Kitchen Organization Ideas

Everybody needs kitchen organization ideas! Taking a little time to organize your kitchen will save you many hours in the long run. Having an organized kitchen simplifies the cooking process and reduces stress in your cooking life!  We all could use a little bit less stress!

Kitchen Organization

Organization is a trendy life topic right now but what does that mean for kitchen organization? Most of the home cooks I know are juggling work, kids, busy schedules and sometimes a certain amount of overwhelm comes with all of that.

It can be hard to set time aside to organize your kitchen in a way that makes sense for YOU. This idea list is designed to help you kick start that process, give you some basic guidelines and equip you to transform your space so you can make dinner time easier!

Rules of Kitchen Organization

While there are many different ways to organize a kitchen there are some rules that apply to EVERYBODY.

1. Measure your space before you buy. (I own a tape measure my husband is not allowed to use so I always know where it is.)
2. Make a list of what you need and what you plan to use in what space. This helps when you go buy or order your stuff and then don’t remember what you bought for where.
3. Only buy things that can be returned so you can adjust if your plan needs tweaking.

Kitchen Cabinet Organizers

Start with those pesky cabinets.  Picture your kitchen. Most kitchen cabinets are just large wooden boxes. If you only need to put 10 items in a cabinet that works great. For those of us who live in the real world we need some kitchen cabinet organizers for structure!  

The process of organizing your cabinets might feel overwhelming but chances are if you make a list of the actual problems you only have a few issues that need to be solved.  

Open the cabinets and look inside.  What is actually disorganized or making it hard to use the tools?  

• Is there something spilling everywhere like lids?  
• Is there too much stuff in the space?  
• Do you have items you don’t use?
• Are there things you received as gifts that should have been donated instead of saved?

Identify problem areas, make a list and solve each area with the right tool or process.  

For example I might go into a kitchen and make a list like this to guide my project:  

1. Discard or donate things I don’t use. 
2. Make a shopping list to replace broken items.
3. Research a better way to store my pots and pans.
4. Make more space for a new set of mixing bowls.  
5. Find a more convenient place for oven mitts. 

Your list will be specific to the problems you are facing in your kitchen.  

Solving Common Kitchen Cabinet Organization Problems 

Pot lids cascading everywhere?

Try one of these four options to help solve the lid problem:

• 7 Compartment Pan and Pot Lid Organizer
• Door / Wall Mount Pot Lid Organizer Rack
• Stacking Rack
• Pot and Pan Cabinet Organizer, Expandable

The family has NO clue where things go so they put them back anywhere they fit. Get a label maker, label the kitchen up, and hold their toes to the fire!

• Label Maker w/ Cord (buying one with a cord saves a ton on batteries over time)

No Space for Oven Mitts?  Check out these ideas:  

• Over the Cabinet Kitchen Storage Hooks 
• Decorative Command Hooks

No Space for Large Kitchen Items?  Try these options!

• Hang Your Pots and Pans on this beautiful rack
• Use a Bakeware Rack to tidy up baking pans
• Heavy Duty Rack for Cast Iron Pans / Frying Pans

Creative Wall Mount Solutions for Kitchen Cabinets

• Stick On Spice Rack
• Wall Mount Organizer for Foil and Plastic Wrap (I use one of these for paper plates and another for paper bags too!)

Kitchen Drawer Organizers

After you have tamed the kitchen cabinets it is time to tackle drawers! Are your drawers totally crazy or do they just need a bit of structure and a few organizers?  (If you are just need organizers jump to the bottom of this section for ideas.)

If you are at TOTAL INSANITY the best bet is to take everything out!  Try these steps for success:  

1. Clean off your kitchen table or a big counter.  
2. Take everything out of the drawers and spread it out in the cleared space.
3. Group like items together.  (I have one drawer that is items I use mostly in baking: rubber spatulas, whisks, wooden spoons, toothpicks / cake testers, frosting spatulas.  Another drawer is items for cooking on the stove top.  Another has my serving utensils like a pie server and slotted spoon.  Another drawer has basic meal prep tools like a can opener, potato peeler, BBQ tongs, strawberry huller.)
4. Write each group of like items on one Post-It Note.  For example “baking” or “cooking” or “measuring cups”
5. Think about where in the kitchen you stand when you use each group of items.  
6. Place the Post-It Notes on the drawers where each group makes the most sense.  Keep moving the notes around until you have an arrangement you LOVE.  It is OK to combine groups in drawers if those items will actually fit in one drawer. 
7. Decide if you need any drawer organizers to keep things tidy.  

As you start to work through the drawers here are a few organizers to look at for ideas:  

• Expandable Drawer Organizer (Bamboo)  
• 4 Compartment Kitchen Cabinet Drawer Organizer (Plastic)

Kitchen Knife Storage

One of the most important things to consider in any kitchen organization project is the location of your knives.  I only use a few knives but the ones I have need to be kept safe and close at hand.  There are three good ways to store knives:  

• Get a magnetic knife strip.  (This is a great solution for keeping the knives handy and above the range of small kids.  You might also have room for a scissors / other items.)
• Get knife block that fits in your drawer!  (Great solution for steak knives!)
• Get a knife block for the counter.  (This takes up counter space which I don’t love.)

Additional Ideas for Kitchen Cabinets and Pantry

These organizer bins are really handy for dealing with problem areas.  They come in a range of sizes and can solve problems from pot lids to spices!  

• mDesign Cabinet and Pantry Storage Organizer Bins 10″x 6″x3″
• mDesign Cabinet and Pantry Storage Organizer Bins 12″ x 10″ x 8″
• mDesign Cabinet and Pantry Storage Organizer Bins 10″ x 5″ x 8″ (great for bags of dry beans!)
• mDesign Wire Organizer Bin Baskets

What’s Next in Kitchen Organization?

Need more? Sometimes a list of ideas and tasks is not a solution. Instead it can even contribute to the overwhelm and stress!

If you are looking for a more comprehensive solution to your cooking life please join me in The Confident Kitchen!

This course exists to help you get the cooking life of your dreams while ditching the stress and overwhelm so many people face in their daily cooking tasks.

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