Healthy Easy Food Recipes (Home) > Food Preparation and Cooking Basics > Organizing Your Kitchen

Organizing Your Kitchen

How to Organize Countertop, Small Appliances, Cookware, Utensils and Dishes, Spices and Pantry Items

How to Organize Your Kitchen Effectively?

  • You may not be able to change the location of your refrigerator or sink, but there is a kitchen renovation that can make your space much more efficient — and it's free! By simply changing where your kitchen tools, foods and small appliances reside, you can make your kitchen feel brand new.

  • The key to making your kitchen more efficient is to move your pots, pans and utensils to locations where they will be used most often. This will save you leg work and take a lot of effort out of cooking. Keeping often-used small appliances on the counter will also save time and energy.

  • As a general rule, just remember to keep items used for similar tasks together. For example, keep your pots and pans together and store them near the stove.

  • Do not store food by the stove that will be negatively affected by the heat from the stove.

Countertop Small Appliances

Countertop

  • Use an area of countertop close to your stove for food preparation.

  • Keep your countertop free of clutter such as mail or magazines. This saves you from having to tidy up before you begin cooking.

  • Keep an area of countertop close to your stove free of appliances and other objects so you can place utensils and hot pots and pans there as you cook.

  • Note: Use hot pads under hot pots and pans to protect your countertop.

Small Appliances

  • Store small appliances you use regularly on your countertop. This will make them more accessible.

  • Remove appliances you rarely use from your countertop and store them in a cabinet.

  • If possible, place your toaster, coffee maker and kettle together on your countertop. This creates an efficient breakfast station.

  • If possible, place your stand mixer and food processor close to the cabinet that stores your baking ingredients. This creates an efficient baking station.

Cookware, Utensils and Dishes

Spices and Pantry Items

Cookware, Utensils and Dishes

  • Store utensils, such as tongs and wooden spoons, close to the stove in a container on your countertop or hung on the wall.

  • Store pots and pans, along with their lids, close to the stove.

  • Store knives close to your food preparation area in a wooden knife block on your countertop or in a knife tray inside a drawer.

  • Store dishes and glasses in a cabinet close to the dishwasher.

Spices and Pantry Items

  • Store salt and pepper on your countertop close to the stove.

  • Store spices and dried herbs close to the stove in a spice rack or cabinet.

  • Store often used condiments such as oils, vinegars and soy sauce in a cabinet close to the food preparation area and stove.

  • Group and store related foods together. For example, store all your canned goods together and store all of your baking ingredients together.

FAQ About Kitchen Organizing
What should I store in the cabinet under my sink? What should I have on hand around my sink?

You should not use the cabinet under your sink for anything other than storing cleaning supplies and garbage. This area is prone to high humidity and occasional leaks.

Never store cleaning supplies together with any type of food. Cleaning supplies and detergents can be extremely toxic. lf you have young children or pets and use the cabinet under the sink to store cleaning supplies, this cabinet should have a child-safety lock.

You should always have liquid hand-washing soap at the sink ready for use. This will help to establish e habit of washing your hands in hot, soapy water before, during and after cooking. Liquid dish detergent and paper towels should also be kept near the sink. This will make cleaning up more efficient. Also consider having a drying rack in your sink. Air drying dishes and utensils requires no effort on your part and is a hygienic way to dry your dishes.

Back to Food Preparation and Cooking Basics