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Post by Polar Bear on Jul 12, 2009 18:24:40 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I am in need of advice on how to organize food items in my kitchen cupboards. I just moved to a new apartment with quite a bit of cupboard space (or so it seems to me, anyway). Right now, all food items are in the cupboards, but are not organized. I just put everything in the cupboard and shut the door.
In the places I've lived before, I had either minimal cupboard space or none at all, so all the dishes went on one shelf and all the food items on another. There was no real semblance of organization other than that.
I remember that when I was growing up, my mother kept all the herbs and spices together on one shelf. But all the other food items were kind of jumbled together in the cupboards - she didn't really have a specific place for specific kinds of food.
I read a book at the library that recommended having a "cooking center" and a "baking center" in the kitchen, and then a place for canned goods and boxed foods. The cooking center would be a space in the cupboard for food items used in cooking, such as pepper, sage, thyme, and noodles. The baking center would have food items such as cinnamon, cloves, flour, sugar, and so on.
What do you think? What works for you? Any advice would be much appreciated!
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Post by gifted on Jul 12, 2009 19:06:18 GMT -5
However you organize foods in your brain would be good. Because I am trying to use up things, I want to be able to substitute. So I try to keep all of my "starchy" foods together, all of my beans together, etc. But I could just as easily keep all of my Asian ingredients together, Italian, etc. But I would suggest first asking yourself: What kind of cooking do I actually do? What cooking would I like to do in the near future? If you only cook a few different meals and use specific ingredients, you might arrange your foods by meals, of by days of the week. But just because you now have cabinets, Remember, that doesn't mean that you NEED to fill them!  ! SG |
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Post by grungygeorgie on Jul 12, 2009 19:12:51 GMT -5
I like to keep herbs & spice seperate
Canned goods in one area
Flours & noodles in clear plastic storage containers
Teas & coffee together
like goes w/like
allthis on the stove/oven side of kitchen
Dishes,glasses and such on sinkside
I have been in my kitchen 3 going on 3 years now and still trying new ways of organizing.
have fun playing house.Much easier for me now that kitchen is clutterfree!!gg
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Post by southerngirl on Jul 12, 2009 19:38:23 GMT -5
I like to cook and my kitchen has always been the tidy oasis in my apartment. Here's how I have it organized:
spices on spice rack (not a traditional rack but wire shelves on the wall -- the Container Store makes these for spices and they are great)
canned fruits and vegetables together
canned soups together
cereal in big Tupperware container
sugar in canisters (white sugar and brown sugar)
baking mixes, cupcake papers, etc. together
tea on top of fridge
coffee in fridge
pasta, rice, and dried beans in fridge
Hope this is helpful!
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Post by eagle on Jul 12, 2009 22:00:29 GMT -5
Hi, Polar Bear.
It must be tough to find what you need when you're cooking if things are jumbled together without order. At least it would be for me.
Here's how I organize my foods & other stuff in my kitchen, which may or may not work for you, depending on how it's designed.
Near stove: spices, herbs, oils, vinegars, soy, etc. (other non-refrigerated liquids often added in cooking), rices. Those items are mostly in cupboards, but some are actually on the counter. Salt, pepper, olive oil are to the left of the stove as I use them frequently. The rice cooker & crockpot sit on counter between oven and stove, as I use these frequently, hence the rice in the cupboard near the rice cooker.
Drawers & lower cupboards under oven and near stove: pot, pans, Corning cookware, cooking utensils & gadgets of a culinary nature.
Atop counter near stove: crocks holding frequently used cooking utensils, a small cup with common silverware.
In pantry: Dried legumes, lentils, grains are kept in glass jars on one shelf + half of another shelf. Canned goods get 1/2 shelf (I don't use many canned goods.) Pastas, seaweeds, sweets, and some flours on another shelf, in plastic drawers. Boxed mixes go on this same shelf. Some flours are in crockery containers on the shelf with legumes. Boxed dry cereals are on the top shelf.
However, most of my smaller packages of powdered grains (flours) & powdered sugar are in the freezer, in the door shelves.
Near sink: Coffee & tea & a small container of sugar, stevia & other sugar substitutes. These are in a two cupboards above & below the counter where the coffee pot sits. Coffee cups are in the shelf directly above the coffee pot. Soup bowls are in the next shelf Teas are in a shelf above that. Grinders & other special tea & coffee accoutrements are in a shelf to the left of that or below.
Also near sink (on the other side): Drinking glasses, clean glass ball jars (for storing food as needed), clean empty plastic bottles, spare Ball jar lids & seals on the top shelf.
Drawers between fridge & sink: Top drawer: kitchen towels. 2nd drawer: cook books, plastic clips (like chip bag clips, but I don't buy chips, but I do use them on all kinds of open bags of things). 3rd drawer: Wraps & bags (plastic wrap, waxed paper, parchment, ziploc baggies, aluminum foil. Bottom drawer: small brown lunchbags & popcorn bags.
Cupboard next to fridge (other side of fridge): Top cupboard: common crackers, glass bottles of things that will be refrigerated once opened: salad dressings, mustards, that sort of thing. Bottom cupboard: extra plastic baggies, sprouting containers, rare crackers, extra glass jars still in box.
I also have two lower 'cupboards' that are actually rotating shelves, L*azy Susan style. One near the stove contains metals: large pots, pans, mixing bowls, sifters, spare travel coffee pot, & rock salt (for the rare time we will make ice cream). The other one, near the fridge, contains plastics: strainers, measuring cups, storage containers.
Most dishes and silverware are kept in the dining room, not in the kitchen. Because when I set the table, which is in the dining room, I prefer to reach and not walk in order to get the plates & silver.
There are a couple of other higher up cupboards in which I keep things used less often, like the electric mixer, the popcorn maker, the juicer and so forth.
Basically, most things I need for the stove are near the stove, but some are not.
What makes sense for me in my kitchen and the way I work when I cook, may not work for you, though.
So it might be useful for you to start making some meals and notice where you have to go and what you have to do each time you make a meal. Then think of ways to make that easier, by re-locating some of your staples.
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Post by Polar Bear on Jul 13, 2009 18:45:27 GMT -5
Thanks to all for your help!
I'm looking forward to trying out some of these great ideas!
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Lochmess
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 55
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Post by Lochmess on Jul 14, 2009 7:17:51 GMT -5
I also make use of the freezer.
I keep breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan in food containers or in small packets in the freezer. I take out what I need and immediately put back the rest. This way I always have parmesan and breadcrumbs whenever I need them.
I buy small individual portions of butter and keep them also in the freezer. This way they stay fresher for much much longer.
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