Kitchen Cabinet and Drawer Organization
How to Store Pans and Utensils for Easy Accessibility
Jan 22, 2009
Whether your kitchen storage is narrow, high, or tiny, there are solutions on the market to fit it. These organizing tools range in price from cheap to outrageous, in a variety of colors and textures. Take stock of what you need to store (after purging any unused items, of course) and go shopping.
Cabinets
Plastic or woven bins and baskets can be found for storing small items or large. However, don’t overlook unconventional items. Heloise from In the Kitchen With Heloise indicated anything from plastic baby-wipe boxes to large plastic detergent caps could be used for odd-sized items, i.e. corn-cob holders.
Depending on how many in your possession, group small plastic dishes together in baskets or bins either with lids or store lids grouped together in another container. Some thinner small and large pieces, i.e. divided plates, can be placed in plastic bins sideways for more efficient storage.
Stacking such items as plates and bowls in shelves makes sense. Eileen Roth in Organizing for Dummies advises using tiered racks to facilitate retrieving bottom items. She also warns that the two-tiered lazy Susan’s circular shape does waste space, but the spinning feature may be worth sacrificing the extra inches for small items.
Select a pot or lid rack (in picture) for storing baking pans and/or lids. When these are stacked, it is always the bottom one you need. If you are storing larger baking pans, the tall section under the sink often is ideal. If storing dish soap and cleansers here, organize them in baskets to prevent losing something at the back of the space.
In the pantry, line same canned foods from back to front, stacking if shelf is tall enough. If your space doesn’t permit separate lines for each, use the step shelves that come in various and expanding lengths. These ensure all the different items are still visible and you know what you have at a glance.
Drawers
These are usually the most disorganized spots in the kitchen; most of us even have a junk drawer. Use individual long, slim plastic trays to corral like utensils, such as scoops. For larger drawers, in addition to regular silverware trays, there are also drawer organizers with a sliding top tray for more storage. Items are easily seen and retrieved.
Heloise from In the Kitchen With Heloise says to reuse glass jars and large plastic caps from various foods to contain small or odd-shaped items, i.e. corn cob holders or bottle stoppers. Heloise also recommends using corks from wine or other bottles to avoid cuts from knife points or kabob skewers. Leave it to Heloise to show us how to recycle, practice safety and organize without spending any money.
Kitchen utensils are often jumbled in a drawer and there may not be room for all of them. For items used daily, such as plastic spatulas or spoons, consider buying a multi-peg magnetic strip and hang on the side of the refrigerator. Available wall/under-counter space can also be utilized by screwing in hooks
Shop and Organize
Check out Container Store’s website for locations or to purchase online. Their stores can’t be beat for organizing ideas for every storage problem, but they are fairly expensive. Many discount stores, i.e. Wal-Mart or Target, have some similar organizers at better prices. Just remember, if you can’t access it easily, you probably won’t use it.
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