Cleaning & Organizing
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Help me organize my new kitchen
We just moved and I want to put away my kitchen properly. I know the basics - dishes near the dishwasher, glasses near the fridge, but I need specifics! I know, I know, it depends on the size of the kitchen and what I do most often. I'm just looking for a generic guide (if such a thing exists) that recommends what goes where.
How did you decide what goes where in your kitchen? I really need help. I'm ADD and scatterbrained and at my old house, my flour and sugar canisters ended up in a cabinet with frying pans!
Re: Help me organize my new kitchen
I think you already know the first thing: like goes with like. Try to put all your foods together, pots and pans together, storage ware together, table ware together.
I personally keep my dishes and glasses in the same cupboard by the sink (I don't have a dishwasher). You will have to take the glasses out of the dishwasher just like the plates, and take them out of the cupboard to set the table just like the plates, so why not keep them by the plates.
The rest really does depend on your kitchen and what you use. Keep seasoning and gravy packets corralled together in a box of some sort. Find a way to organize your spices (either in a drawer, rack or some kind of bins) so that they will stay organized and accessible.
Keep the large utensils that you use everyday in a container on the counter for easy access.
That's all I've got. Hope it helps!
We just moved in about a week ago, so I feel your pain. We have already done a little rearranging, but I think I finally got it. We put our tupperware and pots and pans in the lower cabinets, since they are bigger, and we use them the least of everything else in the kitchen.
Since I bake A LOT, I have one whole cupboard of baking ingredients. This cupboard is above where my KA mixer is. We have three drawers of utensils (we have a problem, I know), one with flatware, one with ziploc bags/saran wrap/foil, etc.
Everyone is different - do what you think feels right. You might rearrange a bit here and there, but it is your kitchen - do what you want.
Have fun!!
We just moved into a house but it's a fixer-upper so the storage space isn't the best. I'll tell you as best I can what I do and what I plan to do.
Our glasses are above dishwasher (also by sink). Bowls/plates in another cabinet on the other side of the sink (by the oven). Eating utensils in one large drawer, cooking/baking utensils in another large one that is nearer the stove. Very commonly used cooking utensils (wooden spoons, spatulas) are in a canister on top of the stove.
Baking pans (muffin tins/cake pans/etc) all stored together in one lower cabinet. Pots/pans for regular cooking in another.
Only have 3 other drawers: one "junk" drawer, one dishtowel drawer, and one for trivets and my oven mitts (they are all small drawers).
I have minimal cabinet space but a good size pantry, so in the pantry I also have things grouped: baking dishes (like for casseroles) with their lids, spices all on 2 lazy susans, canned goods, baking supplies (flour/sugar/baking powder/etc), also near the baking supplies I have mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc. Also together in pantry: nuts/peanut butter/dried fruit in one area, breadcrumbs in another, cereal/snack crackers/cookies all together, cooking wines/vinegar/oils all together, tupperware together, and another small container w/ all the gravy mixes/chicken fry/dried soup/bouillon cubes/etc....I also have shelf space for different sized ziplocks, saran wrap, foil etc. Koozies are in a container in the pantry. Chip clips are clipped onto some metal shelving.
I have a big cabinet above fridge that is hard to reach - keep entertaining serving pieces up there (like pretty silver trays, cheese boards, etc) along w/ vases.
Finally I am having a piece made for breakfast area - sort of a sideboard/buffet. In there I'll keep all liquor/wine/beer glasses/cups (we have a lot of that sort of stuff), plus tableclothes/cloth napkins and placemats/etc.
good luck!
- I have plates, bowls, and all of our glasses in the cabinet above our dishwasher, which immediately to the left of the sink. That means that when we're done eating dishes get rinsed and into the dishwasher. When its done, there is no carrying them around to get to the cabinet (I'm relatively clumsy).
- We have a decent sized prep area to the left and right of the stove. The bottom cabinet on the left has my pots and pans. The counter has the knife block, blender, food processor, utensil crock and spice rack. The upper cabinets have extra spices, all of our tupperware and the food saver. The bottom cabinet on the right has mixing bowls, cutting boards, strainers, etc. The counter above that has canisters of flour/sugar/etc, and the cabinet above that has casserole dishes and serving bowls. This means almost all of my cooking stuff is in one place and I don't have to go far for anything I need to prepare it.
- I keep my mugs separate from the rest of the dishes- they are in a skinny cabinet right next to the stove, along with all my tea bags and hot chocolate mixes. It might not make sense to a stranger, but its easiest for me boil some water and then have everything right there.
- We don't have a pantry, so all of our food stuff is in the same general area of the kitchen. Its mostly organized by how it fits the best, not by what goes together.
- We have tall cabinets, so the upper shelves are all dedicated to infrequently used items. Some of those are "like with like" (all the cake pans are together, my cooling racks are with the rolling pin, barware is on the top shelves of the cabinet with plates and glasses) while others are based on what fits the best. I have to use a stepstool to get to those items. Least used items (deep fryer and fondue pots) are in the least accessible space (over the fridge).
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One thing that may help the ADD/scatterbrained tendencies is to label the shelves, too! We recently were at a fully furnished vacation home in the Outer Banks & the kitchen was beautiful! The property manager/owner had a great idea to label everything... I think I am going to need to do this for our kitchen! I cook, DH does the dishes. Both of us empty the dishwasher. Even though we have a small kitchen, I never know where some things are b/c they don't have a proper home and I probably am the one who puts them away in random places!.
We have a small pantry, which helps. All of our tupperware is on a shelf in there. Going from left to right: Top 1: travel mugs (it's a skinny cabinet, but, yes, we have a problem, a whole cabinet dedicated to travel mugs & mugs of DHs mom's old dishes we never use). Bottom1: dishwasher. Next, is the sink. Top 2: dishes (plates & bowls); bottom 2: mixing bowls, pyrex, corningware, etc. Top 3.1: it's a corner cabinet, extra deep with only half open to the door... regular mugs & some awkward sized items. Bottom 3: Baking stuff. Lots of it. The less frequently used items are in the harder to reach spots in the back (cupcake carrier, bundt pan, hand mixer); we keep large plastic containers of flour & sugar & powdered sugar & brown sugar in here as well. Top 3.2: Tea! and baking & cooking items, along with most frequently used spices. Next comes the stove- we keep food in the cabinets above the stove. Top 4: Lots & lots of glasses. Bottom 4: We have pots & pans & colanders in the cabinet to the right of the oven. Above the fridge: no idea (I really don't know). We do have a pantry (it's a small one- but helpful!) & I have a small baker's rack that the microwave is on, along with the crock pot & other bowls on the shelves. Oh- and we have two drawers- one by the sink that has silverware & some random other utensils and one near the oven that has cooking utensils ( we have way too many of those, too).