Beginner's guide to Kitchen Organization (Fridge, Pantry, Knives, Pots + more)

The four

guide

lines to use to organize my

kitchen

are number one, my

kitchen

environment must be pleasant for cooking, number two, each element, tool and ingredient must have a defined space and be as visible as possible, number three, my most used items are easy to access. and number four, my storage solution needs to be simple and affordable. By following this system, I have created a kitchen that is efficient for cooking and cleaning and, most importantly, establishes an environment where I will have a lot of fun cooking. you guys through my entire setup Hi everyone, I'm Ethan a home cooking nerd who likes to find better ways to cook and share them with all of you, so today we're going to cover my entire kitchen setup, from

knives

to

pots

and pans. pans, spices.

I'm going to let you look inside my refrigerator, we're literally going to cover everything and I think the biggest thing I want everyone to take away from this video is that this kitchen is really about creating a place that I enjoy being in and that I want to cook in. it inspires me, you know, I can spend maybe 20 minutes or I can spend hours and hours here, so as you watch the videos, think about that and how it can relate to your own cooking and hopefully you guys can find some ideas for create a kitchen that everyone wants to cook in, so without further ado, let's jump into the video.

Each section will have a timestamp below, as always, so if you want to jump to multiple sections, feel free. To do that, let's delve into my kitchen. I have two sides: the countertops with the sink and the countertops with the stove. When I moved into this apartment, there was a five foot long area under the window and this is where I decided to place it. my mobile kitchen island, which was created primarily to be the centerpiece for videos and to create

more

counter space for cooking. I like to keep them completely clear, except for the small items that I use frequently, which are my thermometer, my scale, my dial. drying mat and my salt pork for me, I want to walk into my kitchen and feel like I have this blank canvas to cook with because that's when I feel most comfortable while I'm cooking when I moved into this apartment the microwave actually took up the entire space. counter to the left of the sink, but since I only use the microwave two or three times a week, it didn't make sense for me to have it on the counter all the time, so I moved it back to my living room and still decided to Lastly, on the shelf to the left of the stove, I installed a large beverage block cutting board and this stays out permanently and is probably where most of my prep work happens for small meals that I'm not filming.

This is what I want. what the kitchen will look like after you finish cooking and cleaning every time now with this overall design covered in front of the stove it will move from left to right around the kitchen the first drawer to the left of the stove houses my cutlery and some small utensils such as a rolling pin, grater and whisk, garlic crusher and can opener and all these items are simply placed in an IKEA bamboo drawer organizer. The cabinet under the cutlery drawer is where I keep my

pots

and pans on the top shelf. I have my large pot and just a lid for one of my other saucepans, then on the bottom I have my pots and pans stored in an expandable pot organizer that I bought on Amazon, there were about 27 of them and it's a game changer for storage .

Storing the pans upright instead of stacking them on top of each other makes them easier to look at, and there is no pot banging, another note on my pots and pans. I've tried to keep them to a minimum number of what I actually need and use, this is everything except my wok which is too big for this cabinet and then my cast iron griddle which I can actually store in here but it basically lives on top of my stovetop as it is easily my most used pan. To the right of the stove is a column of four small drawers on top that hold my essential kitchen utensils. as spatulas, tongs and skimmers under this drawer are my plastic freezer bags, aluminum foil and parchment paper.

The third usually stores breads that are eaten within a couple of days. Now I just have some flour tortillas and hamburger buns. The bottom drawer contains everything. from my deli containers, which are the containers I basically use to store my food. I switched to these when I moved into this apartment and they are absolutely revolutionary. They are washable, reusable, you can recycle them when they have run their course or become stained. and I have them in eight ounce, 16 ounce, and 32 ounce sizes. I love them because all the lids are the same size and fit very well in the refrigerator.

It's easy to see what's inside and I have a couple of glass containers. which I sometimes use for foods that might fit better in a rectangle, but most of the time I just use these deli containers. Now let's talk about the refrigerator, starting with the outside, so on the outside of my refrigerator is a magnetic organizer that I found on amazon to store my everyday oils like peanut and olive oil along with cooking spray and black pepper and then on top I keep some sauces and vinegars. It also holds a roll of paper towels and I found it for about 25 dollars at the time and it's one of my best finds for

organization

, the magnet is super strong and I'm not worried about it falling over, but now let's talk about the inside of the refrigerator, so generally the top and bottom shelves are the coldest areas of the refrigerator so on the top shelf I like to put my leftovers so they cool faster and get them out of that food danger zone which is 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

I also keep my yeast in the back along with other things like yogurt on the middle shelf. Placing my vegetables and fruits in containers, this keeps them semi-organized and it's easy to see what I have on hand since my eyes are naturally drawn to the bright colors in the middle of the refrigerator. I usually find that I use up my fruits and vegetables before they go bad, this is opposed to what I used to do where I would throw everything into a bin at the bottom and end up with a pile of spoiled vegetables at the end of the week in the bottom shelf.

I like to place items like drinks and my eggs or any leftover items then in the shelf drawer. I like to store all my cheeses in the large bottom drawers at the bottom of the refrigerator. I like to layer my larger vegetables, like carrots and lettuce, making sure not to do that. I overfill the drawer to make sure I can see everything that's inside, and lastly, I put all my raw meats in the bottom right drawer. Not only is it my coldest area, but if it drips, it won't contaminate any other food. the refrigerator and cleans easily in the container, lastly the refrigerator door is for all my condiments, pickled items and drinks.

I try to keep them in a single row so none of them are hidden behind where I can't see them and then in the freezer. I'd like to save some portioned leftovers, some meats that I may have gotten a good deal on but haven't had a chance to cook yet. Ice and usually a bag of peas in case you end up with a black eye. My big tips for the refrigerator are getting some storage containers like these to provide some separation and

organization

of your items instead of just storing them in plastic grocery bags. He also makes sure raw meats are placed in a drawer like I do or at least on a plate.

It is essential to reduce the risk of cross-contamination if something goes wrong. Turning to the side of the kitchen sink, we have the

pantry

that is part of this cabinet and part of the lower cabinets to the right of the sink that I now used to store. I have a lot of stuff, but I've since abandoned that approach so I can get better at using what I have. You'll usually see things like whole tomatoes, evaporated milk, lots of pastas and various vinegars and other sauces in my

pantry

cabinets to the right of the sink I have my leftover spices that I use to refill my spice bottles, spices like dried chilies that I may not use with very often and then I also like to save the excess peanut oil for baking, like cornmeal and cornstarch. and then I have these oxo resealable containers that hold my bread, flour, sugar, and rice.

These are really pretty containers for pantry items that I would highly recommend for the sink. I made a video about the installation if you want to see it, but to organize. As for, I just have this dish mat that has my sponges, dish soap, trash bags, bartender friends and some general purpose spray under here and then I also keep my trash can under the sink and in the drawer to the right of the sink. I have several items in here, like some extra towels, some bread making supplies, and an extra thermometer or something, but in the drawer to the right of that I have all my spices, so I made a whole video if you want

more

. -Detailed information about the spices I use, but generally you just want to keep your spices away from open air, moisture, heat and direct light, so I decided to keep mine in translucent jars just because they look cool, but keep them in this drawer, they are easy. refillable and easily identifiable for my table and dishes, I keep it in this large cabinet and the plates and bowls are on the bottom shelf, which I use most often, then on the second shelf I have my wet stones, some other dishes, jars for onions pickles and some cast irons for plating, like in my macaroni and cheese video, then on the next top shelf I have some bread baskets, a sous vide and some glasses, nothing on the top shelf because I can't reach it at the right of the knife cabinets.

Storage I chose a magnetic wall shelf. Not only is this a sexy way to display your

knives

, but it is also probably the best storage technique because it doesn't wear down the edge like a knife block would and if there is any water left on it. knife, it will dry out rather than developing mold or mildew to complete the course. It's my DIY kitchen island again. It's just the centerpiece of my videos, but I keep a couple of things under here, like my onion and garlic container, which I use all the time, some mixing bowls, my food processor, my mortar and pestle, and an extra cutting board that I normally use for raw meats.

I also post a couple of things here as I see fit, but overall I really liked it. This system I implemented for storage and organization in my kitchen. I hope you all have found at least one or two things that can work for you in your kitchen and create a kitchen that makes you happy to cook.