Welcome to the latest instalment of controlling the chaos in your kitchen. This time, we’re looking at using drawers. Kitchens have changed a lot over the years, and replacing cabinets with drawers is one of the biggest changes. It’s so much easier to pull out a drawer and instantly access all the contents, rather than getting down on your hands and knees to rummage around the back of a cupboard.
Pot drawers are particularly useful. Frypans and saucepans are hard to stack and awkwardly shaped, so one or two big drawers make life much easier. If possible, pot drawers should be close to your oven and cooktops for easy access.
Crockery also stacks well in a drawer for easy access. If possible, add movable pegs or dividers to keep the crockery in place, so it doesn’t slide around and knock into other items when opening and closing the drawer.
A couple of drawers for cutlery and utensils have long been a staple of most kitchens, but recently there’s also been a trend towards wide, flat drawers for other items. This can include spice racks, where the spices are laid flat or on a slight angle, making it easy to find your favourite spices. Or if the drawer is smaller, coffee accessories can be tucked away close to the coffee maker, freeing up bench space.
When it comes to storing knives, it’s good to have a drawer close to the sink and preparation areas. That way you can improve the safety of anyone wandering aimlessly into the kitchen during food preparation time.
If you have an island bench in your kitchen, make maximum use of the space underneath. Depending on the size and shape of the bench, it may be possible to have drawers down both sides, or at both ends. It’s a great way to massively increase storage space in your kitchen.
Once you start to let your imagination loose, it’s amazing how many ways you can find to utilise drawers in your kitchen in a more efficient way.