Kitchen Storage Solutions

Get your kitchen cabinets in shape with these kitchen cabinet organizers. Cabinets need to be functional, and these organizers will help you to create more space while making your cabinets easier to use.

Two great uses for food storage containers.

1. Store leftovers in food storage containers (I like Pyrex, pictured left) and follow these tips to keep your leftovers fresh longer:

• Allow hot food to cool completely before putting the container back in the fridge.
• Don't re-heat food in a plastic container in the microwave, re-heat in glass, or empty the food into a pot or onto a pan for re-heating. (This is why I prefer glass--one less step)
• Date and label food that will be frozen so it is easily recognizable.
• Store in portion sized-containers so you can grab-and-go.

2. Transferring the food items from their bulky packaging into food storage containers will free up space and give your pantry that sought-after streamlined look.

I've written about junk drawers in How to Organize Your Junk Drawer, there is a Junk Drawer Organizing Video, and I've even dedicated an entire lesson to them in my Home Organizing ECourse.

An organized junk drawer is such a powerful tool in your kitchen and the key to organizing the space is to install drawer dividers that separate twist ties from coupons from scissors from all of the other little odds and ends that end up in a junk drawer.  I like these Linus Drawer Dividers which are clear and can be used in either a shallow or deep drawer.

Your kitchen pantry is a very powerful storage space. Installing the right pantry storage solutions will help you to maximize this space so you can fit in all of the odds and ends you nee don hand in the kitchen.

Pots are heavy, clunky, oddly shaped and hard to organize. Most sets don't nest very well together, and when I was living in a small apartment with a very tiny kitchen, I would wash my 3 pots and just store them on the stove. This worked for me, but if you have the space, I recommend hanging your pots out of the way on a pot rack. I like the Stainless Steel Pot Rack, pictured left.

Tip:

• Measure before you install - you want to keep your pots and pans in easy reach for every cook (and dishwasher) in your household.

I like to be able to see each spice jar at a glance rather than removing them all from the cabinet to find the one I need ( and I bet you do, too).

Tips:

• Buy a spice rack that has gradual elevation (like the Linus, pictured left). Sounds very "NASA" for a kitchen storage solution, I know, but a rack with different steps means you will be able to see at least the top half of every jar.
• Only buy a wall rack if it can fit your entire spice collection in it, or purchase a small one that holds only the spices you use most often.
• Streamline the look by emptying spices into matching jars and labeling each jar - it will look fantastic - but only for the uber organizers.