THE SECRETS OF AN ORGANIZED KITCHEN
Having an organized kitchen can actually be easy! Yes, you read that right, it can be easy!
Let’s first get an overview of what we should do to make our life easier, and then we will move on to some tips and useful tools for your kitchen experience. Are you ready for this?
Store a minimum amount of items on the counter space. If you are the kind of person who has all the appliances, spices, knives and other utensils on the countertop for easy access, this advice will change your life! We know that everything is organized, and it has its own space, but seriously, try to store as much as possible in the cabinets. We know this sounds like a lot, but with a bit of reorganizing, it will work out and you will end up loving the result, really!
With everything now stored away, you will have so much more space to prepare your food. Aside of that, now that there is no lifting things up and moving them around, it will be so much easier to clean the counter space after you are done cooking.
Clean while you are waiting. Who doesn’t like to have things already cleaned and organized when they are done cooking? We know, you can always count on your partner’s help so that while one is cooking, the other one is cleaning. But if you are not one of these lucky people, you should learn to use your time in the kitchen more efficiently. Instead of waiting around for the oven to heat up, clean that cutting board and strainer, put away the spices right after using them, clean the counter top while waiting for your veggies to be cooked. It doesn’t sound like much, but trying incorporating these in your routine, you will notice such a difference!
Have a place for everything. Having a defined space for every item is essential if you are trying to have an organized kitchen. The secret to this is figuring out the perfect mix of comfort, accessibility and efficiency. It sounds complicated, but it is really not. You will just have to think of the frequency you use the different items, the more you use something, the more you want it within easy reach. Makes sense, right?
Now that we have discussed these 3 principles towards an organized kitchen, let’s move on to more practical things that should make your life easier:
Use transparent storage container. If preferring not to store your ingredients in their original packaging, we recommend using glass containers. These containers will keep the items odor-free and allow you to store them in good condition for a longer period of time. Another great alternative are Plexiglas containers as these are transparent, which means that you can easily see what you have stored inside. For the best use of your space, you should consider square or rectangular containers, given that’s normally the shape of your pantry as well. You can find a variety of options at Container Store or The Home Depot.
Organize your fridge. Why not using the same concept from the pantry, to your fridge? Using boxes, bins and trays is not only visually pleasing, it also keeps your food better for longer time. Besides, there won’t be any yogurt forgotten in there past its due date, nor there will be any broccoli stored for so long that it becomes unrecognizable. Some great options you can find at MDesign Home Decor or Target.
Make better use of your space with extra shelves. Surely, if you open your kitchen cabinets you will see there is quite a bit of vertical space that remains unused. That is, of course, if you are not stacking so many plates that they may be falling any time you are opening your cabinets. The extra shelves are a very practical and budget-friendly way to make use of the awkward empty space. You can find our favorite ones at Simple Houseware and Wayfair.
Use an over-the-sink dish drainer. If you have a small kitchen, there is never enough space on the counter top and it seems there is never a good spot for the dish drainer. Why not fitting it in your kitchen sink? This kind of drainers are not just very practical, they also let the water drip directly into the drain, avoiding you all the mess. Our recommendations are the chrome-plated steel drainer from Neat-O or the collapsible dish drainer from Progressive International.
To wrap this up with a classic: use tension rods to get extra storage space. Tension rods are not only multipurpose, they are also cheap and convenient. You can use them under the sink, to hang your spray cleaning bottles, or vertically, to organize pot lids or cutting boards. You can get them in a pack of 5 on Amazon or at Walmart.