In many families, the kitchen is the hotspot for food and entertainment. The kitchen is home to the fridge – a magical frost-land that protects what we hold near and dear – day old leftovers and half drunk bottles of wine. We spend hours lurking in the kitchen, trying to find the right snack, while eating a snack. And we try to eat as much as we can whilst using the least amount of dishes as humanly possible. Every kitchen has its staples, but not every kitchen is ideally organized for effective cooking and cleaning. What good is it to have several packets of biscuits when you can store it in a cookie jar and save your food clips? Or why get frustrated yanking out your pots from the cupboard when you can create a stylish, yet functional, pot rack?
Check out these 12 must-read kitchen storage hacks to up-do your kitchen!
1. Carve a spice niche
When it comes to cooking, spices and herbs play a big role, (I hope) and these small cylinders and packets can demand a lot of storage space. Using a spice rack mounted on the inside of your cabinet door allows you to keep your spices organised while occupying unused space, leaving you free to use your cabinets to store something else…like the all important waffle maker. Don’t want to buy a spice rack or drill holes in cabinets? Read on for more smart kitchen storage hacks.
2. Use magnets
If you don’t want those unsightly holes in your cupboards, adhesive magnets may be a good option for you. There’s also the advantage of easy application. You can also use magnets to store knives so you don’t have to use a knife block – just make sure you use a magnet strong enough so that it doesn’t start raining knives!
3. Make freezer shelves with magazine holders
Magazine racks being turned on their side and used as freezer shelves screams university hack – which, let’s be honest, is where most domestic hacks are born from. It’s a clever way to create zones in your freezer to systemise your different food items, but just make sure to use freezer-safe ones.
4. Cutting board over the sink
Ah, the chopping board. There are so many varieties of chopping board, from bamboo to plastic to flexi-board to coloured ones! The options are endless. And each chopping board has a particular use – but where to store them?
Save valuable space on your kitchen counter with a cutting board over the sink! There are certain sink designs that incorporate a chopping board attachment, but you could just grab any board that fits nicely across your sink. Not only are you saving counter or cabinet space, but you can prevent bits of food escaping onto the kitchen floor – they will just fall into the sink. Thus, cutting cleaning time!
If you’re a DIY enthusiast, you can research how to customise a chopping board for your kitchen sink.
5. Create a labelling system
Is a labelling system necessary? ABSOLUTELY! Labels are a great way to help you organise your pantry and write expiry dates. Plus, it’s ideal for families or households with different dietary needs. Next thing you know you’ll be cooking your roommate’s gluten-free pasta and unavoidably start a ‘WHO-ATE-MY-FOOD’ war. Spare yourself the grief and start labelling.
6. Hang your pottery
Free up space in your cupboards by hanging your pots and pans. This may seem absurd, but lots of olden-time customs across the world included hanging pots with food from the ceiling to keep it from greedy paws! As a bonus, get an eye-catching top shelf and a decent set of crockery, and you’ve created a unique kitchen accent – 2-for-1!
7. Rearrange your pot lids
A very simple solution for pot lid storage is command hooks. It is similar to adhesive magnets, but the hooks allow the lids to be hung. This tip will save a lot of space inside kitchen cabinets and makes the search and grab process much faster.
Another hack is to store your lids in a storage rail instead of on top of its matching pot. This will make nesting your pots and pans much neater!
8. Create your own kitchen tablet
Have an old tablet that you rarely use? If so, why not turn it into a dedicated kitchen tablet?! Get rid of clutter like the decaying paper calendar on the fridge, dusty cookbooks in the cupboards, and forgotten recipes scattered around the counter top. Digitising messy paper is a great way to save space in your kitchen.
9. Pull-out pantry
If you have unused space between the refrigerator and the wall, you can transform it with a pull-out pantry to store jars and sauces. Grab a dressing trolley and place all your favourite sauces and condiments in it! Since it has wheels, you can even change its location if any more space frees up.
10. Add a kitchen island
Now this one is a little less on the hack side and a little more on the investment side – although it can still be DIY. A kitchen island can bring extra functionality and organisation to your kitchen as it can serve as both a place to eat and an extra storage space. You can put plates and cups in the underhand storage units for easy grab and go.
11. Use inserts in drawers
One of the problems with organising a kitchen drawer is the inefficient use of space. Too often, people misplace cutlery, perhaps because there’s no clear setting for them, (or they lose them at work) and end up buying a whole new set. Using drawer inserts will make it easier to sort your utensils and crockery and keep track of all your stock.
If you want to get a bit more kitchen-savvy then you could opt for a plate rack too and store it inside your cupboards.
12. Organise your refrigerator
Keep your refrigerator clean and tidy to prevent fresh food from spoiling too quickly. There are actually certain placements for different foods to ensure maximum preservation for that particular food. For example, did you know that meat, poultry and fish should be stored on the bottom shelf? This is to stop it leaking onto other foods and prevent cross-contamination.
Food baskets are also a space-saver and a neat trick to arrange things like sauces and jars.
Summary
So there you have it. These simple kitchen tricks will help you maximise your storage space and keep your kitchen tidy. A properly organised kitchen is much easier to clean – isn’t that the main goal?