Organizing the Cottage Kitchen by Deanna Martinez-Bey

Pinterest is a great place to visit to get inspired with new organizing ideas. Before clearing out your cabinets and shelves, hop over to Pinterest and search for “easy kitchen organizing ideas.” Find a look that appeals to you, then head to Amazon or a local shop and purchase new storage containers and organizers for your space. 

After you have your new storage containers in hand, set your focus on the pantry, spice cabinet, and refrigerator. Pick which area where you would like to start and remove all ingredients from that space. Then, move on to the following: 

Purging

Before you get to the fun part of organizing your ingredients, you must go through the ingredients first to get rid of expired items. Go through your pantry, spice cabinet, and refrigerator and throw away anything past its useable date. While there, purge opened packages of the same ingredients into one box or container. 

Cleaning

After purging your cabinets and shelves, remember to clean, clean, clean! Your shelves are now empty and void of ingredients. Take advantage of this time by disinfecting and wiping down your areas. Clorox wipes are ideal for this next phase of the organizing process. If you don’t have disinfectant wipes, any disinfectant spray, paper towels, or cleaning towels will do the trick. Spray everything and wipe clean. 

Organizing

Lastly, it is time to organize your spaces. Fill your new containers with your ingredients. Slide everything back into place and admire all your hard work.

Labeling

Before closing the doors, dig out your label maker. It is time to label your shelves and containers—this is the last step in the organizing process. By adding labels, you will always know exactly where to find what you are looking for.

Ingredient and Supply Storage Tips and Ideas

1. Consider drawer organizers; they are an excellent investment.
2. Add baskets to your pantry in order to hold small items.
3. Add a hanging spice rack to the door of your pantry.
4. Add a plastic shoe organizer to the inside of your pantry door in order to house small items.
5. Mount a pot rack to the wall or ceiling.
6. Add moveable wire shelves if you have available space in your kitchen, and add baskets to house smaller items.
7. Use vintage wooden crates for storage.
8. Use glass jars with lids to store dry ingredients.
9. Invest in a Lazy Susan or two for spices and smaller items.
10. Add a can-organizer rack to keep track of canned goods.

(This article appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

Deanna Martinez-Bey is a cottage baker, baking class instructor, content creator, and multi-genre author. With fifteen published books under her belt and a certified cottage bakery, everything she does revolves around food and writing in one way, shape or form. www.deannasrecipebox.com