How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets in Nine Easy Steps

Your kitchen is the place where you do all of your cooking and baking—but this room also serves as a storage spot for everything from non-perishable groceries and essential cooking tools to serving dishes and cleaning supplies. With so much to put away, our kitchen cabinets can easily become a hotspot for clutter and, in turn, wreak havoc on a streamlined cooking routine. To remedy this, we're sharing our best practices to keep your space in tip-top shape, so you will never wonder how to organize your kitchen cabinets again. 

The deleterious result of a messy cabinet? Having to take out half the shelf and reorganize everything on your hunt for a single frying pan or spice, or getting ready to try a new recipe for dinner only to discover your star ingredient expired last month. Working efficiently in the kitchen hinges on having a system of organization in place, and that means making sure everything has a spot of its own, that groceries with the shortest shelf-life are placed within easy reach, and that items are stacked in a way that doesn't create an avalanche the moment you open the cabinet door.

Here's the good news: A well-oiled system isn't difficult to set up or maintain. You really only need a few simple accessories to better organize your kitchen cabinets. From racks and bins to baskets designed to use every square inch of space, read on to find out which essentials and methods you need to get your cabinets in order once and for all.

Use baskets and bins to corral small items that might otherwise create clutter, such as spices, dish towels, cleaning supplies, and produce that shouldn't be refrigerated.

Contain stray flatware or utensils by inserting dividers into drawers. The compartments will make it easy to spot what you need, so you can cut out time sifting through pizza cutters, knives, peelers, and other kitchen tools. 

Tiered turntables are handy for organizing frequently used items like condiments, spices, and vitamins, and can help make the most of corner base cabinets and storage spaces. 

Contain spice bottles on racks that sit in wall cabinets, fit into drawers, or are mounted on walls. This will prevent you from missing that jar of oregano that's been confined to the back of your kitchen cabinet for months. 

Double your cabinets' storage capacity by placing wire shelves in between each rack to hold cups, bowls, plates, and more.

Nest serving and cookware to conserve space. Place paper plates or sheets of paper towels in between layers to prevent scratching (use nonabsorbent coated paper plates between cast-iron pans, which tend to retain traces of oil).

Installing tension rods between shelves makes it easy to store cutting boards and baking pans upright rather than laying them flat.

Group by pattern, collection, or function—for example, everyday glasses on one shelf with special-occasion stemware on another. This will keep you from rummaging through kitchen cabinets looking for a plate that was stored separately from its set. 

Group wooden utensils, like spatulas and spoons, together in one crock. Additionally, keep stainless-steel ones, including whisks, pizza cutters, and offset spatulas in another. Line up crocks next to the cooktop, for easy access.