Kitchen organizing

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I worked with a client yesterday to assist her in organizing her kitchen.  She enjoys cooking so she has collected quite a few kitchen tools and small appliances.  We started the organizing process by emptying out the kitchen drawers and grouping utensils and tools into  categories of “use” such as:

• entertaining (cake knives, wine tools, serving spoons)
• every day (spatulas, pasta spoons, slotted spoons)
• egg items (egg cups, egg slicers, egg poachers)
• frequently used (but not everyday) – (pizza cutter, ice cream scoopers, lemon juicer)

This process worked well.  We placed the most frequently used items near the stove top and food prep area.  We also organized a child’s drawer where small plates, utensils, and straws are kept in reach for easy access by the child. 

We were able to do away with some duplicate items  (i.e. why have 3 lemon juicers or 7 spatulas?)  before organizing the drawers with small and medium plastic storage boxes  for small items such as bag clips and matches. We also used new plastic shoe boxes for larger items.  This may not always work -  be sure to check the height of your drawers before purchasing storage boxes.   Another option is drawer dividers but the client did not want to use dividers since she had previously used them and found them not to be helpful.   

We then moved on to a bigger challenge: Tupperware!  We removed all the plastic containers and lids and matched what we could.  All “extra” pieces were tossed!  We pared down what we had so that the remaining pieces were those considered to be ” frequently used.”  Consider how much you actually use and get rid of the rest. 

The next big challenge was the shelf of sippy-cups, tops, and other food storage items for children.  We were able to get rid of cups that were considered “too childish” for a 4-year-old girl, as well as those with no matching tops. 

We continued working throughout the kitchen shelves and drawers.  We were able to move about 20 cookbooks from the countertop to an upper cabinet (that could still be easily reached) in order to gain more counter space.  There were quite a few items that were relocated to another area of the home that are used only once a year or less.  At the end of the day, the kitchen was more attractive and functional!

I always enjoy pulling out items from the back of a storage space while the client says, “So, THAT’S where that’s been hiding!”  or “I wondered what happened to that!  I’ve been looking for it!” 

Is it time to organize your kitchen?

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Filed under cooking, declutter, drawers, kids, kitchen, organize, organizing, utensils