I'm really excited and at the same time a little apprehensive about sharing the inside of my kitchen with you today. It's kind of personal to open up my cupboards and drawers for display:).

Every kitchen is so different and every household has their own preferences, routines and nuances. I've lived most of my life in teeny, tiny kitchens, so I've had to learn to make the most use of the available space. My kitchen is still on the smaller side today, although compared to the kitchens I'd known for the first 21 years of my life and especially my first kitchen as a newlywed, it feels comfortably spacious. I especially love my pantry!

I sure have pinned tons of gorgeous kitchens on Pinterest and look forward to the day when Sergi andI have our own home and the kitchen of my dreams. My parents have a phenomenal kitchen and it's so wonderful to use and take pleasure from whenever we go for a visit. My aunt and her husband, Natalya and Mike, just recently remodeled their kitchen and they did such an outstanding job, it really inspired me for the future.

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and no matter what kind of kitchen you have today, you can cook delicious meals for your family and guests. The quality of your food does not depend on the size of your kitchen.

Kitchen spaces are so versatile and unique, I would never presume that my way of organizing is immaculate or flawless. I am not an expert designer or organizer by any means. This is what works for me and my cupboards. I'd love to hear your ideas and tips about how you've organized your kitchens.

1. Drawer Dividers

Besides the regular ones that you have for your silverware, use a drawer divider to organize all the little kitchen tools that can so easily get lost and jumbled. Without a drawer divider, this place can have the tendency to be the messiest place in the kitchen. 

 

You can also keep your drawers neat by fitting the pieces of the puzzle together so they fit well, so to speak.

Try to pack your things so they don't slide around in the drawer. I also used a small box (from a package of Mentos) to keep tiny little items in place. This is where I keep my pens, Sharpies, scissors, rubber bands, etc. 

 

2. Stack and nestle. 

As much as possible, try to nestle your kitchen tools inside each other. This really saves space and keeps things neat.

By the way, I love my glass and metal bowls! They are wonderful. I bought a set of really nice quality plastic bowls when I first got married, but as you can see, I have only one plastic bowl left, and it's wearing out it's usefulness too. The rest have cracked, melted, etc. The metal and glass bowls are very durable and can be used in so many ways. I sometimes use the glass bowls to serve food  too.

Store smaller items inside the pots and bowls. Inside that big pot in the corner, I have a steaming basket and also my English muffin rings.  In the back right corner, I store the items that I use less often. I also store my extra Kitchen Aid attachments and a small hand held sieve. They are out of the way but easily accessible. 

 

3. Use your cupboard walls.

As you can see, I use every possible space for storage. Sergi drilled some regular screws in for me, and I hang my splatter screens and metal sieve on it. The lid holder is wonderful too. Storing lids was a nightmare before. They were always falling and frustrating me. I got my lid holder in Ikea. I'm sure you can find many different kids of lid organizers in many stores.

I use my other cupboard wall to hang up my cooling racks and my pelmeni mold. I don't use the pelmeni mold very often, so I have it stored in the back.

4. Store the items that you use most often in easy to reach places.

This is kind of obvious and you'll see this throughout my entire kitchen.

 

Since I use my baking sheets and chopping boards all the time, I store them on the side of the cupboard. I used to keep my baking sheets at the bottom of the oven drawer, but it was so annoying to get them out. I'd have to take out everything else too and putting them back in wasn't fun either. This works perfectly for me. 

5. Store like items together.

 

This is the very top of my pantry. As you can see, I have my cereal stored together, and my pasta, rice, oatmeal, etc. on another shelf. Once again, since we don't eat cereal too often, it's stored at the very top. Pasta, rice, grains, oils and baking ingredients are easier to reach.

I highly recommend the OXO Pop Storage Containers. I keep my pasta, rice, buckwheat, etc. in them. I use small take out containers to store smaller amounts of food, such as cornmeal, etc.

If the item comes in a very well sealed and easy to use container, that's where it stays. Couscous, oatmeal, dry mushrooms are in great containers already, so I don't bother putting them into fancy storage containers, since the ones I bought them in do the job very well. Generally, I store items that come in bags or boxes in storage containers. This prevents things from spilling and other unpleasant situations.

6. Be creative and think outside the box.

My husband made a custom made container from a cardboard box for me to store my potatoes,  onions and garlic.

Since I bake a lot, I found a great way to store flour and sugar - in cereal containers. I bought mine in Walmart. They are absolutely perfect. You can fit at least 2 packages of flour and sugar in each container and you can fit the entire 1 cup measuring cup inside the opening and use it to scrape off the excess. The containers also have a spout, which is very handy to pour sugar.

We also bought an additional small pantry to have more storage.

I store salt, pepper and spices that I use most often at the top on the left. Baking supplies - cocoa, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, etc. are stored together on the top middle shelf. I also continue to store like items together. Coffee, tea. Dry fruit. Vinegars and Asian ingredients. You get the point.

7. Clutter = Evil.

If you don't use something more than a few times a year, chances are you don't need it. Unless you have a large kitchen with lots of extra storage space, you can get by without many things.

I am a minimalist for sure, and even though I love to cook and get excited by useful tools and kitchen toys, I try not to have too many. I learned a great rule of thumb from Alton Brown - avoid unitaskers, unless you use it a lot, like the coffee maker or toaster. For example, I have an awesome Kitchen Aid stand mixer, so I don't have a hand held mixer.

Keep your counters clear. This is a personal preference, but I don't like to have anything on my counters except my knife block, standing mixer, toaster, kettle and coffee maker. The rest is stored and out of sight. As you can see, I don't have any space for anything else anyway.Another thing that I have on my counter is a canister that holds my most used and large utensils. It's so handy to have my spatulas, spoons, ladle, etc within easy reach right next to the stove.

My husband is another secret to organizing. He can make anything fit. My Dad is the same way. Maybe it's a guy thing? If I can't figure out how to make room for something, I ask him to come take a look.

So there you have it. My little place where all the food on this blog is created.