How do you organize your kitchen?

An attractive ceiling rack or wall hooks are always good for pots and pans, but generally my pots and pans have been subject to too much use to be attractive on public display. I’d certainly love to have a wrought iron ceiling-hung pot rack filled with lovely dark copper sauciers, but I would never be able to keep the pots looking good. Stove drawers are good for junk drawers. A magnetic knife rack is not as good as a butcher block holder. Sometimes I have found a small kitchen easier to work in than a big one, as an example, peggylou’s kitchen is a bit of a trek from sink to stove. I used to complain about my tiny kitchen until I saw the kitchen on the U-boat at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. You couldn’t even call that a galley or cubical, and they were cooking for dozens of men.

you should make a trip to the nearest IKEA store – they have tons of nifty goodies to organize kitchens – btw i am sure your kitchen isnt nearly as small as mine (which has hardly a three-feet walking space)

What about installing shelves and displaying the more attractive dishware and pots that you own? Another thought is to purchase a separate cabinet. My glassware is housed in an old bar cabinet near the kitchen.

I might start by simplifying to fit the space. I find that uncluttered cabinets with just a few items feels better than using them as storage for every cup, dish, wine glass, and serving platter that I’ve accumulated. If you don’t want to get rid of that stuff, because you might need it for a party or whatever, store it in a box somewhere else.

Similarly with knives. What else do you need besides a 8” chef knife, a paring knife and possibly a bread knife?

Gadgets? Same exercise.

Dishwashing—assuming you do them by hand and have a double sink, scrub the rinse side of the sink with warm soapy water to get it clean. Wash your dishes in the wash side and place them in the rinse side. Rinse them in place and let them dry.

i saw on a show where they took a ladder and suspended it from the ceiling, and put s-hooks on the rungs. they hung the pots and pans on the s-hooks. a clever idea. the ladder was wooden and kind of scruffy looking, kitchen had a quaint look.

@kevbo: Great thought about the dishwashing. I only have 2 knives that I use regularly, and I have plenty of hard-to-reach storage.

To clarify my question: It’s not so much about having a small kitchen as it is to find novel systems of organizing the kitchen… e.g. Where in your kitchen do you store your most-used cooking utensils and pots so that you can easily get to them?

Another example: I learned a great technique from an ex to place a small tupperware with a bit of dish soap and water and to throw my dirty utensils in there when I don’t have time to clean… saves a bit of washing time and, most importantly, reduces clutter.

When organizing a kitchen in a new apartment, I usually start with the stove and sink (which are presumably fixed in position) and work out from there.

I like to have my cooking utensils (spatulas, stirring spoons, etc.) and spices near the stove and easily accessible (not in a drawer or cupboard). I’d second hossman’s advice to hang pots and pans above or next to the stove. Having them out will maximize your cupboard space, since they’re large and hard to stack.

At this point you should still have all of your drawers and cupboards empty. Now I turn towards the sink. You'll want to put a drying rack next to it. And you'll want to locate the cupboards and draws for your most-washed items (for me, mugs, cups, and silverware) near the drying rack so that they're easy to put away (this should be no problem, since it’s a small kitchen). I try to balance this with putting silverware in an end drawer (as opposed to one in the middle of a row of drawers), closest to the regular dining area. Less frequently used dishes should go higher up, almost out of reach (for me, stemware).

I also support kevbo’s sentiment of not necessarily putting dishes together just because they are of the same type. It’s probably optimal to stack all of your plates in the same cupboard, but this is simply not true for mugs. Most people have more mugs than they know what to do with, since they’re common give-aways. Worst of all, they don’t stack! Take your six favorite mugs and put them in an easily accessible location (if you’re paying attention, that’s an arm-level shelf in a cupboard, close to the sink). Then take the rest and put them in a less-accessible spot, not necessarily in the kitchen. There’s no reason to fill all of your best space with mugs.

Put your trash can under the sink so it won’t make the kitchen stink, but don’t be afraid to pull it out when you’re cooking.

Use the top of your refrigerator for storage, but not for things sensitive to heat or breakable (especially if you live on a fault line). For the top of the fridge, I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Plastics.

Use a slim-sized folding ladder to reach sometimes used pots and pans in the upper cupboards. Utilize all cupboards to ceiling level if you can.

hang mugs from hooks under the cabinet. get a magnetic spice strip for the high-use spices. and if you have room, you can hinge a “tabletop” to your wall and unfold it for use.

Not exactly what you asked for, but here’s an interesting article on how four top American chefs organize their kitchens.