Organise your Kitchen

so it’s always ready for your next project

By Ulrike Cao – Skilfully Sorted

If you love buying new food containers and dream of an organised kitchen and pantry but can’t seem to stay on top of it, this post is for you!

We do so many things in our kitchen… cook food, store groceries, eat dinners with the family and socialise with friends. This day and age, we may also home school kids and pay invoices at the kitchen table, or use it as a pop-up home office.

So what’s the secret to organising a kitchen for a lasting result?

I believe that it is much quicker and easier to always have a tidy kitchen than to constantly try to get on top of a messy one. Once the dishes have been sitting in the sink for a while it becomes a much less pleasant and more difficult task to clean them and pack them away. It’s much easier to enjoy a cooking or baking hobby when there is a dedicated space for supplies. And a small, well planned set of food containers sure beats the avalanche of plastic lids when opening the dreaded container cupboard.

To me, the secret is to organise the space and set up routines in a way that suits exactly what you want to do in the kitchen. At this point I need to acknowledge the KonMari® method of organising. This is the much famed organising method developed by Japanese home organising guru and best-selling author Marie Kondo. I’m not going to go into detail about the method (there’s a book for that) but my organising style and tips are greatly influenced by it, including the belief that organising by category (rather than room) is a key ingredient to lasting results, and that you can’t declutter or organise someone else’s belongings.

There are typically many categories of items stored in a kitchen and many are jointly owned, so it’s important to acknowledge that, take stock and consult with household members to ensure everyone buys in to the end result.

Take stock and declutter

What is currently in your kitchen? You’ll have groceries, cookware and dinnerware. There are likely cleaning items like dishwashing liquid, sponges and brushes. Perhaps you’re also using the pantry to store your tax returns and product warranties, and your fridge doubles up as a peg board for to-do lists, take-away menus or doctor’s referrals.

Organising by category and keeping like items together are key to achieving lasting results. It will be easy to get an overview of what you already own and whether you have any duplicate items.

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Organise your sink and cleaning items

For example, you can gather all your appliances. Really consider the value they bring to your every-day. Just because an appliance may come in handy one day it doesn’t mean it deserves to take up space in your kitchen. On the flip side, if the smell of fresh waffles reminds you of your last holiday and it makes you happy to make waffles for a treat, definitely hang on to that waffle iron!

Remove duplicates and everything that doesn’t serve a purpose anymore (hello spare lid from a food container). Make a plan to use up any spare pantry items before buying new ones.

Create a home for everything.

Every single item needs its own place, so that there is always a dedicated space to put it back after use, and to know when to replace it.

This applies to each category, including your food purchases. In my mind, this is the real secret to beautifully organised kitchens and pantries, and that’s also where the fun starts to choose beautiful containers. Just make sure you don’t skip over the decluttering part first!

Once you have worked out which ingredients are your staples, not just occasional purchases, and how much is in a standard pack, you’ll be able to match your staples with suitable containers, and only refill them when you are running low.

For example, if you always want at least a bag of muesli and a kilo of flour at hand, these should be decanted into their own dedicated containers. This will avoid contents spilling into your cupboards, and ensure no bugs find their way into or out of your supplies.

If you ask me, you can’t beat glass containers with airtight or leak proof lids for anything – whether it’s for pantry staples or as food containers. Glass will survive many hot wash cycles in the dishwasher and doesn’t discolour in the microwave, meaning that your containers are always squeaky clean and look like new.

Remember, you don’t need a fancy container and decant every item in your pantry. Occasional purchases and smaller items like condiment jars can be corralled in storage bins or caddies – it makes it so much easier to lift out an entire bin when cleaning!

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SEE ALL FOOD STORAGE

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Howards Amalie Pullout Organiser - Narrow

Amalie Pull-Out Organisers

SmartStore Compact Storage Boxes

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Think about the ‘flow’

When deciding where to store things, think about the location of your sink, stove and fridge. It can guide you on where to best store plates, utensils and food supplies. Make it ‘yours’, and also think about items that perhaps shouldn’t be in the kitchen at all.

I personally prefer drawers over shelves. Drawers make it easy to see, access and return everything. If your kitchen doesn’t have any drawers, don’t despair: there are some fantastic pull-out mechanisms that you can fit into your existing kitchen cupboards that do the same thing!

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Create new routines.

This is the final step to keeping your kitchen running like clockwork.

Get in the habit of adding to your shopping list if you notice something running low. If you can get to the shops regularly there’s really no reason to keep more than a modest quantity in your home. Food doesn’t get better with time, so make it a priority to keep quantities as small and fresh as works for you.
Having a handful of nice, reusable bags at the ready means that you don’t end up with a big pile of plastic bags at your home.
Encourage everyone in your home to swiftly clear away dirty dishes. For me it’s the single biggest detractor from having a well-functioning kitchen – without clutter it’s so easy to just quickly wipe over the surfaces and you’re ready for the next project.
Last but not least, include small touches of joy, like a cut flower, a display of vibrant fruit or veg, a fancy cook book, framed family recipe or a pretty tea towel.

Once your kitchen is organised it will always be ready for you, whether you decide to cook up a storm, home school kids or entertain friends at the kitchen bench.

Happy cooking!

Professional Organiser from Skilfully Sorted Ulrike_Cao

Ulrike Cao – Skilfully Sorted

Certified KonMari ® consultant, IOPO Professional Member

Ulrike is a Brisbane-based home organising consultant and tidying coach who specialises in the KonMari Method ® of tidying. She has trained with Marie Kondo in Chicago in 2017 and is passionate about helping her clients experience the transformative effect that a tidy and organised home can have on their time, stress levels and sense of self.

Mobile: 0435 089 874

Email: ulrike@skilfullysorted.com

Website: skilfullysorted.com

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Article created September 2021.