Streamline Your Kitchen: Expert Organization Tips

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

FLY into Newell? ROFL!In a seaplane, maybe. Next time you go, and you're in your rental car that you got in Pittsburgh, take a 50 cent ride across the river on the Newell Bridge to East Liverpool and go to the Hall Closet at the Hall China Company. Not as vast as Homer Laughlin, but worth the trip. When you're there, you're also limited in your choices of lodging - the place where the wild party kept me awake all night or the Mountaineer just down the road.What's with me and casinos? I can look out my hotel window tonight and see the Horseshoe Casino and it's huge.

 

[rebeccastt]

Did anyone watch Oprah today with the professional organizer? It was a good episode and had some great tips. One good tip was: if you bring something new in, take something out. For example, if you bought three new shirts, take out three items of clothing.

Another good tip for the kitchen:
Put all your gadgets/tools in a box. As you use something, put it back in the drawer. After 4 weeks, whatever is in the box you should get rid of.

 

[mom2leelee]

OMG you guys are gonna get me started on a whole other organizational project. MY KITCHEN CABINETS!!
DH has been working on them for a few weeks (Thanks for the motivation Jill) but we still have a ways to go on the Tupperware cabinet and the kids-cups cabinet...

I'm just COMPLETELY JEALOUS that you have enough cabinets to have a 'Tupperware and kids cups' cabinet!!!!!

 

[speedychef]

We actually fly into East Liverpool and the guys from the shipyard come pick us up and drive us over the toll bridge! I didn't know about the Hall china company...maybe next time we're there I'll ask the guys to dump me off at HL, since they drive RIGHT past it on the way to the shipyard. One of the other places we fly this guy to is the SOO (Sault Ste Marie, MI) and if you like casinos, I hear they have some good ones on the Canadian side!

 

[pcchris]

Only in my wildest dream would my kitchen be that organized...as a matter of fact, not too much inmy life is organized...I call it "disorganized organization"...because I know where everything is...but others see it and say "how do you find anything here?" I just know where it all is!!

 

[speedychef]

I prefer "organized chaos..."

 

[pcchris]

Organized chaos works too!!!! But it's amazing how WE know where everything is, dontcha think?

 

[lizcooks4u]

The container store...

I can't tell you enough about this store!! They have everything you might need to organize bathrooms, kitchens, closets, etc....
If you have one in town you can check it out. And you might not even have to buy stuff from there if you think you can find it cheaper, but you can get some fabulous ideas!!

Debbie

Debbie:

I think I was at one of these in Columbus, OH well actually the Easton Ctr.

I had been racking my brain trying to remember the name of it too, I think you can order online as well.

thanks;

I still love:

Debbies A Chef
Debbie SA Chef I bet it's this one as you're in SA TX

I get a kick out if it everytime I read your post

 

[lizcooks4u]

yes, and they sell them in stores now too. except

Haven't you ever seen the big lazy-susan that holds all of the nested containers in their own spot, sqaures here, round here..etc.. and the lids go in a stack next to it? I think it is an As seen on TV, but I could be wrong...it looks great, but I like my name brand things....not sure if I trust that these ones won't leak!

I"m like you in the fact I want either RubberMaid or Tupperware or better yet Pampered chef!!!

LIz

 

[lizcooks4u]

same here...

Plasticware is a pain to organize. I love the commercial where they say that things that are stuck together are easier to find, and they show a big stack of cows.

ME 2~~ ...........

 

[jenniferknapp]

And I love my prep bowls, but they aren't leak proof, and you can just throw a bunch together or else they will break

 

[gratergirl]

I just organized mine yesterday and as always.....I've had stuff in my crate....ready to go. But I realized how much I use the stuff in my crate and I also went through that and put my new product in there and took out the almost discontinued items. But once I thought about it, I want to take less to my shows as well. I put everything away and even went through my storage closet in the basement. (that's where my DH put up 3 12' sections of shelves for all my PC product. So what I don't use alot in my kitchen or at shows....I put that in the basement) But I do have a cupboard just for stoneware (which I do need to get those racks still!), one for SA and one for misc. like stainless bowls, measuring cups etc. I feel much better about my kitchen being more organized....I spent half the day organizing and half of the day cooking! It needed an overhaul! I even pulled out stuff for a garage sale and for our camper in the spring! (non PC things of course!)
But I will agree....my plastic ware cupboard is sooooo bad! Stuff falls out when it's opened! I definitely have to go through that! But at least I made SOME progress!

 

[jenniferknapp]

Another organizing idea...I saw in a mag recently to use spring-tension curtain rods vertically in your cabinets to store things like your flat stones.

I like this idea!! I think I am going to do this for half of my cabinet under my sink, where I store the cooling racks, large SA pieces, carving board, etc...

Thanks

 

[AJPratt]

And I know someone might smack me for this thought, and I haven't participated my own self, but I kind of dig Tupperware's Modular mates...

No way! I LOVE Tupperware and the Modular mates! I also think its important to support others in the direct sales industry... that's how I justify my habit! LOL

 

[cooking.with.ann]

The two colors the discon...er...retired are just bad colors, kind of a dusty rose and a celery color.

HEY! Speak for yourself, buddy...some of us liked the "pastels" that Fiesta had--blue, seamist (what you called celery) apricot, rose, yellow (think butter yellow, much lighter than today's sunflower) pearl (gray) and of course...LILAC!

When I got married 2 years ago, I had a place setting in every color (including lilac and sapphire) that HLC had issued since Fiesta "came back." Not to mention vases, tripods, serving pieces, demitasse cups, clocks, and can't remember what. I don't even remember how many it was now...they just took up too much space in my tiny kitchen, so my sister's brother-in-law's wife's mother now has them. They look much better over there than they did with me in this house.

An added benefit: since she's not spending as much money hunting down Fiesta now she spends much more money on PC with me!

Ann

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I'd admit that the seamist might not be too bad but that dusty rose was just awful. No wonder they discontinued it!Nice to see that there is someone else who not only knows who Homer Laughlin is (was???) but has a handle on Fiesta, too.

 

[genburk]

And I know someone might smack me for this thought, and I haven't participated my own self, but I kind of dig Tupperware's Modular mates...

No way! I LOVE Tupperware and the Modular mates! I also think its important to support others in the direct sales industry... that's how I justify my habit! LOL

I also love the modular mates. I bought some almost 20 years ago and use them for my flour and sugar. The whole 4-5 pound bag fits in them and keeps them dry. One stacks on top of the other, and works great.

I also use some for my brown sugar. It has not gotten hard or dried out in over 12 years !! I mean, I have bought new brown sugar many, many times in the last 12 years, but I have never had it dry out like it does in other containers.

I also bought 2 of the cereal containers and they have outlasted the cheap ones I bought at the grocery store. The grocery store ones broke within the first year. (2 teenage boys eating cereal constantly !!)

Tina

 

[AJPratt]

I've had really good results with TW!

 

[Cindycooks]

I would kill for this. Another Director in my cluster had a custom cabinet (like a piece of furniture) built for her kitchen. It is gorgeous and looks like an antique. It has no front (it is open) and is about 5 feet tall. It has vertical slots for ALL her stoneware with some slots leftover. Shes been in the business 8 years so she has everything. It looks great with all the stoneware out and showing and is quite a conversation piece....and a marketiing thing too with neighbors and freinds always seeing the stoneware. Next time I'm at her house, I'll take a picture.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I think it was a couple of years ago, Taste of Home Magazine featured a remodeled kitchen - the owner was a PC consultant, and she had a Stoneware "Wall" A large open cupboard with all vertical slats, so she could easily slide in all of her stoneware in it's own spot.....that has been my dream since I saw it!

 

[Cindycooks]

Oooooo - I'd love to see that! My friends cabinet looks so pretty with all the different colored "seasoning" to the stones, mixed in with the cranberry and vanilla - and some blue!

 

[AJPratt]

I'd love to see that, too. Just to get an idea of how they did it and where they put everything else!

 

[lacychef]

My mom keeps saying that my dad & grandpa should build a custom "PC" island with shelves to fit stoneware. I'm still waiting though...

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Wow!I love my DH!!! When he gets this done, and when I figure out how to upload pictures I'll post a picture of this, but this weekend here is what he did for me:
Our microwave was in a built in cabinet with the cupboards, took up alot of space in my not so spacious kitchen. DH found an over-the-stove Microwave - same brand and style as my stove - on clearance (last yrs model) and bought it and brought it home, ripped out the old vent above the stove and put it in, and now is in the process of putting vertical slats in the old micorwave space so I can slide stoneware in there! I measured, and I can get all of my flat pieces in there, plus my large flat SA pieces!!! I am so excited! My stoneware has mostly been stored stacked on top of each other in the cupboards, and in the oven - and I've had no place to really store my big pieces of SA (cupboards aren't deep enough for them) AND it gives me more cupboard space at the same time! I am thrilled! I love being married to a man who is not only very handy, but also so incredibly thoughtful!!! (or is he just getting sick of PC stacked everywhere? )
And my new microwave looks just like my stove - so I now have matching appliances = gotta love that!

 

[speedychef]

WOW! That all sounds so cool!! I'm jealous! I suppose when I make my first million with PC, I'll redo my kitchen and include open storage for my Simple Additions because I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM and some vertical storage for my stones and platters! Can't wait...now off to find some recruits!