Organization Ideas for Your Kitchen

Keeping a clean and reasonably organized kitchen is essential for those wanting to prepare food at home quickly. Finding your kitchen comfortable to work in and maintain will help keep you motivated to cook instead of caving to ordering in or going out to eat. It may seem simple, but many people just put things in different cupboards and don't consider how it might affect the flow of their kitchen and their ability to use the space efficiently. Here are some thoughtful ideas to consider when putting kitchen items away in your new home, or when you finally get around to reorganizing your kitchen space. 

Consider the location of your large appliances. You can’t rearrange your refrigerator, stove, dishwasher or sink without a kitchen remodel. So, you’ll need to design your kitchen organization around these main appliances that you use frequently. Inspect at the cupboard and drawer space in your kitchen and consider organizing as follows.

• Prep: Put your cutting boards and knives near each other for easy access and consider keeping them near your sink or within close range of your kitchen trash for quick clean up.
• Cooking: Place pots, pans, and bakeware in a cupboard near your stovetop and oven. Put hot pads, trivets, and utensils like spatulas and cooking spoons in a drawer near the stove or hang your tools on hooks by the stovetop.
• Drinking: If possible put your coffee pot near your sink and fridge and place your glasses and mugs in a cupboard easily accessible by both.
• Dining: For the most convenience see if you can place your plates, bowls and serving dishes near your table and also near your sink and dishwasher. This arrangement will help facilitate dining as well as simplify clean up. 
• Miscellaneous Appliances: Take inventory of your appliances and be honest with yourself about which ones you use the most. If you bake all the time maybe your mixer needs to be out on the counter or in the front of a lower cupboard. If you’re really into juicing or making smoothies, consider keeping these appliances out or in a place you can easily access. If you rarely use your crockpot or fondue set and are truthfully unlikely to start anytime soon you don’t need to have these items out crowding your space or taking up prime real estate at the front of your cupboards. 

Organizing dry foods can also be tricky depending on the size of your kitchen, but there are several ideas you can use to help yourself out.

• Baking: Put all your baking materials in the same cupboard, on the same shelf if possible and keep these near your oven or your mixing equipment.
• Beverages: Keep all your coffees and teas together and near your coffee pot and water kettle.
• Pantry Goods: If you don’t have a pantry, designate one cupboard to house goods that are shelf-stable for a long time. Place canned items, unopened sauces, rice and pasta in this cupboard, or on a particular shelf.
• Daily Use: For items you use daily like bread, cereal and snacks find a quick access location in your kitchen. Maybe this is a cupboard right by your plates and bowls or by your fridge. 

Any kitchen, no matter the size can be organized to meet your daily needs. Take inventory of what you have and what you use to help you transform your kitchen into a functional space that works for you.