What's in your kitchen cabinets?

[KrisM]

Odd question.

Our pantry is small, so we have some pantry stuff in an upper cabinet (crackers, peanut butter, ketchup, cake mix, etc) and other potential pantry stuff in another (oils, spices, tea, etc). Another upper holds vitamins, Box Tops, can/bottle holders, medicines. Finally, we have one upper that has plates and glasses in it. Over the microwave are Christmas dishes.

Our lower cabinets seem more traditional to me - dish towels, pots and pans, bread, lunch box stuff, and plastic containers.

In the pantry we have cereal, kid snacks, mixer, baking things (flour, sugar), Pyrex dishes, mixing bowls and little used bakeware (cupcake, cake pans).

Most of our pantry things are in the laundry room. I'd really like to free that space up for more coat hooks, so am wondering if I can better organize my kitchen.

[abh5e8]

over stove/microwave: bulk foods, alcohol, mandolin slicer
top cabinets: 1 has spices/oils, 1 has bulk foods/mixing blowels/coffee, 1 has dishes and glasses
bottom cabinets: 1 tall one for cookie sheets et al, 1 has pots/pans, 1 has canned food/bulk food, 1 has small appliances, water bottles and some onions.

[SnuggleBuggles]

No pantry here. I wish! Homes of this era weren't built with them and space isn't there to add one.

Cabinets often become a forgotten wasteland for food. We actually installed some open shelving for our snacks and cereal, things we want a quick turn over on.

Our lower cabinets have pull outs and they are great! Canned goods are in one. Baking stuff (mixing bowls, pans) are on a other. Dry goods with slower turn over (pasta, oil, vanilla, croutons, sauces) are in the cabinet to the right of the stove. I reorganized that cabinet to have most of our oils and vinegars as well as my Pyrex measuring cups- often used items.

Spices and baking supplies are to the left of the stove, upper cabinets.

I love using my drawers for pots and pans. I'm glad the kitchen has more drawers than cabinets.

[niccig]

For me, the kitchen cabinets are prime real estate as my storage area is the detached garage. Not too far from house, but enough of a pain. Things used frequently need to be where I can reach them, less used items, go in the cabinets in the garage. Our Christmas dishes are boxed up and put with the Christmas decorations, when we decorate, they get upacked. Above our microwave, I have canisters of pasta/rice etc. I have items like oils, tea, coffee in an upper cabinet beside the stove. Rest of the food is in the pantry. Upper cabinets have plates, glasses etc. Lower cabinets have cookware, pyrex dishes, lazy susan cabinet has small appliances like food processor and oversized items like the colanders (my cabinets have very small interiors). Baking pans are in the pull out drawer under the range, and even less used baking items are in cabinet above the fridge. I'm going to have to reassess the baking pans storage as hoping to get a double oven range, so won't have the drawer anymore. Items in garage are the slow cooker, ice cream maker, large roasting pan that only gets used for Thanksgiving turkey.

I'd look at all the items you have and decide what needs to be close by and what can be somewhere else as you don't use it that often.

[hillview]

pantry has all food (ALL) and some random things I don't use often enough to merit counter space (vitamix blender, etc), spice rack on door, 3 hooks for aprons

Cabinets have (working from left to right, goes in a bit if a U shape -- only after sink are there upper cabinets, til then it is all windows and lower cabinets)
Near cook top
- one large drawer for pans & stove spoons/spatulas etc
- one large drawer for pots
- Under cook top are some random pots I don't usually use (it is a very small awkward area)
Below cutting area
- 4 small drawers for knife drawer, cutting boards, Ziploc and tin foil etc, mixing bowl sets and measuring cups
- Trash & recycling
sink
- under sink is small amount of cleaning supplies in Container Store MPB)
-- START UPPER CABINETS --
dishwasher
- 4 narrow drawers (pyrex, water bottles, rubber dishes)
- upper cabinet = mugs, larger adult bowls and glasses for adults
- shallow large drawer with all cooking accessories (whisks, peelers etc, all organized in separate holder things)
- large and deep drawer lower cabinet for plates, bowls, glasses for kids, standing up silverware holders, small plates
- large and deep drawer lower cabinet (below) with planet boxes and lunch containers
- upper cabinet = fancier plates, serving bowls etc
- above oven mason jars
- oven/microwave
- below oven microwave, 2 large drawers holding stone cookware and oven mits
- small narrow what was supposed to be a broom closet was chopped into 2 and holds all muffin tins, cookie sheets etc

[wendibird22]

No pantry here. Our center island has most of the food (boxed and canned items). Spices are on a shelf in an upper cabinet and some baking items (crisco, choc chips, nuts) are on shelf in that cabinet. In a narrow, upper cabinet is cooking oils/sprays and alcohol. We have a rear entry closet that holds things like ziplocs and foil. Bread and bus are in a lower drawer below the silverware.