Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers
In our house, the kitchen is the heart of the home. How about you? Do you find that people congregate in the kitchen? It is the room I spend most of my time. Organizing the kitchen can be overwhelming, so I am dividing it into bite size chunks. We are going to be devoting the whole week to the Eating Zone.
Here’s the schedule:
- Monday – Kitchen Cabinet and Drawers
- Tuesday – Pantry
- Wednesday – Refrigerator
- Thursday – Dining Room
- Friday – Linens
Are you ready? Here we go!
I started with the cabinets above the refrigerator. They are pretty much empty except for a few sentimental mugs and a pressure cooker that I use only a few times a year.
I went through my baking cabinet. Checking the dates on my spices. Taking inventory of my Christmas baking spices. Added a few spices to the shopping list, which worked out well because my local grocery store is running a 40% off sale on all spices.
The small cabinet above the microwave is where I keep my cookbooks. I went through those and am donating two cookbooks.
Next I moved onto the glasses and water bottles. Right before school started I purged quite a few of those, that cabinet looked good. On the top shelf I keep an extra set of dishes. I decided to donate all the cups and saucers that go with my extra set and the set I use every day. I don’t remember the last time I used them, if ever. So into the pile of donations they all went. I decided to keep 4 saucers for that “just in case” voice I was hearing in my mind. You know the one that says, “You never know when you will use it.” If I don’t use them in the next year, I will donate them at that time.
I continued onto the coffee cabinet. Someday, I would love to have a glass door. I have the prettiest espresso sets. In this cabinet, I keep coffee mugs and coffee filters on one shelf, my espresso pot and espresso sets on another shelf, and beautiful green goblets on the top shelf. I have too many espresso sets, but I am just not ready to get rid of any of them. I am breaking my own one year rule. Oh well! I have the room for them, if I didn’t have the room, I might make a different choice.
I then turned my attention to the bottom cabinets. These house all the baking dishes and small appliances. I got rid of a few things and that opened up just a little more space. I peaked under the sink, knowing things looked good in there. Here I only keep dishwashing detergent, sponges, gloves, a Costco sized container of vinegar, and kitchen cleaning supplies.
Next I looked at the kitchen counters. I have my toaster and electric can opener on the counter. For years, I put them in one of the cabinets below the island. Over the last six months, I made the decision to keep them out, because I use them almost daily. When I need room on my counter, like when I’m baking, I put them away. There is room for them to fit in the cabinets. In order to simplify my life, I decided to leave them out, especially in the morning, when we are rushing to prepare breakfast and pack lunches. If I can make room in my pantry tomorrow, I may move my Kitchen Aid mixer to a shelf, giving me a little more counter space. I also made sure that I used all the cooking utensils in my utensil holder.
I saved the drawers for last, because I don’t enjoy organizing them. One drawer holds all my measuring cups and spoons and other kitchen utensils. I was amazed at how many things I have that I never used, so into the donation pile they went.
My plastic container drawer looks pretty good; I am particular about how we stack everything.
I have a drawer for Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, parchment paper, and sandwich bags. This drawer looks the best because its contents are nice rectangles that fit together perfectly.
I have one drawer for towels, pot holders and hot pads. Every time I organize this drawer I am always amazed at the amount of towels I have. I think it’s because I use the same ones over and over and the pretty ones, that I’m “saving for company” never get used.
Finally: the junk drawer. Ugh! Why do we have a junk drawer? Many years ago I went to the Dollar Store and purchased different sized white baskets. Each basket was to be used for a specific purpose only. Ha! That lasted a few weeks. Here I am again, trying to figure out where else in the house do I put some of these odds and ends? Is it okay to have a junk drawer? Maybe I need to come to terms with that. Honestly, after starting to organize it, I walked away. This is a job for Kurt and me to do together.
Does your kitchen need attention as you Prepare Your Home for the Holidays?
Simple Steps:
Start with your cabinets. Go shelf by shelf. Ask yourself if there is something you can get rid of that you never use. Have you used it in the last year? Are your shelves in an orderly condition? Are like things with like things? For example, put all your baking supplies together, not scattered around your kitchen. Put things you rarely use on the higher shelves. Take inventory of your spices. Preparing Your Home for the Holidays includes looking ahead to preparing the Thanksgiving meal and Christmas baking.
Move to the countertops. What do your countertops look like? Are they cluttered with all kinds of appliance? Only keep what you use daily on your countertop. Make room for your small appliances in a cabinet or pantry.
Think in terms of stations. I have been seeing on several blogs and magazines a trend toward stations. The two most common I have seen are coffee stations and lunch preparing stations. We do have our coffee maker under the cabinet with our coffee cups and coffee filters. I keep the sandwich bags in the drawer of the island directly below where I make our lunches. If I had more room, I would put our plastic containers and snacks in the island as well. Do you have a place in your kitchen where you can set up stations? I would love to hear about your stations in the comments below.
Finally, go through your drawers. Pitch anything you are not using. Did you find towels you don’t remember buying?
Add some holiday decorations. Because our kitchen is decorated in fall colors, I don’t add anything to our kitchen.
Following these simple steps will go a long way toward you feeling prepared for the holidays.
Come back next week as we organize the pantry.
