How do I Organize My Kitchen Gear for Efficiency?

The kitchen is one of the most used areas in your home, so it makes sense that if it were more organized and easier to use, your life would feel a lot simpler. Professional organizer Monica Ricci shares 10 easy steps to help you get your kitchen organized and make meal prep smoother for your family.

Tip #1: Empty Cabinets

Start by emptying out each cabinet and going through everything. Throw away or donate items you don’t use often, duplicates, broken things, or stuff you forgot you even had. Do this with every cabinet and drawer, and organize the items into separate piles on the floor. Be tough with yourself. Kitchens often have limited storage space, so only keep things you truly love and use.

Tip #2: Group Like Items

Once your cabinets are empty, think about the best way to organize everything. Start by grouping similar items together. Put all your baking supplies in one pile, your cooking tools in another, and your everyday dishes and glassware in their own sections. Don’t forget to set aside seasonal items, like holiday dishes or special serving pieces that you only use occasionally.

Tip #3: Organize the Cabinets

Now that you have everything grouped on the floor, think about where each item should go. Keep your cooking and baking tools close to the food prep area, and store utensils in the drawer nearby. Glassware could be best placed near the sink or refrigerator. If you drink coffee or tea, set up a little station with mugs, sugar, and filters near the water source. This way, you won’t have to run across the kitchen every time you want to make your morning drink.

Tip #4: Use Clear Containers to Store Items

Use containers to keep your cabinets neat and organized. Group similar items, like sauce mixes, gravy mixes, hot cereal packets, and hot cocoa envelopes, and store them in small plastic containers to prevent them from getting scattered around. For smaller food boxes, like gelatin or pudding mix, try using clear plastic shoeboxes to keep everything in one place.

Tip #5: Store Containers and Lids Together

Get rid of containers without lids, and store the ones with lids either with the lids on or keep the lids in a larger container so they stay together. You can do the same with the lids for your pots and pans. A large clear plastic box works great to keep them organized and upright. Another option is to store them on their sides in the cabinet using a wire rack.

Tip #6: Make use of Vertical Space

You can install hooks under your cabinets to hang mugs above the countertop or use a stemware rack for wine glasses. This will save a lot of cabinet space. Another idea is to place adhesive hooks on the inside of cabinet or pantry doors to hang items like measuring cups, oven mitts, or other kitchen tools. If you have wall space, you can also use it to hang pots and pans on a ceiling rack. The more you can hang, the more space you’ll free up inside your cabinets.

Tip #7: Use Lazy Susans

Rotating trays, like lazy Susans, are great for storing things like oils, vinegars, spices, or even vitamins and medications. You can also use them in your fridge—one for beverages, so nothing gets lost in the back and goes bad, and another for leftovers or small jars of pickles, olives, or other little items. It’s a simple way to keep everything organized and easy to find!

Tip #8: Use Drawer Dividers

Drawer dividers are perfect for keeping your cooking utensils and junk drawers organized. We all have those little random items, but they don’t need to turn into a messy pile. Dividers help create a designated space for each item, so you’ll always know exactly where to find what you need!

Also Read: What Utensils are Essential for Plating Gourmet Dishes?

Tip #9: Sort Papers

Get a magnetic sorter box to hang on the side of your refrigerator for things like coupons, takeout menus, notepads, and other papers that usually pile up on the countertops. You can keep each type of paper in its own section, making it easy to find what you need without the clutter.

Tip #10: Clean Out the Refrigerator

Keep extra trash bags near the trash can, and stash a stack of them at the bottom. That way, when you take one bag out, another is already waiting to be used. If you put your trash out once a week, use that time to clean out your fridge too. Check for any food that needs to be thrown away and toss it out right away. This way, your fridge will only have fresh items, and it’ll be less cluttered—all in just a few minutes.

How you store and use things in your kitchen depends on your personal work style, but the goal is to make the space work smoothly and efficiently for you. Taking the time to declutter and organize your kitchen will be an investment in making your life easier and more enjoyable for years to come.