What frustrates you when you try to organize your kitchen cupboards/pantry?

[Rilwan]

Hello I'm is Rilwan, I'm a 2nd year Product Design Student at Huddersfield. Undertaking research finding insights to problems and frustrations faced within the kitchen. Frustrations found with organising items commonly found in top cupboards. In relation to Herbs & spices, Mugs/glassware, Soft Packets, Bottles and Cereal Boxes. Your responses (even pictures) would help massively! Thank you so much for your time, and everything helps!

 

Also If you have a few seconds on your hands, please respond to anonymous survey - It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes. It would be much appreciated.

 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2p8utZEGhUW9_FzK4c4YkD0A9n-8HjJIigIiahMfxWtURUFDVjlTQjFPVDE2TTdON0wzNUU2QlE1UC4u

 

Thank You Once Again,

Rilwan

[Smithy]

By "top cupboards" do you mean the cupboards above the countertop, or do you mean the really high cupboards that require a stepstool to reach? I have some of both, and the answers may be different.

 

The more I think about it, the more I think I can show pictures of what frustrates me in my current kitchen, if you'd like to see it.

[heidih]

Nothing. But I am old and been cooking since before I could reach the countertop - chairs were provided. We are all unique. I know in my walk in pantry the flour, rice, grains are on the right, spice to  left arranged by my own use needs. I have seen on the internet the use of cubbies for various needs and that makes sense I guess.  I do not think one size fits all or being told "this is the best way" is great. But I tend to be the outlier. Have never "lost" anything in the pantry. Wel there was an onion once but it barked loudly at me

[liuzhou]

The survey is flawed in many ways. It needs definitions. It makes assumptions which will not be valid for everyone. For example, I don't keep glassware in a "top cupboard" whatever one of them is.

 

I'm not sure that the amount of spices I have or how many I use per day correlates to any frustration level.

 

"Per day" is also pretty unhelpful. Some days I cook for just myself; others I cook for several people. It varies widely.

 

I never buy prepared breakfast cereals, so that quesion is irrelevant. Also I seldom buy what you call "soft packets".

 

I'm sure people would be glad to help, but you need to rethink the questionnaire.

Edited February 13, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My frustration is I don't have a larger bedroom.

 

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

My frustration is I don't have a larger bedroom.

 

And isn't it a bitch when you shove something dead center under the bed and can't reach it?!?  Especially if the bed abuts a wall on the far side.... My shove technique has been perfected. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 minutes ago, heidih said:

And isn't it a bitch when you shove something dead center under the bed and can't reach it?!?  Especially if the bed abuts a wall on the far side.... My shove technique has been perfected. 

 

Ha.  I learned my lesson a long time ago.  Some culinary staple might be stored above the toilet, but nothing goes beneath the bed.

 

[TdeV]

Hello @Rilwan, and welcome to eGullet.

 

I'm afraid that one of the things I find very frustrating is your survey. The following are each reasons why I wouldn't complete the survey.

• The answerer is not allowed to see the survey in its entirety without answering the first page of questions.
• The first page of questions presumes quite a bit about my use of my kitchen without giving me any sense that you comprehend the issues of organization in a kitchen.
• If you ask a question and provide five possible answers, what happens if none of those answers is correct?
• And, as mentioned by others, my "normal" cooking life is variable, so your questions aren't general enough.

So, Rilwan, I think the content of your survey needs lots more work.

 

The folk here are experts in the kitchen and many have been on eGullet for years and years. You've just arrived. Perhaps the first thing someone in your position might do is to ask for:

• examples (links to eGullet posts of pictures and words) where kitchen organization works well.
• examples where kitchen organization doesn't work.

[gfweb]

I'd be interested in your solution. Its hard to design around tall cabinets and short people

[weinoo]

Right...for instance, here is an image of a good working kitchen...

 

 

Although she renovated, and I have no clue why anyone would want to hang stuff right over the stove...

 

 

Here is  an image of what might not work...

 

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

" I have no clue why anyone would want to hang stuff right over the stove "

 

so you can Oooooo  and Ahhhhhhh

 

at such an expensive stove.

 

on camera

 

N.B. :   the funds might have been used for a Rational or Two Rationals

 

but then , who would Ooooooo , etc

 

also , who polishes the copper  part of a copper pan ?

 

I just keep the working surface immaculate 

 

w BarKeepersFriend  from time to time.

[gfweb]

I suspect that the camera aesthetics dictated the pans over the stove

[TdeV]

Here is a photo of my spice cabinet when it was new in 2018. It has considerably more types and quantity of spice in it now. It is 4.5" deep, 41" wide, and 87" tall.

 

https://forums.egullet.org/p2174414

 

 

 

Asking me, and someone who has 4 spice bottles in the cupboard, about kitchen spice organization is asking different questions. Our answers are necessarily thinking about the organization in different ways. There's no way to collect that kind of information without asking different questions than you are. More probing questions (rather than a fixed multiple choice) will yield more information also.

 

Good luck!

Edited February 13, 2021 by TdeV
Add clarity, picture; fix grammar (log)

[lindag]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

Right...for instance, here is an image of a good working kitchen...

 

 

Although she renovated, and I have no clue why anyone would want to hang stuff right over the stove...

 

 

Here is  an image of what might not work...

 

OMG!  What a gorgeous range!  What brand is that?

 

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, gfweb said:

I suspect that the camera aesthetics dictated the pans over the stove

 

I don't think that is just for the camera. There is a rail there which accepts hooks - whether or not pans are always there may be open to question; but that rail is there for a reason.

 

Similar to the one I have, except mine is not over the stove...

 

 

The range in Ina's well-organized kitchen is a La Cornue. French, expensive, but probably "gifted" to Ina because it certainly is a nice way to advertise, having it on her show.

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

nice.  very nice 

 

perhaps y9u should look into a 

 

long term contract w 

 

FoodTV

 

PBS   ( they are a cimercial network now : 

 

they are MarthaFellon now 

 

before he ' fold '  12:00 pm on sats

 

its free to them  I think

 

Cable Food ?

 

YoyTube ?

 

my ideas get me 15 % , and 5 % goes to eG

 

pre-tax  thank you

[rotuts]

P.S. :

 

follow my lead :

 

' she 'laughs all the ay to the Bank"

 

you might enjoys this

 

via Electronic transfer

 

my fees have gone uo :

 

20 % for me  10% for eG

 

pre-tax

 

your tax   not mine.

 

 

[Kim Shook]

The most frustrating thing for me is when Other People put things away with no thought to where they actually belong.  😄

 

Seriously, though, I detest cabinets that have whole sections that are literally inaccessible.  I have one that goes about a yard deep from the right of the door.  I would have to actually climb into the cabinet to retrieve things (I am a fat, 61 year old woman - that is NOT happening).  And how useless are the over the refrigerator cabinets - the bottom of the ones in my kitchen are 5'10" off the floor.  I think they have the tea cups and saucers from my china in them.  🙄

[heidih]

28 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

 And how useless are the over the refrigerator cabinets - the bottom of the ones in my kitchen are 5'10" off the floor.  I think they have the tea cups and saucers from my china in them.  🙄

In one of my kitchens I irritated the cabinetmaker and would not sign off on the plans until he changed that above the refrigerator cabinet to a filler panel.  Years before I could not find  something because a "helpful" person tucked it up above the fridge! Found it years later. 

 

When I redid the cabinets here a different cabinetmaker did address the dead corner. She put the carousels in. Works.

[chromedome]

Truthfully I'm not a fan of the carousel either. I've had things fall off the back and jam up the works, and extricating them required a degree of "personal origami" that did not work well with my physique.

[Kim Shook]

14 minutes ago, chromedome said:

 "personal origami" 

Stealing that.  

[FauxPas]

19 hours ago, Smithy said:

The more I think about it, the more I think I can show pictures of what frustrates me in my current kitchen, if you'd like to see it.

 

I'd be interested in seeing that! 🙂  Maybe others would be, as well.

[weinoo]

I happen to like my over-the-fridge cabinet. It's big (33" wide and full 24" depth). I store a lot of stuff in there. Some that's rarely used way in the back, RG bean surplus, back up flours,. I simply pull out the step ladder located right next to the fridge...

 

[heidih]

21 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I happen to like my over-the-fridge cabinet. It's big (33" wide and full 24" depth). I store a lot of stuff in there. Some that's rarely used way in the back, RG bean surplus, back up flours,. I simply pull out the step ladder located right next to the fridge...

 

Me on a step ladder with current issues - sure   would fall backwards and hit head on granite island. You underscore the need to have your kitchen work for you especially when it is a place of joy. Interesting magnet assortment BTW

[Kim Shook]

54 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I happen to like my over-the-fridge cabinet. It's big (33" wide and full 24" depth). I store a lot of stuff in there. Some that's rarely used way in the back, RG bean surplus, back up flours,. I simply pull out the step ladder located right next to the fridge...

 

Unfortunately, mine is much less deep than the refrigerator and I can't reach what is in it - even with the step ladder.