, preserves, or condiments.
- You can’t always keep everything orderly in your fridge, but you can make the small bottles a little more visible. A revolving tray in your fridge will help you see what’s at the back without having to take everything else out!
- You may also be storing cleaning solutions in your kitchen, so if you’ve got a separate area especially for those solvents and sprays, put them in a cloth caddy so you can find them quickly in case of a spill.
Hopefully you’ve been able to use these tips to create a convenient kitchen space, where everything is easy to find and easy to access. And even if you don’t have a small kitchen, these tips are still helpful in creating a stress-free, organised cooking environment.
If you need any help updating and making your kitchen storage-savvy, don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the form down below.
