I think we have finally figured out a place for everything in the kitchen. It took some time cooking and prepping meals to get a feel for where we wanted things, but we are getting there! We took advantage of some snowy weekends to empty and re-organize everything post-holiday. So how about an inside look at our current fridge, pantry, and a even few cabinets!
One of the best things about this new kitchen set up is the extra space it has provided. We were really missing our old walk-in pantry, so we re-designed the layout to do this built in unit. We took out the old one to use for the current fridge and broom closet, and built a pantry where the old built in desk unit used to be.
(Pantry before – It tends to look like this every few weeks once the wildlife has ransacked it after school.)
After a lot of time re-arranging and re-stocking;) Our pantry sees a lot of snacks go in and out. It’s a great help yourself station for the kids to serve themselves breakfast or pack lunch (with some guidelines of course). If things are easy to access for them there is a lot better flow during the morning rush of getting ready for school.
I found these baskets that fit side by side for snacks, breakfast things, and smaller boxes like macaroni and cheese. We’ve had these snack and cereal containers a long time, and they seal really well! (We buy a lot of snacks in bulk.)
We had the pantry made with adjustable shelves so it made it easier to arrange! I use the wooden bins for bread and potatoes, and the rest of the jars and tubs for rices, pastas, nuts, beans, etc. (Everything linked below.)
I moved the flour and sugar tubs to the cabinet next to the stove above the larger spices. It just made more sense to have the close to the cooking area! I can barelyyyy reach the top shelf, but it works!
A few things that have been a welcome change with the refrigerator:
1) The more shallow depth actually has helped us find all of the leftovers we tend to forget about. We have definitely wasted less food, and it’s easier to browse around.
2) The Jenn Air counter depth refrigerator has temp controls that keep the dairy and produce in drawers fresh for longer periods of time. Another feature that has allowed for less waste! (I always lose an onion or two in produce drawers.)
FRIDGE SPACE SAVERS
We pulled everything out to re-arrange and organize from all of the holiday hosting abyss of dips and extra sauces. A few small things that helped with space in our fridge:
1)This two pack of lazy susans for easy jar and bottle access.
2) These stackable produce containers that include slotted trays at the bottom that help separate the moisture after you wash your fruit keeping it fresh for a longer period of time. We do a lot of veggies and hummus + fruit for snack, dinner, and lunches so the extra bins have been helpful to pull out for the kids.
3) A plastic tub with lid to hold butter, cream cheese, and even herb packs. It holds a good amount!
ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX
SEVEN // EIGHT // NINE // TEN // ELEVEN // TWELVE
These are the items that have held up well for me over the last few years, and a few new baskets that fit the pantry well! Highly recommend the progressive prokeeper brand for flour and sugar tubs and the oxo pop containers for snacks and other food storage. Both seal really well, and open and close easily. Neither have cracked like some of the other brands I have tried.
Anything else you are curious about organization and storage wise in this kitchen? We have a few more things to share before the final kitchen tour coming up!
