It will probably not surprise anyone here that I like to Be Organized. Everything has a place, and I expect to find each thing in its place. Part of my fastidiousness comes from growing up in a home where this was not always the case. There were six of us in a very small house, and my mother was not the most enthusiastic housekeeper. My father was zero help in that area, being the breadwinner and quite the chauvinist.
Another reason I came to value Organization was my career. A highschool teacher with an average of 130 students for a class load, I learned that Being Organized meant my very survival. I had a system for everything, with fail-safes built into each of those systems. Nothing slipped between the cracks. My gradebook--yes, the actual black book--was a thing of beauty and efficiency and could tell me volumes at a mere glance. I had to build this empire because teenagers can find any flaw and exploit it to their advantage and to your ruin.
One important place in my own home that I'm quite Organized is my kitchen. It is a small, galley-style kitchen that also includes a breakfast nook. Space is at a premium, and I do cook, so I want it to be efficient and workable. Here is a list of
Ways I Keep My Kitchen Organized
1. Pot Rack
2. Utensil Hooks
3. Containers With Their Lids
4. No Counter Decor
5. Store What You Don't Use Often
I'm sure that none of these are revelations to any of you, but in case you have a small kitchen like I do, maybe one or two of these might be helpful.
Kitchen designers or people who predict trends don't interest me. I want a functional and easy-to-clean kitchen. One of the best things I ever did was get a hanging pot rack. I put the pans I use most often on that and they're always within easy reach, ready to go. The rest of my cupboard can be used for sheet pans, cake and pie pans, and my big pasta pot. And lids (which are neatly stowed in the wire basket from a former freezer).
I really dislike a big jumble of kitchen utensils like peelers, spatulas, ladles, serving spoons and whisks cluttering up a drawer. Not everything I use/need will fit in a cute crock on the counter. I installed a bunch of hooks, like plain old robe or towel hooks, on the wall, and hung a lot of these items if they had holes in the handles (or through the splines of a whisk). This saves space and the items are right there when I need them.
My good friend and fellow blogger Shirley taught me to end the madness of storing plastic tupper-type containers and lids separately. The summer I retired, I cleared out the plastic container cupboard, tossed any that had no matching lid or container, and stored all remaining containers with lids on them, keeping only the good stuff. It has been that way ever since and it has been life-changing. Trust us; do this.
My kitchen is red, white, and black and full of Holstein cows. I am a Cow Lady. Love them. You can imagine the vast amounts of Cow Stuff I would get for gifts, let alone the stuff I couldn't resist buying for myself. However, if that stuff lived on my counter, I was giving up valuable real estate I needed for food prep and other kitchen work. Rick built me shelves above the door frame and window, and I pared down my collection A LOT. None of it lives on my counter; I can't afford to give up that workspace.
Do I have a huge stainless steel bowl big enough to bathe a baby in? Do I have muffin tins? Do I have three springform pans and lots and lots of wineglasses? How about an electric griddle, ten boxes of pasta, five cans of tomato soup, ten cans of various beans, and dozens of Mason jars for homemade pickles as well as even more smaller jars for pesto season? Heck yes I do. They all live in my basement on the sturdy shelves my husband built in the pantry area. There is no way I want any of that stuff--and more--in my kitchen until I need it.
How many of these methods do you already use? Do you have more to share?
I have a question! How do you store all your tupperware-with-lids? I nest all my tupperware in a drawer, along with their lids, and I feel like I'd run out of space if I stored them with lids on. Or do you nest small ones inside the bigger ones, like Russian nesting dolls?
ReplyDeleteI have an answer! that might be different from Nance's - it's really hard! Lol, but worth it for not having to dig for lids through the whole cupboard.
DeleteMine is even more different. We only have a few storage containers. Maybe a dozen? And since they're all nicely organized, I know exactly where they all are (except were currently missing a shallow rectangle and I don't know where it is and I am dubious of my husband's innocence in its disappearance) and I've learned we don't really need even that many.
DeleteLadies--I have a base cabinet that is 34" wide, 28" tall, and 10.5" deep. It houses nothing but storage containers. All of them live there with lids on. If there is one that does not fit there, it lives in my basement, lid on. I buy cheap Rubbermaid storage containers that I am ready to lose because I send a LOT of food home with my sons, especially Sam, who lives alone. And yes, so very worth it to never waste time searching for a lid.
DeleteMy husband put a pot rack up for me and I love it SO much. We have a lot of hooks too. I do keep some stuff on the counter - my hands are bad and dragging out my stand mixer or air fryer would hurt. We also store Tupperware with lids, but we still have to rejig the cupboard often to avoid some containers jumping out. I have not traditionally been super organized - late-diagnosed ADHD probably played a big role - but I have to be now or I forget literally everything (or sometimes overdose on allergy meds - eep). We keep a lot of less-seldom-used stuff in the basement also.
ReplyDeleteBibliomama--Oh, I keep my stand mixer on my counter, too. It's bright red and I cannot move that thing. It's Functional Decor, like my decanters of light and EV olive oil, which I use all the time. The kitchen has to be functional. It is, after all, an important workspace. If you use your air fryer a great deal, it has to live on the counter. I'm that way about my coffee maker. I'm not hauling that thing out every morning.
DeleteWe don't keep so much as a crock of utensils on the counter because we have a very naughty cat who doesn't dare get on the counter when we're around, but obviously visits the counter at night. To prevent Ms Litter Paws from possibly contaminating our utensils, the counter is clean every night before bed. Why do we have cats again?
ReplyDeleteEngie--I have a small butcher block counter right next to my stove that holds my crock and a spoon rest and that's it. My cats never even tried it, thank goodness.
DeleteAs to why we even have a cat, it's the age-old question. I ask it every time I get ready to go out in public and have to lint roll every square inch of my clothing. Sigh.
You would have a heart attack if you saw my tiny, crowded condo kitchen. It has about 50 square feet of floor space. The ‘counter space’ includes a dishwasher and a stove, and there are 2 recessed areas at the far end (facing each other) for the stackable washer & dryer + a very tall, very narrow fridge with French doors so that you can actually open the fridge without the door banging into stackable in front of it. I spent weeks researching a fridge with those French doors that would fit in that hideously narrow fridge space. It’s my favorite appliance in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThe very top shelves in my cupboards are hard to reach without a little step ladder. My most basic cooking utensils are stuck to a magnetic band on the wall above the stove, but that’s literally all the wall space I have. So yeah, there are a few receptacles lining the wall on either side of the stove for other basic “cooking instruments,” most of which are wooden. The rest really has to go into drawers. The limited counter space just has the microwave, toaster, coffee maker and a blender that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Well, O.K., I also have 2 Talavera hand painted ceramic jars, one for garlic and one for onions. But they are placed against one of the walls and don’t occupy any cooking space. The sentimental stuff is the hardest for me to part with. All of that said, I do manage to scrounge up enough space to prepare food, although “clean as you go” is imperative. Pretty sure I would do that even if I had a larger kitchen.
I am currently in the midst of doing a major overhaul to throw stuff out that I never use anymore and take full advantage of extra cupboard and drawer space to better organize what I do want to keep. Like, uh, I do not need a fondue set that someone gave me when I got married and… never, ever ended up using. I liked that back in the day, decades ago when it was popular, but now… not really. Way too much fuss to set up, and awkward to eat as cute as it might look. If someone comes over for a meal, it will be stove to table, not stove on the table, lol.
I like all of your suggestions for how to weed out the unnecessaries. It’s even more urgent in my case, because I have no pantry. Our “basement” is a small narrow garage on the bottom floor which also needs a major overhaul. It still has scaffolding from when Luis did construction remodeling. Geez! But even if it were empty and spotlessly clean, with all the issues my hip is giving me lately, going up and down stairs carrying stuff is not an option. (Another reason my “stackables” are not down in the basement.) These days I have to grab the stair railing just going up and down the stairs outside our 2nd floor condo in case I suddenly get a really sharp pain (or worse) that causes me to lose my balance.
None of the above seems like a terrible hardship, as much as I would like a bigger kitchen. That’s probably because my little studio kitchen in Madrid had a couple of large cupboards, but did not have a single drawer! Everything hung on the wall above the stove (very handy, as you say) and cutlery + other basic necessaries were in jars on the counter. I actually managed quite nicely as I was living alone. Since coming back to the U.S., I really really miss the stove I had which was the best one ever: the oven was electric, and the stove top had 2 gas burners and 2 electric burners. Cooking heaven!
I have always been intrigued by your “cow kitchen” décor and would love to see a picture of it. Did you ever post a photo on your blog? My memory is failing me this time, lol.
Ortizzle--It saddens me to hear of your aches and pains and the troubles they cause you. I'm so sorry! I wish you could get more relief, or, failing that, a first floor accommodation.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I posted some photos of my kitchen at one point, but I have to go into my archives and look. I'll come back later and reply with a link if I find it.
It's really tough when you have a truly small kitchen, and to hear that you have to have a stepladder to reach cupboard space is worrisome. Thank goodness L is retired, too, and can help with that. Let him!
Obviously, it's time to let that fondue pot go LOL. I will say that I've gotten more and more ruthless each time I've decluttered, and I've yet to regret anything I've jettisoned. Not one single thing. And remember, Sam has just bought a big old colonial house. There isn't anything I gave away that he really could have used.
NEWS FLASH: Did a Department blog search using the word "cow," and, as you can imagine, there was a voluminous list. But after a bit of quick scrolling through the pics, I found the one with photos of your kitchen, and there is a photo of your beloved cow collection! Oh, Frabjous Day! "Cowloo" Callay! 🥰 Nov. 18, 2020, almost 5 years ago to the day: https://deptofnance.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-challenge-post-18-my.html
DeleteGreat post! I also have pots and utensils hanging up, within easy reach. I know where everything is in my kitchen, and if it isn't there it's because Larry put it away. Really. He knows exactly where to get what he needs, but seems clueless about putting it back where he found it.
ReplyDeleteBut I do have some decor, and enjoy it very much. I also have a very large kitchen, and no basement or attic so in this house what you see is what there is.
G Sue--Thanks! I think sometimes these Slice Of Life posts can be interesting.
DeleteI can sympathize with you about Larry's behaviour. Rick does the same thing. Over and over again. It's like he hasn't lived here for 40 years, same as I have.
I'm envious of your large kitchen. I'd be thrilled to give up my dining room for a larger kitchen. It's more or less a hallway to my living room, really, for as often as we use it.
And I have plenty of decor in my kitchen! It's just not on my counter. Trust me--you can tell that I'm a Cow Fancier as soon as you walk into my kitchen. Theo tells everyone "Nana too many cows!"
My daughters do what your husbands do when they feed us and 'clean' the kitchen. I need a spoonhound (kitchen bloodhounds, where are they when we need them?)
DeleteWe have a second pantry in the basement as well. We're not "preppers" by any means, but we could definitely last a couple of weeks with amount of tinned goods we have stashed away. I really like how super efficient your pot rack sounds, but our kitchen is the same room as our dining room and living room, so it may not work.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I forgot to say this yesterday, Nance--but I'm so impressed by your jump-rope-telephone-pole contrivance. Ingenious!
maya--Oh gosh, by no means would I call you Preppers. We're not, either, but we have a stand alone freezer in the basement that's full and lots of canned goods and pasta, too. We lived through some very lean times, so we tend to take advantage of sales and stock up. And for a while, we had the boys grocery shopping at our house here and there, you know?
DeleteMy pot rack hangs a bit in front of and above my stove. Your home sounds perfect for family dinners, where everyone can hang out while the meal is prepared as well as eaten!
Thanks for the compliment on our jump rope McGyvering. It really worked well. We South Lorain girls always found a way.
Are you available for hire? Could you come to Chicago suburbs and teach my your ways? We put an addition on our kitchen in '17 and I have plenty of space. Coach bought me a huge air fryer, and I'm sure it's great and everything but it takes up a lot of counter space and it's ugly. He uses it more than I do. My issue isn't my cabinets (I mean, yes it is, but I know where things are and I'm OK with a little lack of organization) - it's my countertop clutter, papers and bills and mail, etc. Once it piles up, I organize it. I'd like to get a better system. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteErnie--I'm sure I could implement a system, but the tough part would be getting everyone to follow/adhere to it. I could have you straightened out in no time if everyone would buy in.
DeleteI remember when everyone was buying an InstaPot. Now you don't hear anything about them because everyone is into air fryers. Our new stove has a built-in air fryer; I have yet to even think about using it.
Ernie, you're so busy and have so much going on all the time. Get a big expandable file/portfolio with a clasp, put it on the counter, and put all the papers and bills in it. Go through it once a week at least and call it good for now. At least that way, the papers will be contained.
Our kitchen counters are so cluttered! We have all manner of things on there (almost none of them decorative). I really should spend some quality time just yeeting half of it (did I use that word correctly?). I mean, the cute mason jars that I'm keeping for why? And the plastic containers that need to go back to church. And the food processor that we NEVER USE. The one organized part of the kitchen is Mike's Tower 'o Cast Iron (he got a stand for all of his pans). We need an intervention. Ha!
ReplyDeleteBug--I am no longer in amongst teenagers, so I have no idea about slang anymore. Or if that's even current.
DeletePut those containers in your car so they're in there to go back to church and off your counter! Donate your food processor and keep one cute Mason jar for flowers or buttons or whatever and donate the rest. There. You've been intervened. LOL
The clutter becomes insidious. And when you're working, who wants to take precious free time and deal with it? I completely understand.
I would like to get to the point where our kitchen is less cluttered. Most of the counters are not cluttered, but there is on area in particular that has charging cords, the boys iPads, glasses cleaner, bags of Halloween candy, etc. Now that we have cleaners coming every 2 weeks, we completely clean the counters the night before their arrival and seeing those clear counters are a balm to my soul! I need a better solution going forward, though.
ReplyDeleteWe have a small pantry in our kitchen + a lazy Susan (poor Susan, why was her name used for this storage space!) so all of our non-perishables go there. Then in our window seat between the dining room and kitchen, the seat lifts up and there is a big storage area there. That's where serving dishes and rarely-used appliances like our crock pots and stand mixer, are stored. I love that storage space and wish I could hug the architect that designed it! Granted, the window seat itself becomes a catch-all for backpacks, bags, library books, etc... But I feel like in the young-kid stage of life, clutter is just part of life... Someday it will change, though!!
Agree agree! You are at the stage where Kid Clutter is a fact of your lives. Kids remind me of the Charlie Brown character Pig Pen, who had a constant trail of dirt. Kids have a constant trail of clutter--toys, backpacks, meds, books, SOCKS, shoes, jackets, snack wrappers, cups, bowls, and crumbs. I'd like to tell you that it changes a LOT as they get older, but honestly, it doesn't. What changes is that you can tell them to clean up after themselves and they can.
DeleteI envy your window seat storage. I do have good cupboard space for a small kitchen, but my crockpots are in the basement and my stand mixer lives in a deep corner on my counter.
I always stored the boys' Halloween candy on top of the fridge. That way, their access was restricted and it was out of the way. As the supply dwindled, I put it in smaller containers.
Can you find a basket or complementary-coloured storage container to house all those items that would allow you to still store it on the counter, but have it look a bit neater? That way, it would still live there, items in easy reach and easy to move for the cleaners, but not be so bothersome to you.
I've long ago decided that cords are part of modern life. I don't even try to wrangle or hide them. I keep them out of traffic for safety (and Theo), but I can't worry about their appearance beyond that.
Pig Pen is an accurate description of this stage of life! I do think a stylish/visually appealing basket for the kitchen counter is a good solution for the detritus that collects in that area. It’s all things we use nearly daily, so it make sense to keep it out but it would look better in a nice basket!
DeleteI hate my kitchen. There is no solution other than tearing it out and putting in something new. Which we cannot afford, especially if we want to go to France next year, which I very much do. I love your system, it sounds so functional and satisfying.
ReplyDeleteJ--I am sad that you hate your kitchen, especially since you do so much cooking there and seem to enjoy cooking. Perhaps after one more trip to France, you could plan for and start saving for your new kitchen. If not, then you've made a satisfying choice of travel instead of a better place to cook.
DeleteYes, I have pondered that. Would I rather travel or have better cabinets? How does one choose? I mean, the cabinets would be more every day joy, and practical. But gosh, I love France and the memories.
DeleteWe have a 'galley' kitchen with a table and two chairs at one end. We have bottom and top cupboards except for two seta of drawers. the cupboards are a mess, as I am unable to get to the back of them any more, and am even unsure what is in some of them. Luckily I have a big dining area with a lot of storage in in and so that is where most of my cooking and serving 'stuff' ends up. Drawers hold pots and the baking utensils. We eat in the kitchen mostly.
ReplyDeleteIt stays as neat as it does because I police it. Rigorously. Especially since I am married to a man who puts anything he wants to draw to my attention or that he may need ON THE COUNTER. Although I am sure this is grounds for divorce, I love him anyway.
Mary--I have a husband who leaves all sorts of stuff on the counter near his tea caddy. He acts like it is a sort of office area or catchall just for him. I practice my Patience by not picking all that stuff up and throwing it down the basement steps toward his workshop or worse, at him. I share your pain.
DeleteLike you, I appreciate storage and police the home so that it stays serene and I can maintain my Zen, especially now. How I wish I had deep drawers for my baking pans instead of a low cabinet that goes very far back (and has no light).
The bottom cupboards are a mess. I do not seem to be able to edit. Apologies for the errors.
ReplyDeleteI understood your meaning completely. No apologies necessary, ever.
DeleteI am very much a A Place For Everything Person; alas my husband is not. Also, the kitchen is mainly his domain so except for a few ironclad rules I laid down (yes, storage containers are stored with lids ON) it's the wild, wild west in there.
ReplyDeleteGigi--I might just give up control if Rick were the cook. I cannot imagine such heaven as having no more planning and cooking of meals. What bliss!
DeleteI know I am very, very lucky so I'm willing to concede just a hair on a few things for that privilege.
DeleteNance, I think everyone loves this post because we all enjoy a peek into another friend's kitchen! And I so appreciate your very kind mention! Putting the lids on the plastic containers and stacking them has been one of the very best things that I've ever done in my life. Seriously. I'm glad it's made such a difference for you as well. I can't believe how much frustration all those containers and lids used to cause me. It was pretty insane to be honest! I store my plastic containers in the cabinet over my stove and the majority of it is two stacks of square Rubbermaid containers, one shallow and one deep. I've replaced most of them all one time because I've sent them home with the kids to NY more than once and I don't expect them to come back. But the ones that I use to take food to Mom always get returned and reused. They are not the least expensive Rubbermaid ones you buy at the store but they are not super expensive either. They click together if you want them to but I usually don't use them that way. I also have some old school Corningware with glass lids that I keep in my corner turntable that I will use for heating and storing veggies and such at home. As far as the kitchen in general, I get rid of more and more as time goes on. Serving platters and such that were gifted to me and were never my favorites, items that I've used and never plan to use again, and the like. For example on the last purge, I let go of a crystal relish dish that was a wedding gift. Even writing that makes me laugh. The people who gave it to us were friends of Smokey's parents. I may have used it once for a party and it wasn't to serve such items. I also gave away a punch bowl with the cups, ladle, etc. It wasn't valuable but it was pretty for what it was. Just simple pressed glass. I think I used it once or twice over the years for a baby shower or something. I never planned to use it again. Hopefully, someone who frequents the local charity thrift shop was happy to get it. Every time I let more things go, the better I feel. Nothing on top of my fridge any longer, very few things on my counters, skillets all fit under my stove and pots and pans all go in turntable (expept for my large stockpots), etc. It's all good.
ReplyDeleteShirley--I'm telling you, that advice was life-changing. And kitchen-changing! So grateful for that wisdom.
DeletePurging all those unused and white elephant sort of items feels so good. And it's not even about gaining that space. It's about letting go of stuff that should have gone years ago and letting go of that feeling of guilt and obligation: "I really shouldn't just get rid of that; it was a wedding gift" or "That used to be my grandmother's" or whatever. Sometimes, you're doing more to honour that gift/person's memory by passing it on to what might be a more appreciative or delighted user.
All great ideas Nance. I have given my kids probably more than 3/4 of my kitchen stuff as they've moved out and/or bought their own homes. It's pretty easy to keep my kitchen organized now. I do have a cabinet in my dining room where I store rarely used items. I'm so with you on the plastic container idea too!
ReplyDelete