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How to Organize Your Specialty Kitchen Storage Areas
Make working in your kitchen easier with these tips for storing pots and pans, spices, cleaning supplies and more
Becky Harris
2 de enero de 2021
In How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets, One at a Time, I outlined 10 steps to organizing your kitchen cabinets, putting the focus on everyday dishes and glassware, barware, vases and pitchers. If you followed at least the first seven of those steps, your cabinets are so organized, it makes you happy every time you open their doors.
Those same steps can be applied to organizing your more specialized kitchen storage areas. Read on for tips on organizing your pots and pans; your coffee, tea and baking supplies; your spices and oils; your cleaning supplies and your gadget-charging stations.
Those same steps can be applied to organizing your more specialized kitchen storage areas. Read on for tips on organizing your pots and pans; your coffee, tea and baking supplies; your spices and oils; your cleaning supplies and your gadget-charging stations.
Questions to Ask Before You Begin
- What do I need first thing in the morning?
- What do I need close at hand when cooking at the range?
- Are my baking needs close to where I roll out dough and mix batter?
- Where are my cookbooks and recipes?
- Are my mobile phones and tablets cluttering my counters when I charge them?
- Are my kitchen cleaning supplies close at hand when I need them?
- What’s under my kitchen sink, and why is it there?
How to Get Your Coffee and Tea Station in Shape
To make it easy to get your caffeinated drinks brewing when you’re still bleary-eyed in the morning, set up a coffee and tea station.
Put your coffee beans, tea bags, filters, bean grinder, sweeteners and mugs in a cabinet over or under your coffeemaker or teakettle.
If you wish, go a step further and keep your usual breakfast needs, such as hot and cold cereals and your smoothie maker, there too.
Find pantry organizers on Houzz
To make it easy to get your caffeinated drinks brewing when you’re still bleary-eyed in the morning, set up a coffee and tea station.
Put your coffee beans, tea bags, filters, bean grinder, sweeteners and mugs in a cabinet over or under your coffeemaker or teakettle.
If you wish, go a step further and keep your usual breakfast needs, such as hot and cold cereals and your smoothie maker, there too.
Find pantry organizers on Houzz
How to Organize Pots, Pans and Other Cookware
Today’s kitchen cabinets have all kinds of pullouts and inserts for baking sheets, pots, pans and lids, making it easy to store and find your cookware.
Here’s how those of us with simple cabinet doors and shelves can organize pots and pans. Stack the long, flat pieces, like baking sheets and cutting boards, along the side of the cabinet. Nest your pans from large to small in a stack and do the same for your pots. As for those pesky lids, you can keep them together in a stand-alone pot lid organizer, or in a cake pan, an extra strainer or a mixing bowl in the area behind your pot and pan nests.
Today’s kitchen cabinets have all kinds of pullouts and inserts for baking sheets, pots, pans and lids, making it easy to store and find your cookware.
Here’s how those of us with simple cabinet doors and shelves can organize pots and pans. Stack the long, flat pieces, like baking sheets and cutting boards, along the side of the cabinet. Nest your pans from large to small in a stack and do the same for your pots. As for those pesky lids, you can keep them together in a stand-alone pot lid organizer, or in a cake pan, an extra strainer or a mixing bowl in the area behind your pot and pan nests.
As you tackle these cabinets, you may find items like bread makers or panini makers, excess serveware or holiday items you may use once or twice a year. These things have not earned that valuable kitchen real estate. Pack them away in a closet, basement or garage or an attic. If you don’t love an item or honestly will never use it, put it in the donation box.
Now, as author and organizational expert Emily Ley advises, if you’ve left any empty room in your cabinets, save it and let it breathe awhile. The right use will present itself.
Take Ley’s 10-day simplification challenge
Now, as author and organizational expert Emily Ley advises, if you’ve left any empty room in your cabinets, save it and let it breathe awhile. The right use will present itself.
Take Ley’s 10-day simplification challenge
How to Organize Your Spices and Oils
You can organize your spices in stand-alone storage racks or drawer organizers like these.
You also can corral the oils, spices, salt, pepper and other seasonings that you use at the stove in a bin or a basket that you keep near the range. You could even keep them in a shoebox that’s easy to grab when you’re ready to channel your inner Julia Child. Cover it in vinyl paper or let your kids decorate it for you. (Mine just says “herbs” in permanent marker; I’m not that crafty.)
Find kitchen bins
You can organize your spices in stand-alone storage racks or drawer organizers like these.
You also can corral the oils, spices, salt, pepper and other seasonings that you use at the stove in a bin or a basket that you keep near the range. You could even keep them in a shoebox that’s easy to grab when you’re ready to channel your inner Julia Child. Cover it in vinyl paper or let your kids decorate it for you. (Mine just says “herbs” in permanent marker; I’m not that crafty.)
Find kitchen bins
How to Organize Your Baking Station Cabinet
If you love to bake and want your supplies to be easy to find and use, create a station for your mixing bowls, spoons, sifters, ingredients, rolling pins and other baking supplies in a cabinet close to the surface where you roll out dough and use the mixer. Corral the usual baking ingredients into a box or canisters. If you have a set of pretty canisters that you like to look at, leave them on the counter close to your mixer and where you work on your baked goods.
Where to Stash the Stand Mixer
If you love to bake and want your supplies to be easy to find and use, create a station for your mixing bowls, spoons, sifters, ingredients, rolling pins and other baking supplies in a cabinet close to the surface where you roll out dough and use the mixer. Corral the usual baking ingredients into a box or canisters. If you have a set of pretty canisters that you like to look at, leave them on the counter close to your mixer and where you work on your baked goods.
Where to Stash the Stand Mixer
How to Organize Your Cookbooks and Recipe Boxes
Remember that empty space I told you to save? If it’s near your baking area, use that space to keep your recipe library handy. If you have an open shelf or a glass-front cabinet, cookbooks and recipe boxes are wonderful items to display there.
Remember that empty space I told you to save? If it’s near your baking area, use that space to keep your recipe library handy. If you have an open shelf or a glass-front cabinet, cookbooks and recipe boxes are wonderful items to display there.
How to Organize Your Devices and Where to Charge Them
Phones, tablets and chargers aren’t necessarily cabinet clutterers, but they are counter clutterers. And having expensive electronics in a spot that could potentially get splattered by water or mashed potatoes is less than ideal. Many people are installing ventilated device drawers outfitted with an outlet for charging.
Phones, tablets and chargers aren’t necessarily cabinet clutterers, but they are counter clutterers. And having expensive electronics in a spot that could potentially get splattered by water or mashed potatoes is less than ideal. Many people are installing ventilated device drawers outfitted with an outlet for charging.
A cabinet in the kitchen, pantry or mudroom also can be a good home for portable electronic devices, as well as keys and small bags. Some plug-in chargers can service several devices through one outlet.
Browse stand-alone charging stations
Browse stand-alone charging stations
How to Organize Your Kitchen Cleaning Supplies
If you have limited kitchen space for storing cleaning supplies, prioritize the supplies you use to clean your counters and sink. These should be close at hand in the kitchen, as this is the most important space to keep hygienic.
While this photo shows a nice pullout, you can get the same effect with a couple of waterproof bins.
If you have limited kitchen space for storing cleaning supplies, prioritize the supplies you use to clean your counters and sink. These should be close at hand in the kitchen, as this is the most important space to keep hygienic.
While this photo shows a nice pullout, you can get the same effect with a couple of waterproof bins.
A caddy with a handle is a worthwhile investment: You won’t have to bend over far to grab the handle and bring your supplies where you want to use them. In the kitchen seen here, a caddy is built into the pullout hardware.
And if you keep your supplies somewhere else, like in a mudroom, it’s easy to grab a caddy full of kitchen cleaning supplies and carry them into the kitchen all at once.
And if you keep your supplies somewhere else, like in a mudroom, it’s easy to grab a caddy full of kitchen cleaning supplies and carry them into the kitchen all at once.
How to Organize the Area Under the Sink
You’ve made some nice, pretty cabinets and worked up a sweat. You’ve got this. It’s time to tackle a toughie: that dreaded space under the sink. This one winds up the most jumbled in my house. Things that don’t belong there, like paint cans and old sponges that should never be used again, end up in there. Break this task into steps:
Assess. Think about what really belongs down here: dish soap, sink drainers, hand soap refills, an extra scrubber sponge, steel wool, perhaps extra paper towels.
Consider shelves. If you want some extra help, purchase an under-sink shelf system like the one pictured here. If you reuse plastic bags, a grocery bag dispenser like the one seen here is a great idea.
You’ve made some nice, pretty cabinets and worked up a sweat. You’ve got this. It’s time to tackle a toughie: that dreaded space under the sink. This one winds up the most jumbled in my house. Things that don’t belong there, like paint cans and old sponges that should never be used again, end up in there. Break this task into steps:
Assess. Think about what really belongs down here: dish soap, sink drainers, hand soap refills, an extra scrubber sponge, steel wool, perhaps extra paper towels.
Consider shelves. If you want some extra help, purchase an under-sink shelf system like the one pictured here. If you reuse plastic bags, a grocery bag dispenser like the one seen here is a great idea.
Organize and restock. The little stuff needs to be corralled, or you’ll never find that dish drainer when you need it. I used a square glass vase from the florist that was going to waste to contain the drainers, sponges and scrubber brush.
Stack trash bag boxes to one side and neatly organize extra paper towels on the other. The back of the cabinet is for less-used items, like dish and hand soap refills. The front of the cabinet is for dish soap and dishwasher detergent so they’re easy to access.
By now you are probably getting so good at paring down, you may even wind up with room for that kitchen cleaning supplies caddy.
Find kitchen organizers for every purpose
Stack trash bag boxes to one side and neatly organize extra paper towels on the other. The back of the cabinet is for less-used items, like dish and hand soap refills. The front of the cabinet is for dish soap and dishwasher detergent so they’re easy to access.
By now you are probably getting so good at paring down, you may even wind up with room for that kitchen cleaning supplies caddy.
Find kitchen organizers for every purpose
A full pullout drawer is another good solution for getting to the things that are stashed way in the back of your cabinet under the sink.
Tell us: Have you set up any special stations that have eased your kitchen work? Please share them in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Stash It All: Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers for Good
Read more guides to kitchen storage
Find a kitchen remodeling pro
Shop for kitchen organization products
More on Houzz
Stash It All: Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen Storage
How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers for Good
Read more guides to kitchen storage
Find a kitchen remodeling pro
Shop for kitchen organization products
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