We’ve all heard the phrase, “the kitchen is the heart of the home,” and with today’s open-concept layouts, that has never been more true. Our kitchens are where family and friends gather to talk, eat, and even do homework. While a kitchen that looks beautiful is important, a kitchen that functions well is what makes creating all those meals fun instead of a chore. The first step to a functional kitchen is of course proper layout with a good work triangle. Once all your cooking, prep, and cleaning zones are lined out, the next focus should be cabinet organization. There are hundreds of different types of pullouts and inserts that can make your kitchen truly work for you.
Prep Zone Organizers
Food preparation looks different for everyone, so think through the tools that the cooks in your home use to decide which organizers you need. For knife storage, consider a base cabinet pull out with a knife block, or a wooden drawer insert with slots for safe storage. Cutting boards stand up in a tray base organizer for easy access in a small space. Spices can be stored in a base or wall cabinet pull out by the cooktop, in an expandable rack in a wall cabinet, or in a drawer. Drawer base cabinets are a great way to house food storage containers, and adding a roll out inside a large drawer is the perfect spot to keep all the lids together. For bakers, consider adding a mixer lift in a base cabinet to bring it up to counter height when you need it.
Cooking Zone Organizers
Having a well-organized space around your cooktop and ovens makes cooking faster as everything is within arm’s reach. Deep drawers under your cooktop is efficient storage for pots & pans, or add a base roll out designed to hold the cookware and the lids. A peg system for deep drawers further organizes pots, mixing bowls, or any other large items. A utensil pull out in the base cabinet gives you easy access to spoons and spatulas, while keeping them hidden from view when not in use. A tray organizer near the ovens stores cookie sheets and muffin tins right where you need them. A small drawer to house hot pads and trivets near the oven is also useful. Adding additional shelving in a cabinet allows you to store glass cookware individually instead of stacking them on top of each other.
Cleaning Zone Organizers
Few people actually enjoy the task of cleaning up the kitchen, but having some functional organization around the sink and dishwasher can make it a little easier. If you use sponges for cleaning your dishes, a tilt out tray under the sink can keep them right where you need them. Pull out trash cans next to the sink are an efficient way to set up a scrape, rinse, dishwasher assembly of dinner dishes. Double trash cans allow you to use one for recycling and one for trash on normal days and have extra trash capacity for entertaining. Cabinet door organizers hold bags, dish soap, and/or dish towels for easy access. Adding a roll-out tray to the sink cabinet makes it much easier to find and reach the items you have stored there.
As with any room in the house, proper organization and storage makes you more efficient with your tasks and eliminates frustration. Choosing inserts and pull-outs that keep your kitchen tools neat and in easy reach makes kitchen chores run quickly and smoothly!
