New home, new kitchen = where to begin
So, we just moved into our new home, after living with the in-laws for almost 2 years (long story, no one else should ever do this). The kitchen is fantastic, and much bigger than we are used to, and our kitchen equipment is sadly lacking. In our first couple of days, we are noticing that we are lost on how to organize our many drawers and cupboards, so I thought I would come the food site I read the most to see if anyone has any thoughts/tips/idea's and suggestions on how to go about this.
The budget is tight, and we need new everything (except my trusty KitchenAid Stand Mixer). Anyone have any tips one how to prioritize our purchases? How to organize our the kitchen? How to organize things in terms of efficiently using workspace? Anything at all would be very helpful!!
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12 Comments:
Organize and buy based on what and how you cook. I'm a fan of cast iron skillets (heavy, even-heating, oven-proof, durable, etc), and I find a lot of people think of them as crucial cookware. I also am at a loss without one little and two medium saucepans (we got Emeril ones - pretty nice and affordable too, given the quality), but that might just be me. Also, I think making sure you have at least one great knife (chef, large santoku, whatever) is mandatory, and a good cutting board if you're easily annoyed by crappy ones.
Don't over think it. Put things away where it makes sense, then rearrange as you go and figure out where things work best.
joyyy at 11:30AM on 06/09/09
We just moved out on our own again too! I have been collecting appliances, but we needed dishes, so we took a trip to Ikea. As for what to buy, prioritize what you use the most. My bf has toast and coffee every day, so obviously, a toaster and coffee maker were at the top of the list. Then I thought about the basics I needed -- spatula, whisk, can opener, etc. The rest we'll fill in as we grow. For organizing, I took a look at the kitchen and put stuff where it made sense -- dishes by the sink and dishwasher, pots and pans near the stove, one area for dry goods for cooking and one for baking. The kitchen is not big, so I stuffed the rest of my kitchen stash (mixing bowls, mostly) in the remaining cabinet.
emgroff at 11:36AM on 06/09/09
agree with joyyy - don't overthink! You'll probably end up moving things a few times as you figure out how things will work in the new space, so don't stress. That said, if you're completely ocd, like me, I found that a quick drawing of the cabinets (just a front view) really helped. I did that in pen and went over top with pencil as far as what would go where. This was helpful in that I didn't spend time putting away a bunch of stuff, only to discover I wanted it somewhere else... also makes it easier for someone else (I used my mil) to help you put away without constant questions or assumptions on their part.
For organizing, really think about what kind of kitchen you want, an open kitchen where everything is on the counter and within easy reach? do you need big jars/canisters to put your spatulas in? Or clean, pristine countertops and you just pull out what you need? this will also determine which appliances live on the counter vs in a cabinet.
Put things that you use everyday, all the time on the lowest shelf of the upper cabinets or some other equally handy space. Nothing worse than having to haul out the stepstool every single night.
congrats on the new kitchen... i am jealous
wasliche at 12:21PM on 06/09/09
When I did this in 2003 I went to a much bigger kitchen and it is going to take some time for you to find your way. There is plenty of time for a learning curve. Post some pics of that kitchen. I wanna see!!!
JerzeeTomato at 12:24PM on 06/09/09
Thanks so much to all for your comments... taking it slow is the one thing we figured on. it's going to take us a while to figure out how to cook in here, it's been so long since we were the ones to make decisions on where things go.
Storage is one thing we are good on, as we "upgraded" to have a large pantry cupboard added... 7 ft wide, 9 ft tall, 12 inches deep.. my favourite part of the kitchen.
I will post a pic as soon as some of the dust settles, and we get our oven.. should be any day now.
jason at 12:37PM on 06/09/09
When I purchased my condo, I had been living with family for 6 months with all of my things in storage. The kitchen was the first room I unpacked: so much fun and so much room! A cupboard for baking equipment, one for pots and pans, one for dishes, for glasses, for serving pieces,....I'd even have room to buy a huge Dutch oven! A week later when I officially moved in, I went to the store to stock up: (we had pitched all my pantry items, staples etc. so I got to buy all fresh!). Got home, and found I had not considered food storage in my excitement and used every square inch for pots and pans.
Back to square one, and no Dutch oven yet, sigh.
Bottom line, you will do it over, so don't sweat it too much.
Cary at 12:57PM on 06/09/09
When we moved into our house, one thing I did was set up a "tea cupboard" right near the stove top. In the tea cupboard we put all of our coffee mugs, teas, honey, hot cocoa, filters and coffee, and underneath we had our coffee maker and right next to that was the stovetop with our tea kettle. It makes having a "cuppa" very efficient, and it's nice when company is over and they want a cup of tea you can point them to the cupboard and they have all their choices right there.
It also makes sense (if you are a collector of spices, like me, and have enough room) to have a spice cupboard, or even a drawer, right next to your stove. If you use a drawer, and don't have one of those built-in spice caddy type things, you can write on the tops of your spices with a sharpie, so they'll be easy to spot and grab. I have mine in a cupboard, right next to the stove, at eye level. Get a lazy susan and put it in there for easy organization of the spices.
juliebugsmama at 2:16PM on 06/09/09
It's trial and error. Don't make any "permanent" decisions until you've been in the house, living full time, for at least a month. I changed silverware drawers three times. I changed dish/glass cabinets twice. You have to know the traffic patterns you'll be using most frequently before you know where everything should live.
It seems like a daunting task but it's actually fun when you get rolling. Like exercise, getting started is the toughest part...LOL.
I found the rolling racks that can be installed under cabinets very helpful for sheet trays and muffin tins, etc. They come as singles and stacked doubles.
Helpful hint - put a post it note on each cabinet after you complete loading it. This will eliminate opening six cabinets before finding a glass. Especially helpful when a glass of wine crucial to your sanity is waiting.
Today I'm happy, happy, happy. Why? Because it's GINORMOUS POT RACK DAY. We ordered the bottom pot rack. It will cover the entire kitchen island and I can FINALLY put away all my pots where they will live permanently. We got it in black. I nearly kissed the delivery guy.
therealchiffonade at 3:02PM on 06/09/09
I would suggest keeping a running list in your kitchen for the first few months. Somewhere out in the open and always keep a pencil with it. This way when you are in the middle of cooking and you think, "Gee, I could sure use a gigantic skillet / coated whisk/ more serving dishes right about now" you can jot it down on your list. I don't know what you like to cook and you may not be able to know it yourself until you're in the middle of cooking and find out what you really need.
As far as organization goes, I center my dishes and silverware according to what I use most frequently goes right next to the dishwasher. Only store things you use daily in the prime spots-- lowest in the overhead cabinets and highest in storage below the counter. Make it so you don't have to dig for your favorite things-- you should be able to have instant access and not have to do any digging or heavy lifting to get it.If you don't use small appliances daily, don't keep them out on your counter, store them. I read this in Julie Morgenstern's organizing book and it has made my life MUCH easier in my current kitchen.
carhoff at 3:39PM on 06/09/09
When I downsized into my smaller home after I retired, I was able to treat myself. The first thing I did was to have rolling shelves installed in all my lower kitchen cabinets and my pantry and my bathroom cabinets. Part of my reason for this was because I have rheumatoid arthritis. Digging things out of cabinets is pretty difficult for me. I cannot begin to tell how happy I am with this arrangement! Rearranging and reorgnizing have been so easy! There is nothing that ever gets "lost" in the back of a cabinet. After 3 1/2 years, the kitchen is still a work in progress, as I imagine it should be. I delete things and add things, and it's no biggie.
Best of luck on your new endeavor! Oh yeah, and don't sweat it. Enjoy!!
lindy123 at 8:36PM on 06/09/09
Thanks to everyone for the great tips.. we are definitely going to be taking our time. I've got a notepad on the counter now, so we can make some notes as we start to cook and live like normal people again. I fully expect to be changing things around several times over the coming months, but I suppose the kitchen is always some sort of work in progress, as tastes and styles of cooking change all the time. Our oven is getting delivered shortly, so I'll post a photo when it's all set up.
jason at 3:44PM on 06/10/09
Open your dishwasher, then put your everyday dishes and glasses where you can easily get to them with the dishwasher open. The stuff you use to cook with all the time goes next to the stove. The knives go within arms reach of where the cutting board will be used. It will, for the most part, be logical - and It will be fun!
maryannm at 5:06PM on 06/11/09