A more organized kitchen is a more functional and useful kitchen. Here’s how to do it right.
Think back to when you first moved in to your current home and unpacked. How much thought did you put into kitchen organization? If your answer is “A lot. Everything is exactly where it should be, why do you ask?” that’s great, and you can stop reading now. Gold star. If the answer is, “Thought? What thought? There were tons of boxes to unpack. I put stuff where it fit,” that’s OK, too.
But having your kitchen tools not just put away, but put away the right way will turn your kitchen from good to great. Meals will come together more quickly and you’ll be more relaxed while you’re making them. Here are our tips for your best kitchen ever, using, of course, the BB&B Method.
Banish
First, you need to take everything out. Take a look at what you have and get rid of what you don’t need or can’t use. Anything that no longer works should go. Food storage containers without lids and lids without containers aren’t doing anything but taking up space. Gadgets and appliances you bought but never use that are still in good condition can be donated or sold. Same goes for anything you have doubles of that you don’t need; five winged corkscrews for wine don’t serve you any better than one does.
Bundle
If you’ve been following along with the BB&B Method, you know about bundling, which means grouping like items together. Keep your pots and pans together. Keep flatware with flatware, serveware with serveware, bakeware with bakeware, and so on. This makes it easier to locate everything (and take inventory as needed).
Be Tidy
Being tidy isn’t just about everything being stored in neat piles. It’s also about having a system, and storing things where and how they make sense. Here are our recommendations for kitchen tools.
Pots and Pans
Keep your pots and pans near the stove, where you’re going to use them most. Make sure they’re not on a too-high shelf, so you can access them easily. We love an organizer rack, which makes it really easy to grab whatever you need, especially in a cabinet. A lid organizer can also be really helpful, allowing you to store your lids separately and then stack the pots and pans. If you don’t have cabinet or drawer space at all, a hanging rack is another great option, creating space where there was none and allowing you to see everything easily.
Appliances
The thing about rules is that they’re meant to be broken. In the case of appliances, we’re going to break the bundling rule. Appliances can be big and unwieldy, and you shouldn’t store them all together. These should be stored by how often they’re used, on a case by case basis, and what’s best is going to be totally different for everyone. For example, we have friends who use their stand mixer once or twice per week, and friends who use theirs once or twice per year.
Keep the things you use on a daily or weekly basis on the countertop if you can, or at the very least in an easy-to-reach spot. The things you rarely use can go on high shelves, in the cabinet above the sink, in the back of a shelf, or even at the top of your linen closet if you have room.
Gadgets and Cooking Utensils
Your gadgets (think: whisks, meat thermometers, can openers) might be doing just fine in their drawer, but they could be doing even better. Use a drawer divider to keep things orderly and create compartments. You’ll be able to see everything easily and you won’t have to worry about not being able to open the drawer door because your tools are tangled.
The next question is, which drawer? We like the one closest to where you do most of your prep and cooking work. That way, your can opener, whisk, and tongs will be right there when you need them.
For utensils like wooden spoons and turners, we like to use a basic crock next to the stove. You’ll be able to see and grab them quickly–no need to worry about overcooking your pasta while searching for that slotted spoon!
Bakeware
Like your appliances, where you store bakeware depends on how often you use it, and that varies a lot from person to person. If you’re a person who bakes only on holidays, feel free to keep it out of easy reach. Otherwise, we recommend a cabinet close to the counter and a rack to keep everything accessible and tidy. You’ll be able to store a lot more by keeping sheet pans, muffin trays, and the like on their sides.
Food Storage Containers
We’ll never stop wondering how food storage containers become separated from their lids, seemingly for no reason. We assume that wherever they end up, they’re hanging out with all of the socks that disappear in the dryer. We can’t tell you how to make sure random lids don’t get up and walk away, but we can help you store the ones that decide to stay! A lid organizer, or a piece that handles containers and lids will keep your stacks of same-sized organizers together and easy to use.
Happy organizing!