Ridiculous question on kitchen layouts.

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I've managed to get to 33 with no clue how to store things in a kitchen.

Before everyone rolls their eyes I've only ever had tiny kitchen where food would be stored away from it and the pans would be rammed into a cupboard and the sides cluttered.

We have a beautiful kitchen diner now and I have no clue what I'm doing. I've put things in cupboards but it doesn't feel like I've done it right.

I can't add any clever storage gadgets that need to be stuck or screwed anywhere.
I don't want space saving tips.
I want to know how I lay it out properly.
I currently have 90% of the cupboards with tins and dried goods and a couple for plates and dishes and then one for pans.
Maybe I need less food?

It seems silly to realise I don't know how to do something that seems like it should be common sense but here I am.

On the side I have a huge microwave, toaster, kettle, coffee maker, food processor. We use all of them a lot.
I will get one of those corner plate organisers for the cupboard but apart from that I feel like I need my Mum to teach me but I don't have one.

Do you have a garage you can store securely packaged foods/spare freezer? I have tins, husbands kilner jars of various preserving projects and bottles of pop out there. Designating plates, pans and food cupboards is about right, though.

I think its really hard to give advice but I am just in the middle of organising a new kitchen too, my thoughts are to keep things close at hand that you are using regularly and grouped e.g. all the tea, coffee things near the kettle so there is a logic to it. Think about how you use your kitchen and move about it. I also think that you will probably reorganise a few times as you work out just how you use the space (I will be anyway, I have already moved things around twice in a week!).

So top units I have one cupboard for glassware, one for plates and bowls, one for the children's plastic cups, plates etc, one for children's snacks so they have to ask if they want something as it's out of reach and then one full of general crap....tupperware etc. Bottom units are for the heavier stuff pots and pans, baking trays, roasting tins etc.
For other foodstuff I have a larder unit and use some shelves in the garage for bigger stuff but I have lots of ikea storage trays so I can sort stuff like all pasta/rice together or baking ingredients together and I can just pull out that storage box if needed.

90% of space on food seems like a lot! Is there any reason why you have so much tinned food?

How many cupboards do you have? That sounds like an awful lot of food.

Try and work it out logically eg nearest cupboard to cooker - pots and pans, crockery, cutlery near to diswasher to make putting away quicker.

Where do you prepare the most of your food? You want your utensils on that side of kitchen, same for spices / oils etc.

We have...
Tall cupboard for food
Single bottom cupboard for plates and bowls
Single bottom cupboard for measuring jugs, Tupperware, etc
Corner cupboard for pans
Double cupboard for baking tins, oven trays, baking stuff.
Top single cupboard for mugs
Shelf for water bottles
Shelf for teapots, coffee pot etc

Thank you for not laughing!

We have so much food because our old house had the cupboard under the stairs shelved out for all the canned goods and dry stuff and since I grew up in poverty I tend to stockpile for emergencies. I am working with a therapist so know. I don't need to do this really.

I have 6 cupboards up top of varying sizes and 6 down the bottom again of varying sizes.

It does sound like you are using too much storage for food and not much else!

I have one floor to ceiling larder cupboard next to the fridge that stores all our food. Another cupboard close to the hob that has cooking sauces, oil, seasoning, tea & coffee and baking goods. Then a slim pull out herbs and spices rack. I have a cupboard for glasses and cups. Then I have big deep drawers that house crockery, sauce pans/frying pans, Ovenware, baking trays, and one more drawer with kitchen foil, cling film, bin-bags, food & freezer bags and tea towels.

Could you take a couple of photos of your cupboards with the doors open so we can get an idea of the space and what you have?

Oh and yes another cupboard with Tupperware, water bottles, lunch boxes,etc.

Have you heard of the kitchen work triangle? It’s used for when coming up with a kitchen layout...

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_work_triangle

To add, mugs near the kettle/coffee machine. Glasses close to the tap (or fridge if your water is there).

We have two big drawers for crockery, pans, baking trays etc. Cutlery drawer needs a divider. Tea towels, chopping boards and foil are in another drawer. Tupperware beside the plates (but this always gets messy and drives me mad!). Appliances we don't use regularly are in a corner cupboard that's easy to access. Thinking about it, we only have two cupboards for food, although we do have some storage out back for excess goods.

Dishwasher tabs and cleaning products are under the sink. Tea and coffee stored on a shelf by the kettle.

I'm hopefully this works. A picture of the whole lay out and then inside a cupboard for depth.

Pleas excuse the mess we moved with a weeks notice at the weekend.

It will be easier to find stuff if you have things of similar shape and use together? For example, the cupbard you show seems just an accumulation of things? I usually have, the sheleve with carbs, bags of pasta and flour, maybe rice. Than the shelves with jars, etc.

I see, sorry!

I think it would be enough to use 60% of your cupbards for food?

If it helps this is my messy kitchen
I have two cupboards (top ones) with food, and a lower one with cat food/UHT milk/alcohol/cans of pop in
The rest is crockery, pans and extra storage

Oops. I actually have a third cupboard for herbs/spices/medication/supplements but I guess that's not technically food...

Ok so start with the oven. You want utensils and pots near the oven.

Big pots are the best thing to keep in the corner cupboard, with a spinny thing installed. You could also keep some less used food items in there, in storage tubs.

Then smaller pots and pans in the cupboard to the left of the oven. Cupboard to the left of that would be good for food storage (tupperware, clingfilm) and serving dishes. Drawers to the right can hold utensils, oven gloves/aprons.

Do you have a dishwasher? Crockery and cutlery best kept near there if so. Or best near the sink if not. I would probably use the cupboards to the right of the sink. Are there any other drawers apart from those ones by the oven?

I would put food in the upper cupboards. Also glasses and mugs. Everyday cooking ingredients like oil, salt, pasta live in a cupboard near the oven. Tea and coffee near the mugs and near the kettle.