Kitchen Jenga: Five Ways To Set Up Your Cooking Space

An organized kitchen does more than save you time, it also helps you avoid accidents due to lack of space. Ask any professional chef worth their apron, and they'll tell you that a tight kitchen is an efficient kitchen. Here are a few tips on how you can free up space and make yours a friendlier place.

Go Scorched Earth: Eliminate clutter. This includes never-used gadgets, rusty pots, and that can of wax beans that have been collecting dust since 2020. We all love stuff, but we would bet even money that 10%-30% of what you currently own is doing nothing except keeping you from finding the tools you need. If you want to go all out, decanter dry foods into glass jars, and organize tools into baskets.
Get In The Zone: If you compartmentalize your kitchen into zones, it makes it easier to avoid cross-contamination during food prep. It also makes it easier to create stations where one person can chop garlic while the other cleans. Some zones we use: Cooking Zone, Preparation Zone, Food Storage Zone, Cleaning Zone, and Beverage Zone.
Spice Space: Have you ever had to empty your spice cabinet looking for the paprika, only to find it shunted away in a dark corner? Make a list of what you use most often-salt, pepper, allspice, whatever you use most-and move that to the front. That jar of oregano is probably in heavier rotation than the nutmeg you use once a year. And while you're at it, get rid of old spices. Anything over two year's old will likely have lost its aroma and flavor.
Embrace Your Hang-Ups: Hanging pots, pans, and certain utensils (not blades!) can save you TONS of room, and you won't have to drag six things out of a drawer before you get to a colander. There are myriad great rack systems available that provide much more space and ease of use. Bonus: This is also a great way to show off your shiny copper cookware
Stack Attack: Stackable sets of drinking glasses, kitchenware, and food storage containers abound, and you can store twice, maybe three times what you would in the same space. Any shelf that gives you vertical space is an opportunity to store upward rather than sideways.