Last Updated on August 18, 2022 by Ellen Christian
Finding kitchen storage solutions in a small kitchen can be a challenge. As much as I love having a home built in 1865, there’s a definite lack of storage in the kitchen. Check out these tool storage ideas.
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Kitchen Storage Solutions
I love to cook and I have managed to accumulate a number of different gadgets. I don’t use all of them every day but when I need them, I need them.
Unfortunately, that means I end up with miscellaneous kitchen tools that I can never find when I need them.
Do you know where your cherry pitter is right now? How about your olive fork? I need to have some of my kitchen tools available quickly like the wooden spoons and the spatulas.
Somehow I seem to misplace them or bury them and then I can’t find them when I need them and end up buying another. I’m really fairly certain that I don’t need five slotted turners or four pairing knives.
Unless there are kitchen fairies waiting to help me peel the potatoes for dinner? I didn’t think so.
Decluttering in the kitchen
I either need less kitchen gadgets or more kitchen storage solutions. Before you begin organizing, make sure that you really go through your utensils and see what you need and what you don’t need.
Get rid of anything you have way too many of. If something has a broken or loose handle, toss it and get a replacement if you need one.
Now is a good time to sharpen your knives as well. I find that a knife block is the most convenient of kitchen storage solutions for knives. I really want a knife block with a built in sharpener. This knife sharpener is a good option.
How to store cooking utensils
There are two types of kitchen utensils in your kitchen. There are the forks, knives, and spoons that you eat with each night and there are the cooking utensils you use to make meals.
Our silverware used to be in a traditional silverware holder but there was never enough room for everything. I picked up a few bins at the dollar store and they have much more room to store my silverware.
I have also seen some people store their silverware on a tray on the counter in coffee mugs or plastic cups. The important thing is to keep them organized and easy to get to.
How to organize utensils
The kitchen cooking utensils that I use a lot, I placed in a utensil crock on top of the stove. I can get to my most regularly used kitchen utensils quickly and easily. Get this one.
The utensils I use more often but not as regularly I keep in a tub in the drawer. We are prone to get mice and I don’t like the thought of them in my drawers.
Those that I use even less frequently like my cherry pitter and my garlic press go in the back of the drawer in a tub. I can get to them but they are not as convenient.
Kitchen storage in a small kitchen
I have seen photographs of kitchens where they have their utensils hung on the wall behind the stove for easy access. If you are short on counter space, that would certainly work well for you.
One thing to keep in mind is that anything you store out in the open whether on the counter or above the stove will get dirty easier. Dust in the air will be an issue for things hung on the wall.
If you keep things on the stove, grease or food that may splatter from what you’re cooking for dinner may land on your utensils.
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Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
For storage ideas, I hang my metal measuring cups and spoons on the inside of 2 cupboards.  I also, put felt under the items to help muffle the noise when opening the doors.  I LOVE magnetic hooks which I put on the underside of the stove hood  to hang cooking utensils that I use often.  I have a magnetic clamp ? attached to the front of the stove hood for holding a recipe(I spray painted it black to match the hood). It’s so handy when preparing a meal.  Also, have a glued clothespin on the front of my under the counter magnetic knife keeper.  The keeper swings forward to access the knives, then swings back when not in use.  I use the clothespin for holding a recipe above the counter where I keep my mixing bowls, measuring cups etc…………………..If renting, command hooks work wonderfully on the inside doors for measuring cups and spoons.  Just make sure to clean with rubbing alcohol first (allow to dry) before attaching hooks………….Happy Cooking…………
Those are great ideas! I definitely need to try some magnetic hooks!
Living in such an old home, do you have a pantry? I recently moved into an apartment that’s stunning, but I failed to realize it has no pantry and I’m desperately searching for solutions/
Sadly we don’t. I converted the back corner of a hallway into a pantry area. I would love to have a real pantry though!
Thanks for the post- it gave me some extra motivation to get my kitchen organized! Every time I go to grab a utensil I don’t use very often I spend an extra 10 mins digging through my “catch-all” drawer lol Im going to try some seperate baskets and ditch some of the things I don’t need or have doubles/triples of and see if that cuts down on hunting time 🙂
You’re very welcome! I love how things look after I declutter!
You have no idea how bad I needed to see this post. We have the all-in-one thing and it helps, but the space around it is overflowing with utensils, measuring cups and my wine opener! I have got to get on organizing things.Â
Good luck! It’s a work in progress!
I absolutely hate my overloaded kitchen drawers. I like your solutions! It’s so frustrating to open a cluttered drawer and so easy to just get what I need and close it, but I guess it would make me happier to just organize it and stop thinking about it. haha!
LOL that is what I decided to do!
Thanks so much for the decluttering inspiration. It was just what I needed to finish up my spring cleaning. I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Glad I inspired you! I have tons more to do!
I’ve been looking for a ceramic container that will look good on my counter. So far I haven’t had any luck but it’s my goal to find one asap. I like yours!
Thanks, Heather! I really love how sturdy this one is!
Oh goodness, I definitely need some de-cluttering tips for my house! Spring cleaning never happened so maybe Summer cleaning?? 🙂
LOL That sounds good to me!
It makes me feel so much better to get rid of that cluttered look and get things more organized! Great job!
Thanks, Jamie! It’s definitely a process!
Thankfully, my kitchen is pretty organized. I do like having separate baskets for the utensils though. That is a great idea. Your after photos look very nice. It feels great to have organized kitchen drawers. I have on cupboard that I let my baby get into and it is a mess. He is happy though!
Thanks, LaVonne! As long as the baby is having fun, it’s all good!
You’ve got some great ideas here. We are moving soon and I’m not sure what kind of kitchen we are going to have. I’m hoping for a kitchen with a lot of extra storage.
Thanks, Tiffany! I hope you get a HUGE kitchen!
It is a good idea to go through and see what you really don’t need. I so need to do that at my house.
I have been trying to do that as I go through room by room. It helps!
I have similar issues in my home. I live in an old home that has very limited storage. I’ve got shelving units and baskets tucked into every nook. I really like the difference in your silverware drawer by using the separate baskets. I’ll definitely have to do that.
Thanks, Angela. It really is easier to get to everything this way.
We built our house and this was the first kitchen I could design for me. It’s heavenly. Not perfect because I had a budget 🙂 but it’s great. I’ve got a magnetic rack for all my knives so they are at hand and some great Rubbermaid sorters in my drawers. My last two kitchens were erm, works in progress to say the least.
LOL mine is definitely a work in progress!
wow – what a big difference new holders make. I love the ones you used for the cutlery. I’d never thought of using them for that. my drawers used to look good, but over time they’ve gotten sloppy again. Time to go through them, tidy them and see what things I never use. I do have a crock type holder for the frequently used things. Tip – buy things with thinner handles, they fit better. Mine are big fat handles and it’s hard to get the stuff all in the crock because of it.
Thanks so much! I will remember that when I replace them. I’ve collected a bunch over time.
Since we were lucky enough to remodel our kitchen to our liking I was able to create storage for all of our many kitchen utensils. We love the look of wooden dividers so we picked up a few at Bed Bath and Beyond with coupons and use that for our drawers.
I would love to remodel our kitchen some day! There’s tons I would love to do.
your kitchen stuff is way more organized than mine! Â I can barely find my wooden spoons when I need one!
LOL well I am trying!