Terri Ramsey Beavers Many people always feel like their kitchens are too small. But the reality is that their kitchens are not organized and functional—the size is rarely the issue. So if you want to feel more comfortable in your kitchen and produce a lot of tasty meals with ease, here’s how to create a well-organized and highly functional kitchen:
Create a lunch-prep zone
One of the main things that annoy people is all the containers necessary for lunch prep. If you have kids that need a daily lunch packed to take to school, create a practical lunch prep zone you will stock with lunch boxes, containers, bags, plastic utensils, napkins, toothpicks and labels. You can dedicate one cabinet or deep drawer to these necessities and save yourself a lot of trouble in the morning.
Place utensils near the dishwasher
If you love to save time when doing the most boring of tasks—unloading your dishwasher—place the utensil drawer right next to the dishwasher. This way, you can keep your feet in one spot and do the unloading quickly instead of having to go back and forth all the time. In some cases, people can empty out their dishwasher in 50% less time.
Use dividers in drawers
Every single drawer in your kitchen deserves good dividers. Today, it’s easy to find dividers that can be made to fit any drawer and any drawer requirements. There are also small boxes for sorting out things like cutlery, spices, rubber bands and other kitchen necessities. This way, you’ll keep bigger items separated from smaller ones and always know how to find exactly what you need in your drawers.
Invest in the right fridge
If you don’t like to waste time planning your meals and preparing food, then the best thing you can do for yourself and your kitchen is to invest in a good fridge. For most people and most kitchens, a quality bottom mount fridge freezer has shown to be very effective and practical. This type of fridge has a freezer at the bottom and a fridge on top, so you can easily switch between compartments. With a fridge and freezer combo, it’s much easier to plan meals and take out frozen things into the fridge to thaw. Also, putting things away after shopping is also a piece of cake.
Keep trays and lazy susans on counters
Many people think that you need to have 100% bare countertops to achieve any sort of organization and cleanliness. This is not true and is entirely not possible for most of us. To keep things on your counter and still make your kitchen look well-organized, employ trays and lazy susans. If you have any oils, sprays and spices you use all the time, place them on a nice tray next to your stove. For those underutilized corners, you can use lazy susans and always have everything at hand while keeping the space organized.
Keep a running grocery list
How many times did you sit down to make a shopping list just to blank out after five items? Have a running list on your fridge to avoid this frustration and avoid getting duplicates or forgetting something important. Best-organized people have grocery shopping list templates printed out in 10 copies attached with a magnet to their fridge. A magnetic pen is also a great addition to this setup. This way, whenever you finish a carton of milk or empty out the tomato drawer, you can add them to the list and later take the list to the store with you.
Step up your lighting
Lighting can make a huge difference in your kitchen. There’s no easy way to say this, but most kitchen lighting setups suck, especially after sunset. Adding some undercabinet lighting and some hanging pendants over the work areas can boost your kitchen’s functionality and attractiveness.
Before you go ham on your kitchen walls with a sledgehammer in effort to make some more space, try these organization tips. You’ll see how much more functional and better your kitchen will feel in no time.