– Liucina, what tricks do you use to ensure all dishes and products have their place in the kitchen?
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– I really have a lot of things in the kitchen – much more than a person really needs daily (laughs). My kitchen is quite compact, fortunately, there is a pantry nearby, so I keep larger baking dishes, stainless steel bowls, baking molds, and less frequently used utensils there. I try to sort the items kept in the kitchen by purpose, size, or shape. This really works: things don’t get scattered, you always know where to look for them, and they take up less space.
– Where does the mess usually start when cooking, and how do you control it?
– The biggest chaos is caused not by dishes but by products. When I cook everyday meals, there are various spices and their bags. When making desserts, there are flour, sugar, cocoa – each has different shaped packages, not all keep their shape, they fall, crumble, and chaos quickly arises. I control this very simply – I am the queen of containers. I really like IKEA food containers with green lids – one set has various sizes. I also use different sized glass IKEA jars with clamps. I put salt or spices in the smallest ones, grains in the medium ones. They are very convenient also when I make more dessert filling, homemade nut cream, pesto, or spreads. It’s both beautiful and practical because you can always see the leftovers.
– If you had to solve one kitchen organization problem today, what would it be?
– Right now, shelves with drawers would be most useful. Also, I can’t bring myself to organize the spices so that they are all in separate containers. If someone did that for me, I would definitely be grateful (laughs). The same goes for bulk products – sugar, flour, and others. I know I should organize them, but I just can’t find the time.
Recipes for an organized kitchen
IKEA interior designer Toma Laucienė advises everyone who loves cooking and baking to apply these simple solutions, and your beloved hobby will bring even more joy at home.
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- The kitchen triangle theory says the most important kitchen elements are the refrigerator, sink, and stove – we move most between them while cooking. Therefore, it is important to keep all dishes, tools, cooking appliances, products, or spices so that the necessary items for each cooking stage are at hand – this makes food preparation pleasant and reduces the chance of mess.
- A shelf for favorite plates, a drawer for cutting boards… and, of course, a drawer for favorite snacks! When items have a clear place, the kitchen immediately feels calmer. “I also like to cook and often make more food than needed: I always keep leftovers in transparent containers, especially liking the IKEA 365+ family. So, in my kitchen, there is a separate large drawer for food containers and their lids – I like to keep them separate, sorted, and since most are from the same series, I can easily match them together,” shares the interior designer.
- If shelves or drawers run out of space, the stainless steel wall storage system KUNGSFORS – wall rails, hooks, magnetic knife holder, and other solutions – will help avoid cluttering the countertop and bring the home kitchen closer to a restaurant-level kitchen.
- Many of us have already started storing bulk food products, spices, and other seasonings in containers. But it’s worth applying this method to other kitchen items as well. For example, in the versatile UPPDATERA box with convenient handles, you can put sieves, cookie cutters, or your napkin collection and store them conveniently in a drawer or on a shelf. According to T. Laucienė, this way of organizing both food and items is the best recipe for an organized kitchen.
