5 Easy Ways to Organize Your Baking Supplies in the Kitchen

Whether you’ve always been a cake and cookie whiz, or you’ve just recently discovered the joys of baking thanks to the pandemic, you’ve probably picked up some baking tools. From the basics like sifters and mixing bowls to more specific equipment such as dough hooks, it’s easy for things to pile up.

A cluttered kitchen isn’t just an eyesore, but it reduces your counter space and can lead to pests. Recreating that easy bread recipe becomes challenging when you have to rummage through your pantry just to find the ingredients or tools you need. Organizing your cabinets may sound like a huge undertaking, but a well-planned kitchen ultimately leads to a more efficient, more enjoyable bake.

Here are a few easy tips to keep your kitchen neat and tidy:

1. Know what’s in your cupboard

It’s hard to organize when you don’t know what’s in your pantry. Take stock of the tools and ingredients that you have. Start from scratch and clear out your baking supplies so you know exactly what you’re dealing with—you’ll often be surprised to find misplaced spatulas in forgotten corners. You don’t want to spend the morning rearranging, only to find out that you missed a couple of tools.

2. Come up with a flow

When you already know what’s in your kitchen, it’s time to establish your ideal flow or how you want things to work in your kitchen. Now this will vary from person to person, but here are several things to consider when categorizing your baking supplies:

• Prioritize the things you use most often – Whisks, wooden spoons, and measuring spoons are all kitchen must-haves. Keep them in easy-to-reach places. On the other hand, Christmas cookie cutters aren’t something that you’ll be using all year round. Those are best kept further back, where they won’t get in the way.
• Group often-used supplies together – This applies when you have recipes on heavy rotation. For example, if you like to bake bread weekly, it makes sense to keep all the tools and ingredients you need near each other.
• Sort by purpose – Consider having designated spaces for items of similar use. Cookie trays and muffin pans can sit in one area, while piping bags and frosting nozzles are kept in a separate place.
• Declutter – Check expiration dates. Separate the tools you haven’t used in a while. Weed out broken equipment. The point is to dispose of things you don’t need anymore—clearing those out makes it easier to maintain a tidy kitchen.

3. Look for inspiration

Rearranging your baking supplies can get overwhelming. Stay inspired by getting ideas from websites like Pinterest. Use search terms relevant to your situation, such as “small kitchen organizing ideas” or “walk-in pantry layout”  to make sure that you’re getting ideas helpful to you.
 

4. Use organizing tools

There are a ton of organizing tools to choose from and, again, the “best” one depends on your preference. However, there are a few items that a lot of home bakers love.

• Clear, airtight jars are a great way to store ingredients like flour, sugar, and dried fruits. Not only do they look great, but they keep your ingredients fresh too. Labeling your jars with expiration dates is also a good idea. You don’t want to ruin an otherwise perfect cake by accidentally using stale baking soda.
• Plastic dividers are an affordable and incredibly simple solution to keep your drawers organized. They allow you to separate different supplies into their mini compartments so that everything’s easy to find when you pull out your drawer.  No one likes a jumbled mess. If you want to take that a step further, custom baking pan drawer dividers are always a good idea. It saves you the trouble of having to stack your pans and cookie sheets, which can get cumbersome when you have quite a few in your kitchen.
• Pegboards are a great, versatile storage solution. You might be used to seeing them in your garage, but they’re great in your kitchen too. It serves as both a storage and display solution—it’s the perfect place to hang your Instagram-worthy pastel-colored ice cream scoop.

5. Test things out

After you’ve put in all the effort to organize your baking supplies, test things out to see how you like your new layout. If you have the time, it’s best to bake a few of your favorite recipes to see if the storage spaces and placements work.

Key Takeaway

With all the tools that come with baking, it’s easy for things to pile up and turn into a mess. Keeping things organized may seem like an overwhelming task, but there are some tips you can make use of to make the project easier—from knowing what’s in your cupboard to getting inspiration from other people’s kitchens. In the end, it’s important to find what works for you. Tweak as you go until you find a feasible system that you’re happy with.

About The Author: Christopher Lao is the Managing Member of Charlie’s Fixtures, LLC, who is responsible for the overall well-being of the company’s operations. He believes that customer service is key to long-term business success. When not working, he spends time with his loved ones and travels to different places.

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash