Do you ever feel like your kitchen is overcrowded and messy? Read more to learn How To Organize a Kitchen and to get some super helpful tips!
This is just a small portion of my kitchen tools, decorating supplies, and fun food making stuff.
To say I have a lot is really an understatement.
So, when Toni from Make, Bake, Celebrate and Betsy from Java Cupcake asked me to join in on The Great Baking Closet Clean Out Giveaway, I couldn't say "no."Seven fun food bloggers have cleaned out their closets, will show how they organized all their kitchen gadgets and decorating supplies, and are giving away some excess supplies on their blogs.
As a group we are hosting a Grand Prize Giveaway and one lucky winner gets $250 in gift cards.
I'm giving away a Mystery Box Filled with Kitchen Stuff too.
I don't have before and after pictures to show you as I have always kept my supplies really well organized. For those of you who don't know my story, I've owned two retail confectionery stores. My first was quite successful and I was able to sell it when I decided to relocate from Kentucky to Ohio. I opened my second store, Candy Garen, in my hometown of Centerville and was happily running my business when I got sick.
After six painful months, through three major holidays, struggling to get through the day, I decided it was too much, and promoted one of my employees to manage the store so I could take some time off. The first weekend I left her alone, she didn't even show up and I never saw her again.
In that moment I made the tough decision to close the shop, but didn't want to give up my business so I moved it home. At the time we lived in a small house and working from our tiny kitchen was tough.
When my health returned, we moved into a new house and I transformed the morning room, right off the main kitchen, into my Candy Garden Room. I love my space.
I work at three stainless steel tables when making my chocolate. I have space for two chocolate tempering machines that each hold 50 pounds of melted chocolate, as well as, ingredients and supplies.
There's even enough space for a full-size refrigerator and my rack of baking pans.
At the holidays all of those pans can be filled with chocolate bark or popcorn in one day.
I store most of my ingredients in Rubbermaid and Tupperware containers. I need tight fitting containers to keep everything fresh and I love that these stack so nicely.
My stainless steel tables have one shelf so I used a few pieces of shelving from a garden greenhouse that I was no longer using to create another shelf to make my ingredients more accessible.
These tables are pretty deep. Behind the tubs pictured above are 50-pound cases of dark, milk and white chocolate.A few years ago, when I was selling a lot of chocolates to companies to use as holiday gifts, I would have as much as 700 pounds of chocolate in my house at one time. Crazy, I know!
When I started blogging, I began using a lot more tools like small cutters, clay extruders, alphabet stamps and more and found shallow drawers were great for storing the small pieces.
Fortunately, my kitchen is huge. It was the main priority when we built this house.
I have so many drawers and cupboards and they are packed full.I love seeing my clean kitchen. Believe me, it hardly ever never looks like this.
You may be laughing at all those measuring cups and spoons, but I hate to clean dishes while I'm working. My dishwasher is my best friend. So while I'm on a crazy baking spree, this drawer can be half empty.
I use kitchen drawer organizers to keep everything in its place.
Have you ever seen so many scoops? I love having a variety of sizes and use them all.
This drawer is organized with those plastic shoe boxes. They are an inexpensive storage solution.
My kitchen gadget drawer has lots of plastic organizing trays.
I know exactly where everything is in this drawer including some of my favorite kitchen tools.
When people come into my kitchen for the first time, they are amazed by the number of spatulas I own.
See them all on top of shelf? I counted 17 metal spatulas and 22 rubber spatulas. There are days when every single one is coated in chocolate and in my sink.
This cupboard used to be nicely organized, with plenty of wiggle room. Since I began blogging, I have purchased lots of baking pans and silicone molds.
What you can't see is that all of this stuff is two deep, so double the number of molds and pans you are seeing. Thankfully most things stack nicely.
This isn't even all of my pans. I have two drawers and a lazy Susan cupboard full of them too.
In addition to storage in my main kitchen and candy kitchen, I have two large cabinets in my laundry room filled with more Rubbermaid containers and boxes.
Everything has its place. If it didn't I'd spend my days looking for supplies instead of getting any work done.
I have a storage room in my basement too. The room is the same size as my candy kitchen. It houses my 1000 + candy molds which are stored in file draws. It's a great way to organize them.
You'd think that was all the stuff I have but this room is also filled with shipping boxes, tins, baskets, and all sorts of packaging materials.Whew, that is a lot, isn't it?
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Judi Sama says
I love all your organizing tips! I’m going to get a file cabinet for my candy molds! I never thought of that before, but it’s perfect to hold them upright!
Thanks!
P.S. I don’t have a Candy Kitchen; I have a Candy Shack, with a fridge/freezer in there, too! Great place to work!
Beth Klosterboer says
You are welcome. I'm glad you got some tips that will work for your Candy Shack. Anywhere you get to make candy, is fun and a Candy Shack sound perfect!
JoAnn says
First I thank you for the reply beth. Means so much that you take the time to help a complete stranger! I never even thought about using the plastic drawer sets! I know what it's like to have to move totes/bins around to access things in a bottom tote - most of mine are so heavy/big that I need help to move them. Not to mention it is a pain. I also have alot of small items that would benefit from the smaller shallow drawers. I knew baskets wouldn't work like you said, alot of wasted space. I was afraid to purchase things for fear that they wouldnt work out for me. But your advice of gathering things together, and shopping for a specific "piece" for those things is a great place to start! I was thinking of finding the "storage containers" first lol. I'm so glad I reached out to you! I have the shelf dimensions all written down in my wallet already lol. So at least I have a place to start. Group items and find specific container/drawer set for the group. I had thought of the under the bed totes, as I use them alot already. I am really trying to think outside the box and maximize as much space as possible. And Im sure as I go along, I'll find things that need changing or tweaked along the way. I really really really appriciate you taking time out of your busy life to help me beth. I have worked in a kitchen for about 25 years now. After all that time and experience I have never tried to organise one for myself or set one up. (And I have never been good at organization in the first place).
So again I thank you. So very much. And if I have any other questions would it be ok to ask I hope? Please keep up all the good work you do. You bring good things to alot of people!
Thanks again!!
JoAnn
Beth says
I am very happy to help. I know what a daunting task it can be organizing a space filled with so many supplies. I think you'll love the drawers. You can find them in all sorts of depths and widths. I use the small ones for things like pastry tips, plunger cutters, and lollipop sticks. Medium ones are great for cookies cutters and cupcake wrappers etc. I love the larger drawers for silicone molds and ingredients.
I was just putting away some decorations in my basement and had to enlist my husband to pick up and move some heavy bins. There are things I have to have in bins, but I much prefer storing in the drawers.
I wish you much luck! Don't ever hesitate to reach out with any questions. I am very happy to help. 🙂
JoAnn says
Hi Beth. I had book marked this along time ago and I'm so glad I did now! I have a very small, yet growing, family farm. I cook for a living and sell a wide assortment of biscotti and pizzelle. And some other sweets from holiday to holiday (candies and such). I recently got 6 sets of wire shelving units from a local fast food chain that underwent renovation. Also got a 6ft stainless table unit with upper and lower shelf. And am in the process of getting a bun pan rack as well. I am now in the process of trying to organise all my baking stuff and get it on the shelves that my husband got all set up for me. My problem - and question for you - is I don't know where or how to start!!!??? All of my supplies, ingredients, pans and trays are mostly all in HUGE totes and scattered about EVERYWHERE! I am unsure how to go about finding a home for everything. I love your ideas a out keeping everything in stackable totes. I have no drawer space to work with. No cabinets either. Just the wire shelving units and a big bookshelf. I have never been any good at organizing. I'm frustrated and don't know where to begin and how to proceed. Is there any advice you could give me? I need to maximize as much space as I can (I have a TON of stuff) and not much space to work with. All the organization info on the web is for "Pantry's" and not quite what I am looking for. I am hoping you can help me shed some light on the subject???!!!🤔 I look forward to your reply, and I thank you!
A devote - yet stressed out - fan,
JoAnn
Beth says
Hi JoAnn,
Congrats on your growing business. Getting a kitchen together is exciting and stressful. I had a very similar situation in my candy stores. I had a few stainless steel tables and several of the wire shelves in the kitchen. Back then I had to store large containers of ingredients on the shelves on the tables and large boxes and tubs of inventory and supplies on the wire shelves so I simply stacked things. Now that I have many more small supplies to store I have found the shallow drawers to be the best investment I made in my kitchen. I have some of those wire shelves in my basement and have some of the stacked drawers on them and it really makes the shelves more useful. I got the drawers at Menards at a really reasonable price. Most of them are made by Rubbermaid. I also use a lot of rectangle Rubbermaid Containers to store most of my ingredients. I know it's an investment, but having smaller, stackable drawers is really the best way to get organized. Having to constantly rearrange stacked tubs is a pain. I organized my kitchen so many years ago and it looks almost exactly the same now. I've invested in a few more of the stackable drawer units, but otherwise, things are all still where they have been for years. Getting organized really does make a huge difference in how efficient I can be.
When I began the organizing, I grouped things that I wanted to have together to see approximately how much room they would take up. Then I searched for drawer units and containers to hold them. It's good to have a plan before you go shopping. It's also good to measure your shelves to see how many tubs or drawers you can fit on each shelf. Measure the height and width. If you are tight on space it's good to get creative. I have two under the bed bins that are on wheels that I slide under the shelf of the stainless steel table. It's space that would be unutilized otherwise.
I know a lot of people use baskets to organize their stuff and I tried it but it didn't work for me. You can't stack the baskets the space above them becomes wasted. I need to utilize every inch of space that I have.
It's hard to give too much advice without seeing your set up and your stuff. I've helped friends organize their kitchens. I know how challenging it can be. I do hope help even a little bit and that you get your kitchen put together so it is easy to find what you need.
Good luck.
Debbie says
I would love working with chocolate, I have done some but not the beautiful chocolate swirls and curls and very pretty designs made using chocolate. And I have checked everywhere for a chocolatier class to just learn some of the methods, but no luck in my area. I love making beautiful things and great tasting chocolate candy. I have seen some wonderful work on tv such as Cake Wars where they have just a chocolatier to do all the chocolate work it is amazing, and Best Bakers in America where some pastry chefs no some wonderful techniques but those go so fast it isn't easy to learn anything from them. Thank you for your post I have been following you since I found your site awhile now. I wish I had started my passion for chocolate treats many years ago as I am quite older now but, I believe your never to old to learn something new.
Beth says
I love working with chocolate. It is truly my passion. There are a lot of chocolate making classes around the country but they do tend to be quite pricey. If you, by any chance, have a cake decorating supply store or a kitchen supply store in your area, you might check with them to see if they have any chocolate making classes. They are usually reasonably priced. There is nothing like hands-on experience but if you follow along here I do have some good videos and step-by-step tutorials all about making chocolates that will help you learn about some of the basics. Start by making some easy candies like chocolate truffles to gain confidence then try your hand at some more challenging candies. If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out and ask. I'd be happy to help.
Linda says
Hi Beth -- I've always loved your site, but after reading this post...love it even more! I also work with chocolate, but have always done so from a room set up in my home. I too had to take a break from it because of health issues...but as my health is starting to return, I'm looking to get into it more full time. I just had a question about your tempering machines....who is the mfg and is there a model number etc.? Up until now, I've always tempered by hand, but would love a machine....just not sure where to start as there seems to be so many of them out there. Would you be able to email me direct instead of answering on here? My email is candyboxcreations@hotmail.com (my website is www.candyboxcreations.blogspot.com and I am in Canada). Thanks so much - Linda
Chris Coyle says
Your widget apparently timed out early. Was just gonna enter, but it shows as OVER - it's only 6:23 EST... unless that was supposed to read 11:59 am? 🙁
beth says
Sorry about that. I was not in charge of that part of the giveaway, and didn't set up the rafflecopter widget. It does appear to have expired, however.
Chris Coyle says
I like to make/bake a little bit of everything, but any holiday is definitely an excuse for going crazy with it. Otherwise, I need an excuse because I don't want to actually eat it ... well, some of it of course. Can't even imagine how you deal with that amount of STUFF! I'd be overwhelmed with it all - even as organized as it is. It would be so nice if everything was completely stackable somehow.
Jen says
WOW! Your kitchen is fabulous! I love the organization especially the idea of a file cabinet for chocolate molds - brilliant!
I am a dabbler I love to bake. I do cakes for kids birthday's mainly. I enjoy holiday cookie baking and have recently started doing the fancy hard frosting for cookies. I also do chocolate molds for holiday's as well (Holiday is a pretty loose term since I love the random ones most to surprise my family and those who live around me with a treat - May day was our last fun one).
Maryanne & Duke says
Your organizing skills are incredible! I'd love to play in your kitchen for a day.
I like to bake cakes mostly, cupcakes some, and every once in awhile I'll make some cookies that are a little more complicated than drop cookies. I use holidays or birthdays as excuses for baking something special. I've even been know to find some obscure "holiday" (like Talk like a Pirate Day, September 19) just so I can make a treat. If I don't take these opportunities to play, I feel like time slips away from me before I get a chance to enjoy it.
artsyqt44 says
I'm a cookie decorator who is addicted to cookie cutters and sprinkles/sugars. I decorate for all occasions. I also like to bake cupcakes and cakes....but my true passion is cookies.
Danelle (e-mail entry) says
OMGness! Your kitchen is amazing! I bake when I am stressed! I just enjoy it. I bake cookies, cupcakes, pies, bars and make chocolates. I have a tempering machine (not as pretty as yours though!). I share with my coworkers, neighbors and friends. I like to give them things if they need a boost or as a thank you for something they have helped me out with. I would love to be in your drawing!
Sorry! I tried and it wouldn't leave a comment!
Danelle Dehne
Maccray teacher of deaf/hard of hearing
Lacy Cain says
I am a Youth Librarian so I am always looking for great and innovative ways to do stuff with the tweens/teens. We have made several things from your sight such as the bunny butts, chocolate books, different flavored popcorn, and others. Plus I love to bake personally, designated baker in my family. I have to make everything from scratch due to allergys (nuts, dairy, eggs) so finding cute stuff that I can adapt is always fun.
Carmen N says
I love to make cookies, candy and cakes. The most common reason lately for baking? To give my toddler and I an activity we can do together. I do bake for some holidays too (Christmas, Easter), but most are just-because.
Sheila says
I love to bake ANYTHING...however of late I have gotten into sugar cookies, i.e. the type you spend WAY to much time decorating...other then that I really like making fondant cakes and cupcakes. At the end of the day as long as I'm putting something in the oven I'm happy!!!
BakingRN says
I love baking for holidays and birthdays.
BakingRN says
I love making cookies and cakes for holidays and birthdays.
Liz Serich says
I'd love to be entered in your drawing. I love making cakes with fondant, candy/chocolate in molds, brownies, cupcakes you name it.....all the sweet stuff...
Liz Serich says
My daughter and I are always making desserts or something sweet, we especially like to make candy in the molds that you can get from Michaels or other stores.we also like making cakes with fondant. I really like your kitchen...I am sending this comment to be entered in the drawing. =)