Not everyone has the luxury of a full pantry cabinet or closet, but the space available to you should be organized to be functional and efficient. Start by emptying the entire pantry. Then, thoroughly clean and wipe shelves. Finally, dry using a microfiber towel. Check food for an expiration date. Use your judgment to discard things that have expired.
Restock the pantry items, grouping similar foods together. For example, pasta should always be on the same shelf so you easily know what needs to be restocked when you go to the store. Organization saves time; you will not have to rummage through your pantry to find an ingredient. Canned goods in our house are easily forgotten. Now I organize them by soups, tomatoes, fruit, etc. This way, I know exactly what I have and what I need.
Arrange non-perishable goods so that the oldest are toward the front. This way, your food will not expire, which decreases your waste and saves you money. I am very big on rotating things. It works and saves money.
Get creative with storage options. Sometimes, it is beneficial to store things in clear containers because it gives the visual cues needed to remember to add that item to the shopping list! Check Pinterest for some really creative, low to no cost ideas about reusing things you already have for food storage. Recently, I was looking for inspiration and found someone who reused a clear coffee creamer bottle to store unpopped popcorn. Great idea! I have been saving plastic and glass containers to use for storage in the kitchen and around the house. Can’t wait to try it out!
Save Money
As soon as you see that a pantry item is getting low, add it to your shopping list. Doing so will save you multiple trips to the grocery store, which saves you time and money. Here’s why: If you go to the store to pick up one thing, you will end up with 10. Guaranteed. Consequently, that costs you money in the long run. Limiting grocery store trips has been saving me money for years.
Use chip clips and sealable food storage jars and/or bags to help keep cereal, snacks, chocolate chips, frozen vegetables, etc. fresh. Stale food = money down the drain.
Now that your pantry is organized, set aside a few minutes to take inventory prior to grocery shopping. Open the pantry door with your paper and pen in hand. Do not go to the store without a list. It will cost you time and money. There is nothing more stressful to me than forgetting my list. I mull around the store like a lost soul putting things I don’t need into the cart. Then, upon arriving home, I find I didn’t get half of what I needed. As a result, I have to make another trip to the store which costs more money.
Functional Kitchen Drawers
Drawer dividers are probably the most common drawer organization solution. Those organizers are definitely helpful but do not work well in every drawer. Your kitchen drawer contents may range from utensils to storage bags! Maybe you have a “junk” drawer.
To maintain a functional kitchen, sort your drawer contents to have similar items together. For example, in one drawer you may keep wooden spoons and basting spoons. Flatware should go in another drawer, making it convenient to set the table for dinner. Storage bags, plastic wrap, and foil should also be together if possible (if drawer space isn’t available, try door mounted storage). I have a drawer specifically for things used for baking.
Take the time to empty your drawers to take stock of what you have and get rid of what you don’t use. As you can see in the middle photo above, I have multiple wooden spoons (bamboo, actually). I probably use three every night to prepare dinner. Different sizes and shapes are needed in my kitchen, so I won’t be giving any of them up. Each one serves a different purpose. As you can see, a divider for the wooden spoon drawer wouldn’t be efficient.
I use inexpensive, easy to clean baskets to hold smaller items (see photo left and middle-click to enlarge). I think I paid about $1 for each. In the middle photo, the basket placed at the back of the drawer not only serves as additional storage but also keeps things from sliding around.
Functional Kitchen Cookware Storage
Having a base cabinet with slide out drawers is ideal for storing cookware, but it is not a necessity. That is one thing we added when we did a kitchen renovation 10 years ago, and I love it. Check Amazon for a variety of storage options, including pot racks, if you are short on cabinet space.
Having two sets of cookware that stack easily is helpful for storage. They “nest” together, which saves space in the cabinet.
Stack lids together for each set of cookware you have, with the smallest on top.
Skillets and frying pans fit together nicely when you have different sizes. Don’t forget to protect your non-stick cookware!
No matter where you house your cookware, keeping it organized and easily accessible is important for a functional kitchen. You will save time and aggravation when preparing dinner.
Other Tips and Tricks For a Functional Kitchen
Save plastic containers from sour cream and yogurt if you have room. Then, when you have a gathering and need to send leftovers home with your guests, you don’t need to worry about getting expensive containers back.
Always use a food-safe cleaner in the kitchen. If you must use any other cleaner, take the time to rinse or wipe the surface with clean water before drying to ensure any chemical residue has been removed.
Move rarely used items out of the kitchen. Because I only preserve food from my garden once a year, keeping large canning pots in my kitchen is a waste of space. We purchased a large shelving unit for the basement to house those items, which opens storage in the cabinets for things we use every day. Small appliances that are seldom used go on the shelves.
Find one location to store spices. If you have a spice drawer that is large enough, that’s great. A cabinet works too. Even after investing in glass jars to hold my spices and display them, I struggle with this. I have some spices stored in a cabinet, some in a drawer, and some displayed by my stove on the wall because the containers are different sizes. It’s a work in progress.
I love inexpensive multi-functional storage options. While you could spend a fortune on kitchen organization, you don’t need to. Think outside the box and get creative. Take a look at what items in your local dollar store may be useful.
Please contact us to submit your ideas for kitchen storage options. What makes your kitchen functional? I can’t wait to hear from you!
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April is the creator and author of Just Organize My Life. She is also a nurse who specializes in helping people who are battling addiction. April's mission is to help others become organized, declutter their space, and ultimately achieve inner peace.
