In order for you to be able to operate efficiently in your kitchen, it needs to be an organized space! I think we can all agree on that. If your kitchen works well for you, you’ll cook more efficiently, and it will make your life so much easier.
Below I summarised my 10 absolute favorite tips for an organized kitchen! I’m not click-baiting you, these tips are literally life-changing.
This post is all about Kitchen Organization!
1. Organize Your Kitchen By Zones
My number one kitchen organization tip is and will always be to organize your kitchen by zones.
To be optimally efficient in the kitchen, you should organize your kitchen by zones! This means, organizing your kitchen based on where something happens. Trust me, this is the best kitchen organization tip you will ever receive, no matter how obvious it may seem.
Most kitchens have 5 zones:
- Food storage zone (fridge, freezer, and pantry)
- Non-food storage zone (dishware, glassware, cutlery, appliances, etc)
- Prep zone (featuring a good amount of work surface)
- Cooking zone (featuring oven and stove)
- Cleaning zone (featuring sink and dishwasher)
When you organize your kitchen according to these zones, your workflow and efficiency will dramatically improve.
I recently moved all my prepping gadgets, such as my knives, cutting boards, mixing bowls, salad spinner, graters, etc to the cupboard underneath the counter where I do most of my prep work, and the improvement in my workflow has blown my mind.
2. Add Drawers To Your Deep Pantry
You can add drawers to make a pantry with deep shelves more accessible! Drawers will allow you to reach all the way to the back of your deep pantry shelves, without needing to move anything around.
Drawers also help you maximize space! Not only do they allow you to use the entire horizontal space, they make it easier to use the vertical space too, which is otherwise often wasted on shelves.
Related post: 9 Absolute Best Tips To Organize A Small But Deep Pantry
Side note: Just like you would only put drawers at the bottom of your kitchen cabinets, for obvious practical reasons, you should only add drawers to the bottom shelves of your pantry.
You can have drawers installed by a carpenter or you can DIY them.
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3. Install A Chalkboard Wall Sticker In Your Pantry
Installing a chalkboard wall sticker on the back of your pantry cupboard door is a genius way to keep a running grocery list! Whenever you run out of anything in your kitchen, you just write it down. Continue to update it throughout the week and when shopping day comes around, make sure to buy everything on the list.
This hack is handy for any pantry, but especially for small deep pantries, which tend to have limited visibility. You don’t want to start shifting things around to see what you are out of, just before you hit the grocery store.
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4. Arrange Baskets On Top Of Your Cabinets
If your goal is to maximize your kitchen pantry space, you need to utilize every bit of vertical space! So why not arrange baskets on top of your cabinets to store the items you don’t use frequently? I don’t bake very often, so I like to dedicate a basket on top of my kitchen cabinets to consolidate my baking supplies.
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5. Use Open Shelving For Extra Kitchen Storage Space
Not enough storage space inside your kitchen cabinets? Try adding some simple open shelves to create extra storage space. It is particularly lovely to display your most beautiful goodies on open shelves. Give it a try!
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6. Consider A Kitchen Rail
A kitchen rail is a great space-saving solution to organize your kitchen.
Not only does it allow you to hang pots and pans, but it also allows you to hang any kitchen utensils, such as oven gloves, pot holders, colanders, sieves, graters, scissors, etc without taking up counter, drawer, or cabinet space!
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7. Store Your Knives Correctly
Having a good set of knives is essential in any kitchen! But, did you know, you can’t just store your kitchen knives in a drawer amongst other utensils? This is not only dangerous, but it will also turn your blades dull in no time.
As a rule of thumb, the sharper edge of the knife’s blade should not rub against the storage unit while inserting or removing the knife. To keep your knives in good condition, there are three methods you can use to store them: in a knife block on the kitchen counter, on a wall-mounted magnetic strip, or in a drawer-inserted knife organizer.
To keep pets and children safe, my personal preference goes for the drawer-inserted knife organizer!
My favourite knife organizer drawer insert:
8. Use Hooks
A simple hook can make a big difference in achieving an organized kitchen. I love using command hooks on the inside of my kitchen cabinets to hold measuring cups, oven gloves, and just about anything else. They help you keep everything in its place!
9. A Utensil Holder Is Always A Good Idea
Yes!!
There are two main reasons to love a utensil holder.
Firstly, most utensils are very bulky. This makes them very difficult to store neatly in a drawer. And if you do want to store them in a drawer neatly, you will need a lot of drawer space. Most of us, unfortunately, don’t have enough kitchen drawer space. In a utensil holder, you can store a lot of utensils without giving up precious drawer real estate.
Related post: 7 Ultra Efficient Tips To Organize Kitchen Utensils
Secondly, you can place your utensil holder near where you will be using your utensils. A utensil holder filled with utensils you use while cooking, can be stored next to your stove for efficient cooking. You could even have a utensil holder filled with utensils you use for food prep, close to where you prep food!
And I promise utensil holders are not just practical. It is possible to make them look cute too.
My favourite utensil holder:
10. Label everything
Whenever you organize anything, you label everything. That’s the number 1 organization rule! Jokes aside, labeling will do wonders for your kitchen organization. Label your containers, baskets, and even drawers and shelves.
Not only will it make cooking easier, but ingredients will be quick to identify! But also, it will help to make putting things in their place a breeze.
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Did you find this post helpful? Don’t forget to let me know, by leaving a comment below.
This post was all about Kitchen Organization!
Learn More About Kitchen Organization:
- How To Build A Vegan Pantry
- 11 Vegan Fridge Staples Every Vegan Fridge MUST HAVE
- 100+ Vegan Staple Foods – Pantry, Fridge + Freezer
- How To Organize Food Storage And Meal Prep Containers
- 7 Ultra Efficient Tips To Organize Kitchen Utensils