The Kitchen Set-Up Check-List
How To Maximize Space in a Small Kitchen
Oh No! I Have No Room in my Kitchen!
Galley kitchen Small kitchen
Guess what?
You can cook and bake in any size kitchen and you don’t need all the space-age gadgetry to become a decent home cook.
In this post, I am going to show the most overlooked areas of a small kitchen that can be used as additional storage.
All the storage devices don’t cost a lot nor do you have to have master building skills to install.
With just basic tools and a lot of imagination, you can design additional storage in any size kitchen.
- GO VERTICAL With Storage Racks and shelves !!
Place pots and pans on hooks underneath cabinets or mount a storage rack into the ceiling. Pegboards on empty wall space are great for smaller items. Consider using a roll-out storage rack that can be moved from another room into the kitchen.
Ceiling mounted pan rack
2. Wicker Baskets or Decorative Storage Containers
Wicker baskets and containers are great for storing kitchen items. Plus, they add some color and texture to your place.
3. Utilize space in other parts of the home
Multi-sized storage racks can be stored in closets or pantries when not in use. Then when you are ready to cook just roll out the racks. The smaller shelves can be placed on the floor like the one below.
4. Utilize Empty Wall Space
Place hooks or pegboards on refrigerators, cabinets or empty wall space above the stove or sink.
The top of a refrigerator or cabinet can be used for storage as well. Installing small shelves on empty wall space could be used to store spices and small pantry items.
5. Utilize the space over the sink and stovetops.
Large cutting boards can be placed over the sink and stovetops during meal prep. You can make your own cutting board or purchase a large piece of plywood from the lumber yard. Measure the stovetop and have someone at the yard cut the board to size.
When prepping food, place the plywood slab over the stove or sink and use a cutting board on top. After using the board, store it upright between larger appliances or in a closet.
The board should fit neatly on top of the burners and provide a stable area to prep food.
Essential Kitchen Utensils
Here’s a list of a few utensils and appliances to get you going in the kitchen.
This is a basic list and as your cooking and baking skills grow you can buy additional utensils as needed.
These are MUST-HAVE Items!!
- Chef’s knife
- Various measuring cups for solids and liquids
- Large and small mixing bowls
- Various Corrianders/strainers
- Various perforated spoons
- Measuring spoons
- Various non-stick frying pans. Preferably, small, medium and large pans. These items can often be bought as a set. Be sure to get non-sticking.
- Cookie sheets
- Casserole Bakeware
- Salad bowls
- Serving trays
- Standard size Muffin tins
- 1.5-inch silicone molds for making low carb fat bombs and other treats.
- Manual Spiralizer for making low carb pasta dishes. MUST HAVE!!
“Nice To have Items” if You can Afford Them.
- Food processor
- Slow cooker
- Various casserole dishes
- Bread knife (for keto or low carb bread of course)
- Powered spiralizer
I know it can be frustrating working in a small kitchen space. But with a little ingenuity, you can make it work.
Take your time You’ll have to experiment with different storage solutions that will work in your kitchen. In time, you will develop a nice workflow for cooking and baking. Remember it’s not the size of the space but what you do with the space that you have.
Be creative with the available space and look for space-saving items from your local home goods supply store or purchase items online. With a little thinking, you’d be amazed by how much space you can find.
One final tip, when baking or cooking put away items that you are done with to reduce clutter on the counter.
Bonus Solutions: There are software programs that allow to take pictures of your space and see how the containers and shelving units will look in your kitchen before you purchase them.
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