Organize Your Kitchen So It's Functional for You

Besides cooking and eating, the kitchen is often the central gathering area of the family for other reasons. The more organized it is, the more comfortable and inviting it will feel.   

You need to start by taking inventory of your kitchen supplies. If you find items that are duplicates you can get rid of them by taking them to a local secondhand shop or hang on to them if you would like to have a garage sale. It will be easiest to organize your kitchen items by size and use.

Start with simple changes to help with your kitchen organization and storage. Something as little as implementing a frame with hooks that you attach to your ceiling, and hanging the items that don’t fit so well, can make a huge difference. Not only will you be saving space but it also helps you have easier access to your pots and pans.

Then assess the layout of your kitchen. The design of your kitchen will have a huge impact on how you organize it. If you have an island in your kitchen it will provide you with some extra workspace and also quite a bit of extra storage. If your kitchen doesn’t already have one you can always check into purchasing a small portable one with wheels. This will help save space because you can stow it away in a closet or pantry when not in use and only wheel it out when needed.

The logical and most functional thing to do is store your bakewear near the oven. A lot of times stoves come with a storage drawer on the bottom and that makes the perfect place for cookie sheets. Items like spatulas, wooden spoons, etc can be kept in a drawer next to the oven or near the oven.

It also makes sense to store your silverware, dishes and glassware near the dishwasher or sink. This will save you time when putting these things away once you are done washing them. If you are limited on space there are different cupboard organizers available to help free up space. Mug trees are a good option. These have hooks on them and you simply hand your mugs from the hooks.

Items like canisters on your counter are not only a decorative item but they can help keep your baking supplies stay fresh longer. Another use for canisters is using a larger sized one for utensils that don’t fit so easily in the drawers.

There isn’t just one answer for how to organize your kitchen. It’s going to depend on not only the layout of your kitchen but your own individual likes and dislikes. Once you’ve established a system that works for you, you’ll probably be surprised to see how much time you end up saving when preparing meals now.