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

the four guidelines to use for organizing my kitchen are number one my kitchen environment should be enjoyable to cook in number two every item tool and ingredient should have a defined space and be as visible as possible number three my most use items are easy to get to and number four my storage solution should be simple and economical by following this system i have created a kitchen that is efficient for cooking and cleaning up and most importantly establishes an environment that i have a lot of fun cooking in today i'm going to take you through my entire setup hey 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 spices i'll let you guys look inside my fridge we'll literally cover everything and i think the biggest thing that i want you all to take away from this video is that really this kitchen is about creating a place that i enjoy being in that i want to cook in that inspires me um you know i can spend maybe 20 minutes or i can spend hours upon hours in here so as you kind of watch through the videos just kind of think about that and how that can relate to your own kitchen and hopefully you guys can find some ideas to create a kitchen that you all want to cook into so without further ado let's hop into the video every section will be time stamped below as always so if you guys want to jump around to various sections you can feel free to do so let's dive in in my kitchen i have two sides the counters with the sink and the counters with the stove when i moved into this apartment there was a five foot long area beneath the window and this is where i've decided to put my movable kitchen island which was primarily created to be the center piece for videos as well as make more counter space for cooking with my counters i like to keep them completely clear other than small items that i use frequently which are my thermometer my scale my disc drying mat and my salt pig for me i want to walk into my kitchen and feel like i have this blank canvas to cook upon because that's when i feel most at ease while cooking when i moved into this apartment the microwave was actually taking up the entire counter to the left of the sink but since i only use a microwave like two to three times a week it made zero sense for me to actually have it out on the counter all the time so i moved it back out to my living room still deciding on the shelving unit lastly to the left of the stove i set up a large booze 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 my kitchen to look like after finishing cooking and cleaning each time now with this general layout covered facing the stove will move left to right around the kitchen the first drawer to the left of the stove houses my cutlery and some small utensils like a rolling pin grater whisk garlic crusher and can opener and all these items are just placed in a bamboo drawer organizer from ikea the cabinet below the cutlery drawer is where i store my pots and pans on the top shelf i have my large stockpot and just a lid to one of my other saucepans then on the bottom i have my pots and pans stored in an expandable pot organizer i got from amazon it was about 27 and is a game changer for storage storing the pans upright instead of stacking them on top of each other makes them easier to see and there's no banging around of pots another note on my pots and pans i've tried to keep them to a minimal number to what i actually need and use this is all of them besides my wok which is too large for this cabinet and then my cast iron griddle which i actually can store in here but it basically lives on top of my stovetop since it is easily my most used pan to the right of the stove are a column of four small drawers on the top it contains my essential cooking utensils like spatulas tongs and slotted spoons below this drawer is my plastic wrap freezer bags tin foil and parchment paper the third one down usually stores breads that are eaten within a couple days right now i just have some flour tortillas and burger buns the bottom drawer contains all of my deli containers which are the containers i use for basically 95 of storing my food i switched to these when i moved into this apartment and they are absolutely game changing they are washable reusable you can recycle them when they have run their course or get 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 they fit really nice in the fridge they're easy to see what's inside them and i do have a couple of glass containers that i use sometimes for foods that may fit better in a rectangle but most of the time i only use these deli container now let's talk about the fridge starting with the exterior so on the outside of my fridge is a magnetic shelf organizer that i found on amazon to store my daily use oils like peanut and olive oil along with cooking spray and black pepper and then on the top i keep some sauces and vinegars it also houses 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 have zero worries about it falling off but now let's talk about the inside of the fridge [Music] so in general the top and bottom shelves are the coldest areas of the fridge so on the top shelf i like to put my leftovers so they can cool faster and get them out of that food danger zone which is 40 to 140 degrees fahrenheit i also store my yeast in the back along with some other things like yogurt on my middle shelf i like to place my vegetables and fruits in bins 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 fridge i generally find that i use up my fruits and vegetables before they go bad this is opposed to what i used to do where i used to just chuck everything in a bin at the bottom and would end up with a bunch of bad vegetables by the end of the week on the bottom shelf i like to place items like drinks and my eggs or any overflow items and then in the shelf drawer i like to keep all my cheeses in the large bottom drawers at the bottom of the fridge i like to place my larger vegetables like carrots and lettuce being sure not to overfill the drawer just so i can make sure i can see everything inside there and then lastly i place all my raw meats in the lower right drawer not only is this my coldest area but if any drips happen it's not going to contaminate any other food in the fridge and it's easily cleaned up in the bin lastly the fridge door is for all of my condiments pickled items and drinks i try to keep them in a single row so none get tucked behind where i can't see them then in the freezer i like to keep some pre-portioned leftovers some meats that i may have got a good deal on but haven't got a chance to cook yet ice and usually a bag of peas in case i end up with a black eye my big tips for the fridge are getting some storage bins like these to provide some separation and organization for your items instead of just keeping them in plastic bags from the grocery store also making sure your raw meats are placed in a drawer like i do or at least on a plate are critical for reducing the risk for cross-contamination if something were to go bad swiveling to the sink side of the kitchen we have the pantry which is part in this cabinet and part of the lower cabinets to the right of the sink now i used to stock up on a ton of stuff but i've since kind of abandoned that approach so i can get better at actually using what i have typically you'll see things like whole tomatoes evaporated milk plenty of pastas and various vinegars and other sauces then 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 very often and then i also like to keep my excess peanut oil baking items like cornmeal and corn starch and then i have these resealable containers from oxo that have my bread flour sugar and rice these are really nice containers for pantry items that i would highly suggest for the sink i did a video about the install if you want to check it out but for organization wise i just have this dish mat out that has my sponges dish soap trash bags bar keepers friends and some general purpose spray under here and then i also keep my trash bin under the sink as well to the drawer to the right of the sink i just have some various items in here like some extra towels some bread making items and like an extra thermometer or something but to the drawer to the right of that one i have all of my spices so i did a whole video if you do want some more in-depth information about what spices i use but in general 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 store them in this drawer they are easily refillable and easily identifiable for my table and dishware i keep it in this large cabinet and 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 plates mason jars for pickled onions and some cast irons for plating purposes like in my mac 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 to the right of the cabinets for knife storage i went for a magnetic wall rack now this is not only a sexy way to show off your knives but it's also probably the best storage technique because it won't dull the edge like a knife block might and if some water is left on the knife it will dry out instead of mold or mildew potentially developing to round out the tour is again my diy kitchen island again it's just the center piece for my videos but i do store a couple of things underneath here like my onion and garlic bin which i use all the time some mixing bowls my food processor my mortar and pestle and an extra cutting board that i typically use for raw meats i also do hang a couple of things up here as i see fit but all in all i've really been liking this system that i put in place for storage and organization in my kitchen hopefully you all have found at least one or two things that can work for you in your kitchen and creating a kitchen that makes you happy to cook in [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Ethan Chlebowski

Views: 790,367

Rating: 4.9563789 out of 5

Keywords: Ethan Chlebowski, beginners guide to kitchen organization, kitchen organization, fridge organization, spice organization, how to organize your kitchen, knife organizer, organization, how to organize a kitchen, pantry organization, how to organize a pantry, sink organization, shelf organization, small kitchen organization

Id: MhQCvS2oe1w

Length: 10min 36sec (636 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 30 2020