There's nothing worse than having to scrabble around mid cooking, looking for something you need that's buried deep beneath kitchen clutter or unused gadgets. Having an organised kitchen makes life so much easier, with everything easy to see, easy to grab on the go and clear to see what you need on your next food shop.
Having been lucky enough to get a new kitchen just last year, we started with a super organised space and after 15 months it's still organised well and a joy to cook in. The main thing is that we now know where everything is, when we look in cupboards we can see what we have without digging around and everything can be grabbed easily whilst working through a recipe. When we go shopping we can do a quick sweep of the kitchen to see what tins and dried goods need buying and things like glasses and crockery are stacked neatly so we can access them quickly and put away easily when they've been washed. I thought I'd share some tips that may be handy if your kitchen is in need of an overhaul or if you're planning a new kitchen...
Ditch the clutter
As with most organising or home makeover posts, start off with a damn good declutter. It's easy to overstock on things like mugs, glasses and novelty cups that we simply don't need, as well as whim buy kitchen gadgets that are more hassle than they worth and sit gathering dust after a week of use. Anything you've not used in the last year, box up and take to the local charity shop. You may use it one day, but you can't put a price on the extra space made available from getting rid of things that aren't useful.
Decide on zones
Once you've decluttered, group your kitchen goods such as crockery as well as dry foods, cordial bottles and breakfast items together and choose a specific zone for each group. Things like herbs and spices need to stay together, and breakfast spreads for example are good to be stored near to the toaster for example. Have your pans within easy reach of the oven, as well as seasonings etc. Whatever the lay out of your kitchen, try and put food groups together in the most logical way to be helpful during food prep and your life will be easier in the kitchen.
Prioritise your storage
Once your zones are decided, prioritise your storage by putting items you use more regularly closer to hand, and those items such as birthday cake pans etc that come out once in a while further back. This way, you'll not have to dig through to get what you need on a daily basis and will feel much more in control of your kitchen. When you do use the less used items, take the extra time to put them back to hiding, it's worth the time to have what you need where you need it.
Ditch the cutlery tray
We've all experienced the pain of a small cutlery tray, with a knife fork and spoon section and everything else overflowing around the drawer, and in reality they aren't really very useful. It's great having cutlery organised, but for most of us there's much more we need to store such as sharp knives, utensils, bottle openers, tin openers, wooden spoons etc etc, so ditch the tiny tray and instead opt for a full drawer organising system with sections for each type of item. Full drawer trays like this one from Amazon make much more sense and will feel much more organised.
Add baskets to your cupboards
Adding baskets to stack your sachets, flour and sugar etc like these baskets from Amazon in your cupboard will do just the job. You can easily get the basket down without worrying about a land slide, quickly take stock of the items you have and neatly store them back away again when used. Not only are these super practical and organised, but also they look very satisfying when you open your cupboard doors and will make such a difference to using the kitchen.
Add clear storage for dry items
By adding containers for your dried goods like these clear containers from Amazon, you can instantly see what you have, what you can cook or what you need to buy. Again, these will make your cupboards look good, as well as make life easier in the kitchen. If you're super organised you can label boxes too, but as you can see what's inside I always feel this is a little pointless. As with most things, buying cheap isn't always a good option. Investing in decent containers that are truly airtight will save you money on food as it will last longer and also prevent having to buy better containers down the line.
Add extra levels to cupboards
Adding an extra level to your units with something like this cupboard shelving is a total game changer. Instead of stacking tins and having to re stack as you dig for what you need, you can instantly double your shelving space, making foods or jars easily accessible and making use of the extra space. You could go for a single tier or more depending on the height of your cupboard space and make life so much easier, as well as satisfyingly organised!
Needless to say you will get so much satisfaction from organising your kitchen in this way, and I can guarantee that it makes a noticeable difference to your life when it comes to cooking, knocking up breakfast or baking treats.
Does your kitchen need a little help with organisation?
