Do we have a thread on kitchen organization?

[licia]

I don't know if I'm overlooking it or there may not be one, but I would like to see something on organizing my kitchen. I think I would enjoy cooking more if things were more convenient, but am not sure where to start. Any ideas? Don't say sell out and move, please!

 

[CharlieD]

Me too. I've been telling my wife we should hire the profeccional organiser, she doesn't want to do it, buit I feel like we need one. And not only for kitchen.

 

[Katie H]

A couple of years ago I wrote a column on kitchen organization. I'll look through my archives and see if I can find it and offer a synopsis. Buck says I'm the most organized person he's ever met. I don't agree, but I'm working on it. I so dislike being inefficient. Always have.

As I recall, though, one of the things I suggested was to keep the items you need for a cooking task near the area in which it is used. This may mean moving things around in your kitchen to accommodate but, in the end, you will work more efficiently.

Those of us with small kitchens may find this sort of reorganization a bit problematic but it can be done.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Me too. I've been telling my wife we should hire the profeccional organiser, she doesn't want to do it, buit I feel like we need one. And not only for kitchen.

Boy my OCD would come in handy for you and money to boot......send me a train ticket and I'm on my way .

I try to put things in cabinets that are by things I use.

For instance:
Coffee Cups
Coffee
Tea
Sugar
Etc...
are in the cabinet directly above the microwave. I have some free space on the upper cabinet shelves and I use those for my mixing bowls that I don't always use.

My spice cabinet is directly by my stove.....I keep my oils, vinegars and spices in this cabinet.

On the other side of the stove is my baking cabinet.....I keep all my baking ingredients in here....minus the sugar, flour, brown sugar and powder sugar. I have those in my stainless steel canisters that I have on my counter.....that is except for the powder sugar I keep that in my lazy suzy corner cabinet because I don't always use that.

I keep the dinnerware in one cabinet and the glassware in another one but directly by each other and near the kitchen sink.

Its kind of hard to put this all into words. When I set up my kitchen I thought of it in work stations. Where do I want to prepare my coffee/tea in the morning. What work surface will I be using to do my baking......thats why I put that baking stuff directly above that....same with the spices.

In my lazy susan corner cabinet I keep my can goods on the top shelf and the boxed goods on the bottom.

I have a small pantry cabinet that I keep all the cereal and snack stuff in..... along with the paper plates and napkins.

Make sure your silverware drawer and misc. utensil drawer is near the stove also. For utensils I use often I keep them in old crocks that I have sitting on my counter......they are just so easy to reach for.

I try not to keep items in my kitchen that I don't use alot. For instance my roasting pan that belonged to my parents that I only use for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I store that in the basement and bring it up when I need it. Same for dishes I only use in the holiday seasons......no since wasting space with stuff I only use a few times a year.

Lets see what other tips....... ummmmm if I haven't used something ... utensil appliance in a year it goes in the rummage. I figure I lived without it for a year I can live without it forever.

Did you know that the drawers on the bottom of your stove....well most stoves is suppose to be used for storage. I just learnt that for the first time several years ago and I feel stupid but I truely thought it was a broiler drawer.....don't ask I guess because when the stove was purchased new thats where the broiler pan was stored so I just assumed. And no I never tried to broil anything down there . Well guess what.....that drawer is the perfect place for me to put my cookie sheet and pizza pan along with the lids to my saucepans.

I try to eliminate any clutter because I can't stand clutter......thats my biggest things. I grew up in a household where my father saved everything and I think I went the opposite......I have to live and cook in an organized, clean space.

I'm sure if you went to your local library they'd have some books that can give you more advice.

Hope some of this helps at least.

 

[StirBlue]

You've pretty much described my kitchen so I don't feel that I need to go to the library. It's good to know that I am organized. Thank you for your post; that was a lot of work.

 

[SizzlininIN]

You've pretty much described my kitchen so I don't feel that I need to go to the library. It's good to know that I am organized. Thank you for your post; that was a lot of work.

not sure if that was meant for me but if so..........thanks!!

 

[FraidKnot]

I have an incredibly small kitchen. Some peoples' cubicles at work have more room than the kitchen in my apartment.

I have very limited counterspace. Fortunately, there is a pass-thru "bar" (actually too high to be a bar) through which I can see into the dining area. I set my cannisters up there, within easy reach but not taking up counter space. Those are on the left side. On the right side on this bar shelf is a double-decker lazy suzan for my most commonly used herbs and spices. (Sadly, there is no room on the wall for my lovely enclosed spice cabinet).

I keep the knife block near the stove by the cutting board and a large jar containing wooden spoons, spatulas, whisks, etc. right next to the stove within easy reach.

Fortunately the kitchen has a nice large pantry for storing foodstuffs and paper goods. Along with lack of counter space the cabinet space isn't great, either, so this really helps.

My breadbox is on top of the fridge along with bamboo TV trays.

Fraidy

 

[ironchef]

The things that are used most often should always be closest to where it is used most often. For example, a tongs or fish turner should always be kept near the stove. It makes no sense to have to dash across your kitchen to grab it while your fish is burning because your forgot to include it in your mise en place.

 

[skilletlicker]

In my small kitchen there is a sink side and a stove side. For the most part, tableware is on the sink side and cookware is on stove side. SizzlininIN covered my thoughts on tableware pretty well.
The other side is a left to right work flow with 4 1/2' left of the stove used for prep and 1 1/2' to the right for finished product. As much as possible, prep. tools, measuring spoons, whisks, rasps, peelers, etc. are hung from the bottom of cabinets on the left. Almost all the pots and pans are hung on a wall or from the ceiling. Most of the stove top utensils, ie. spatulas, slotted spoons, tongs, and ladles, are hung from the underside of cabinets above the right side of the stove.

Getting a lot of stuff out of drawers and cabinets and hanging from a hook installed specifically for each item, helped my organization and efficiency tremendously.

 

[RDG]

for personal experience both as cook (well, "nearly" cook....) and as designer, I can assure you that the best way to beggin is a correct distribution of the main sets: water, fires, fridge, ovens and so on. In thirty years of profession, I've foun the map of my "best" kitchen, and every time I try to use it, as much as possible.

 

[licia]

SizzlinIn, and all the others, thanks so much for the input. Siz, I can see the best of what I've done is what you mention - it's the rest that I have a problem with - I think I'm related to your dad. I'm going to set a deadline to have it all done by .............., hopefully soon. My disorganization drove me crazy during the holidays - with so many people about and trying to prepare good meals. I have a very large pantry and there is no reason under the sun why my kitchen shouldn't be in perfect order, except I buy too much. That will be my belated resolution - to get control of my kitchen and pantry and stay out of the grocery store til I remedy this situation.

 

[XeniA]

Licia, do you have at least a modest budget to make some improvements, even if you don't sell out or even remodel? There are a number of racks and other accessories you can add to a kitchen to make things much more user-friendly -- things like a revolving pan rack for a corner cupboard under the counter, or slide out shelves.

Also, the backsplash area can hold a huge number of frequently-used utensils if you install a rack or two, and handling them that way frees up drawers.

Do you have any particular pet peeves? Areas that just aren't working you could describe to us?

 

[GB]

The things that are used most often should always be closest to where it is used most often. For example, a tongs or fish turner should always be kept near the stove. It makes no sense to have to dash across your kitchen to grab it while your fish is burning because your forgot to include it in your mise en place.

I follow the same concept here.

One other thing I do is also keep in mind unloading the dishwasher. My plates (which are big and heavy) are in the cabinet right above the dishwasher so when I am unloading them I can just reach right up a and put them away. That also just happens to be the closest cabinet to the table as well.

 

[Robo410]

kitchen organization is no one's business but yours...it should be structured by how you cook. Good basic appliance organization is triangular. I get bothered by folks who tell me my kitchen could be neater if I did this or that. Well, everything is in its place and I expect to find it there when I want it! What could be neater than that?

I have clear counter space, safe well lighted chopping space, good ventillation, and I always set up my mise en place. You want it to look like a model show room? Sorry, nobody cooks there!

 

[CharlieD]

I have just way-way too much stuf in the kitchen that's my problem My kitchen is actualy huge, but incredibly messy.

 

[SizzlininIN]

kitchen organization is no one's business but yours...it should be structured by how you cook. Good basic appliance organization is triangular. I get bothered by folks who tell me my kitchen could be neater if I did this or that. Well, everything is in its place and I expect to find it there when I want it! What could be neater than that?

I have clear counter space, safe well lighted chopping space, good ventillation, and I always set up my mise en place. You want it to look like a model show room? Sorry, nobody cooks there!

.......sorry if I or another poster touched a nerve. I know I was just trying to help out fellow member that asked. Have a great day!

 

[rickell]

My kitchen get a good cleaning out about once a month which
really helps. I too buy to much when I clean out my pantry I
find I have two of this and three of that when it is great to only
have one on hand. My pantry gets so messy putting things back
once we have used it. My kids put the crackers in a different spot
than I intended them to go and my hubby puts them in a different
spot. This pretty much happens with everything in the pantry. When
this happens I never know what I really have in there, until I reorganize.

But what I really hate is the drawers where I keep my cooking utensils,
I have so many of them and I don't want to get rid of them they
come in handy when we are serving alot of people. I guess I should
just stick them in box or something in the basement. I have two
huge drawers that sometimes is hard to close because of the clutter.

Anyone else have this problem? What do you do with all your
extra untensils you only use once in awhile?

 

[angelbear9114]

I have a couple of problems with my kitchen.

1. NO counter space, I mean almost completely zero. I have to do all of my prep on the kitchen table just because there is nowhere to work on the counter.
2. Very little cabinet space. I have 4 smallish cabinets that are actually handy everyhing else is so high up (over the stove, refrigerator, or just the top shelvs of the others that I have to bring a chair over to them to find anything.
3. We are renting so I do not want to put many holes in the walls to hang racks etc. so I have to just make do until we move again.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Organization???? You mean there's actually a way I can find one of the gazilion kitchen things I own when I need them? Surely you jest. : )

 

[licia]

Many of the suggestions here are already in place - cabinet of lazy susans, slide out drawers, etc. I think the problem is I try to keep too much stuff on hand. I'm thinking about making the corner lazy susan the baking center - most of the big containers for baking. I don't put sugar, etc in cannisters on the counter. I like to keep my counters quite bare. Many good ideas and I will just compile a list of what I can use. Thanks to all who have helped.