# Kitchen Organizing



## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

My whole house needs help, but I'd like to start with the kitchen.

I have a pretty big kitchen with lots of cabinets. You know how it is, when you first move in you think "what am I gonna put in all these cabinets?" But then you figure it out.  I don't have a pantry. Wish I did, maybe someday I will, but for now it's all in the cabinets. 

Got any great tips about how much to keep, how to organize it, and where? 

I have a pretty good system for the food storage. All my baking stuff is in one cabinet where, if we keep the counter cleaned off, I can pull it out and use it right there. Home-canned items in another cabinet, open/often used items in one near the stove, and extras on the far wall. Recently my DH came in and decided he didn't like the way I had things and he re-organized it all. :flame: Boy was I mad! Took me weeks to put it right again.

My main problem is kitchen gadgets. Especially the little things, like the flippers, tongs, big spoons, measuring cups, pastry cutters, pizza cutter, garlic press, potato masher, whisk, etc. I have two drawers full of these things. I don't want to get rid of any of them because I do actually use most of them, but they're just a jumbled mess. 

I need to do something because *in theory* I am going to be getting a dishwasher installed and have to give up one of my bottom cabinets, including one big drawer full of gadgets. 

I thought maybe I should get a big plastic bin and put them all in there, but I wonder if they'd just migrate to a more "convenient" (read: lazy) area or it would be too hard to find what I needed in a bin. 

How do you do it?


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## Christine in OK (May 10, 2002)

Mmm. You have more gadgets that I do, it sounds like! I have one big drawer, and my knives/pizza cutter in another small drawer. I've been slowly investing in small bins or drawer dividers like you would use for silverware. I've been doing it slowly because I'm either buying the wood ones (like bamboo, which is naturally antibacterial, from what I've read/heard), or the metal mesh ones which allow any little bits that get in the drawer (dust, etc.) to fall through where all I have to do is pick up the tray and wipe out the drawer rather than washing the tray every time.

I might sort through and get rid of the things you really don't use (there's probably a few), and then put the things you use less or seasonally in a bin and put them up high (like on top of the fridge or in a cabinet high), but keep them in the kitchen so when you do need them they're still handy.

Good luck - I actually had a friend come over a couple of years ago and help me tear my kitchen apart and reorganize it, and I'm about ready to do it again. It seems that just about everything in this house needs redone every couple or three years or it starts getting out of hand!


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

*Edayna* - Have you thought about a utensil hanger for somewhere in the kitchen? It may not relieve all the "stuff" issues, but may put your most used ones easily within reach, and free up some space. I really like the Oxo utensils, and I have six of my "go to" spoons, spatulas, tongs, etc. on a hanger that I can grab without going into the drawer. They are inexpensive, and I was able to hang on on the wall without a problem. 

There also must be some sort of sliding/stacking drawer bin out there somewhere, so you can still keep everything and get to it, while maximizing space. Maybe LNT or BB&B? If you find them, let me know! LOL!

*Christine* - It seems like every year, I have to do the same tear apart and re-do! Life is such a work in progress!


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

I really liked Juila Childs peg board hanger for her gadgets. She painted it and added some really nice molding and it looked great w/ her tools hanging on it. Easy to use but might be a pain to clean if your stuff is too close to the stove and frying oil. :nono: 

I have a crock on my counter for my spoons, tongs and other tall stuff. I really like my knife block but am thinking of getting the knife magnet that is mounted on a wall. The little stuff is in a drawer(s). I so try to seperate them in to usefullness andhow often I get them out. They sort of do that anyway. 

I have threatened to do the same (pegboard) yet put a picture or name where the item belongs. Can anyone say "Tim the Toolman"? 

I too will have to clean out a room every so often to get it reorganized. it is sort of like shopping in my own house. :dance: I find stuff I forgot I had.  I deep clean every thing and restore it. 

I need a better way to store the plastice containers and lids. :flame: I also would like a good way to store my cast iron. I really like the pot towers but they take up a lot of room. I just hate stacking the cast iron on top of each other.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I've also got a crock that I put in all the wooden spoons and some spatulas. Actually, I've got two. You can move the things around to get them out of your way, or pull them to your work area. My dh put up a rail with thingies to hang individual small thingies on. I'm sure you can find such at Target or Lowe's. I hang the can opener (manual), cheese grater, potato peeler, teensy cutting board- anything small that has a hole or loop in it. It keeps those gadgets off the counter but very easy to grab. I thought it might look cluttered, but it looks kinda professional. I've also got a pot rack next to the stove- the kind you hang your pots from. This means I don't need two drawers for pots and pans. The pot rack is made so the pots hang from a slated shelf, on which you can put more things, like the lids, and the large turkey roaster.


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