How to Store Small Kitchen Appliances

Grab some storage and organization ideas for all those small but bulky kitchen appliances and other gadgets and free up counter space.

In our home, the kitchen is probably the least organized space. I try to keep counter clutter to a minimum. But the housewife in me wants to have all the kitchen gadgets to make nutritious meals faster. The homemaker and the neat freak in me want to organize all the kitchen appliances functionally.

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After years of shuffling things around -while accumulating even more kitchen appliances- I finally created dedicated storage space and organized them. I hope this post will spark some ideas and awaken your imagination to help you organize your kitchen appliances.

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What is the Best Storage for Kitchen Appliances?

We all have different sizes of kitchens, families, and different lifestyles. So, how you organize and store your kitchen appliances will be very different from the next person’s. If you make smoothies every morning, your blender most likely stays on the kitchen counter at all times. Or, if you work long shifts, your slow cooker sits front and center on the kitchen island. I use my air fryer *almost* daily, so I keep it on the counter.

Your kitchen appliances storage method will depend mostly on three variables:

1. Availability of storage space (cabinets, corner carts, pantry, countertops, etc.)
2. Lifestyle (smoothie lover, vegan diet, meat-eater, picky eater, etc.)
3. Size and ease of use of the appliances.

But perhaps the most important thing you need to know is to categorize your appliances by frequency of use. To get there, you must first gather them all and declutter. Afterward, with categories and variables in mind, we will explore some storage options that could work for the appliances in your kitchen.

Steps to Organize Kitchen Appliances

1. Gather

Gather all your small appliances in one place. Set them down on the kitchen table, or counter. Seeing them all grouped together is a good exercise for determining how many you have and what you do or do not need.

2. Declutter

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To make the best out of your storage, declutter (recycle, sell, or donate) some of your kitchen appliances. During the purging session, ask yourself questions like:

• Is it in good working order? – Ensure that there are no missing parts and that it turns on and off.
• When was the last time I used it? – If it’s been more than a year since you last used it, you can probably discard it.
• Can I use it for more than one purpose? – Think double-duty (or all-in-one appliances). For example, this Instant Pot has a rice cooker feature, and this Air Fryer has a ‘Bake’ feature.

3. Categorize

Once you pare down your appliances and decide what to keep, you need to categorize them. Categorizing kitchen appliances by how often you use them helps you decide the type of storage they deserve. You may want to keep some appliances on the kitchen counter while storing others inside the cabinets or other storage space for that matter.

Categorizing Kitchen Appliances by Frequency of Use

I find that the most accurate and functional way to store kitchen appliances is by categorizing them by frequency of use. I will use my appliances and how I store them in our kitchen as an example. Adapt these storage ideas for the appliances in your kitchen as you see fit.

Daily

Keep on the kitchen counter appliances you use daily, or store them front and center inside a cabinet that is easily accessible.

Personal Examples

• I keep the toaster oven and the coffee maker on the counter near the pantry. This is sort of our breakfast prep area.
• The air fryer and can opener stay also on the counter at all times, next to the stove.
• I also have a separate coffee station for our espresso maker.

Often

Appliances used 2-3 times per week fall in the often category. Store them -front and center- inside a kitchen cabinet that is near the area where you would use them. Do not tuck them in the back of the cabinet.

Personal Examples

• I keep my pressure cookers (yes, two Instant Pots!) inside a cabinet in the front. All I have to do is open the door and reach for them.
• In a separate cabinet (storage for 90% of our kitchen appliances), I keep a handheld mixer (which I use to whip potatoes at least once a week) and a Ninja personal blender. We make smoothies with our BlendJet® blenders at least 4 times per week, so they sit front and center for easy reach.

• Also in the front (bottom shelf) is a vegetable spiralizer and a My Mini personal waffle maker. I do not necessarily use these two appliances very often, but the layout in the cabinet worked out better this way. Especially because the veggie spiralizer is tall, so it fits better in front of the bottom shelf.

In case you are curious, here is why I have two pressure cookers.

I purchased my first Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 in July of 2018 on Prime Day. I loved it so much that on Black Friday 2020, I purchased a newer version, the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 10-in-1. Having two pressure cookers comes in handy, especially during the holidays. On regular weeknights, I can have rice cooking in one while pressure cooking a pot roast or making lentil soup in the other.

These two monstrosities of appliances fought for storage in our kitchen for a while. Hence my idea to publish this article. But they finally found their home in a cabinet that was loaded with clutter. See for yourself!

Occasionally

Appliances used once or twice a month fall in the used occasionally category. Keep them in a cabinet nearby, but they can be tucked behind other appliances or items you use more often.

Personal Examples

• I keep my old (discontinued) blender/food processor combo and food chopper in the back of the cabinet. I almost got rid of them all. But then I remembered that the chopper is great for chopping nuts for desserts and artichoke hearts for dips. And the blender makes the best enchilada Suiza sauce! Whomp!

• On the far right is a book organizer bin to store random gadgets and appliance parts. The immersion blender (similar) fits perfectly in the book bin since it is tall and does not have a stable base.

• The slow cooker sits at the back of the bottom shelf. I also keep a container on the right with pressure cooker add-ons and manuals.

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Although not considered appliances, I also store my cutting boards here. This cabinet is below the silverware drawer, under my food-prep counter.

Rarely

Store inside a separate cabinet -or closet- appliances that ‘barely made the cut’ during the purging process. You use these appliances once every three or six months, maybe even once a year. Appliances that you definitely do not want to discard because they are good, and you definitely will need them ‘one day’. I get it!

Personal Examples

• I keep our stand mixer to the left of the cabinet where I store the pressure cookers. Even though I rarely use it, I can’t tuck it away because it is too tall and heavy. So, the best place for me to keep it is on the bottom shelf and towards the front of the cabinet.

• The electric griddle is tucked away on the top shelf with other kitchenware I use for entertaining.

Storage for Odd-Shaped Kitchen Appliances, Parts, and Other Gadgets

After organizing all your bulky kitchen appliances, you may face the ‘challenge’ of storing small appliance parts, odds & ends, necessary gadgets, etc. I found the perfect storage solution for those loose kitchen appliance parts.

You may know that bins and baskets are my favorite way to contain and ‘catch it all’. This book bin fits perfectly on the shelf; it holds tall items (immersion blender) and small little things. All I have to do is, pull the bin from the handle and reach for what I need without moving anything else in the cabinet.

Personal Examples

• The immersion blender and its cup, a handheld grater, a potato masher, and the lids for the Ninja blender cups.
• The veggie spiralizer blades stay inside the spiralizer’s cup.

Everything stays put. Perfect!

Watch It All Come Together in a GIF

When I make organization projects like this, I like to make fun gifs. Check out the storage of my kitchen appliances come together below! Watch a similar one in our post Under the Kitchen Sink Storage Ideas.

Real Kitchens Are Messy

In a world where our Instagram feeds are flooded with picture-perfect kitchens with uncluttered white marble counters, it is very easy to be discouraged. But those perfectly organized kitchens only exist on Instagram. Real kitchens are messy, and real housewives have cluttered counters. So, do your best but do not aim for perfection. You got this!

I hope these appliances and gadgets storage ideas help you create a functional kitchen!

happy organizing, Flavia

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens