by Barb Hopkins

Created on: September 11, 2009   Last Updated: September 25, 2009

Organizing your kitchen cupboards or cabinets can be done quickly and without hassle. Avoid time-consuming searches for missing lids and matching glassware by assigning a place for each item. Organizing can be easy when you consider the following tips.

* Your way is the best way.

Always remember it is your kitchen. Your organization system needs to fit your style and the way you use your kitchen. If you want your glassware in the cabinet next to the sink, put it there. It does not have to go near the refrigerator or dishwasher if that is awkward for you.

* Empty the cupboards and start from scratch.

If you truly want to get organized, it is time to take each item out of the cupboards or cabinets and see exactly what is living in there. This task sounds scarier than it actually is. If you lack counter and table space, do one section of the kitchen at a time. Unload each cupboard and make three piles.

Pile 1 is for items that need to be thrown away. This would include any out-of-date food items and broken kitchenware. Pile 2 is for items that need to be donated or set aside to sell at a garage sale. These items might include anything you have not used in a year or more and things like duplicate appliances. Do you really need three mini-food processors? Pile 3 is for whatever is left and will be returned to a cupboard space.

* Think about how you use your kitchen each day.

Once you have sorted and rediscovered your kitchen treasures, it is time to decide how you use your kitchen the most. Do you reach for the spices each time you cook? Does your family use a million cups in one day? Are your smaller children learning to get their own dishes at breakfast? These are just a few questions you should consider when deciding how to organize your cupboards.

* Basic cupboard and cabinet organization means storing items logically.

Lifting heavy pots and pans into a top cupboard is unnecessary extra work and it will hurt if you drop a heavy Dutch oven when you reach overhead to retrieve it. Larger, heavier pots and pans fit better in lower cabinets. It is also more convenient to store them near the stove since that is where they are used most.

Some cooks prefer to store their spices near their stove so it easier to grab the spice bottle when a dash is needed during cooking. Others will tell you that spices should be stored away from the heat and humidity from a stove. A compromise is to keep them in the cabinet nearest to where you work on the counter top. As you cook, bring

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