When your kitchen cupboards and drawers are full, your options are fairly limited, but organising your kitchen worktops can help to keep everything in order, even if there isn’t really a specific place for some things to go. Try some of the following ideas out, and you could soon free up a bit more space in your kitchen, not by adding extra units to the room, but by making better use of the exposed space available to you.
Magnetic Racks
Magnetic strips that screw directly on to the wall are a very convenient way to store metal utensils and knives, without them taking up much room at all.
You can buy them quite cheaply and fit them in a matter of seconds, but you’ll need to make sure you have enough magnetic utensils for it to be worth adding a magnetic strip to your wall.
Spice Racks
Spice racks are a classic way to put all of your spice jars within easy reach, and can free up worktop space without you having to delve into the backs of cupboards the next time you need some oregano or thyme.
They are particularly well suited to classic-style kitchens, when compared with contemporary solutions like the magnetic strips described above, which often fit better into modern kitchen designs with plenty of black and chrome.
Hanging Hooks
If your kitchen’s general design theme isn’t well suited to modern options like a magnetic strip, hanging hooks are a versatile way to achieve the same impact on your storage space.
Many cooking utensils have a hole at the end of the handle, allowing them to be hung up, and if you have a complete matching set, hanging them all on your wall can have good visual appeal as well as being an effective use of space.
Storage Jars
Although it might sound obvious, many households simply do not organise their worktop space effectively using jars.
Open-topped jars are good for everything from utensils to spaghetti, and having long, thin items stored stood on end is the most space-efficient option.
Jars with lids can be used for all sorts of ingredients, but are probably most often filled with tea, coffee and sugar; larger lidded jars can hold pasta, and this is surprisingly decorative if the jar is made of clear glass.
Make it Work For You
The most important thing to remember is that your kitchen is a functional space, so don’t do things purely because they look nice.
Magnetic strips and hanging hooks put your knives and utensils at arm’s reach, rather than shutting them away in drawers, and spice racks allow fairly large numbers of small jars to be kept together without getting in each other’s way.
Different sizes of jars, with and without lids, are a highly flexible way to organise your worktops and put the ingredients you use most often where you want them.
But the thing all of these things have in common is that they make it easier to work in your kitchen; and the solutions that will be best for you will be those that best suit your cooking style.
