A store of grain, Oh king is the best of treasures. A gem put in your mouth will not support life.

— Hitopadesa —

Keeping a store of grain is a good habit to have — along with a store of rice, a store of utensils, a store of sweet things, and the list goes on. Kitchens are responsible for holding many different items, but luckily, there are many solutions to storing these items.

Let's first look at what needs to be stored in the Kitchen:

1. Food.
   That one word encompasses a lot of different types of required storage. We have frozen foods, canned foods, foods needing refrigeration, spices, dry goods, vegetables, beverages, and breads.
2. Dinnerware.
   This would be everyday plates, cutlery, and glasses. If you do not have space in the Dining Room, it may include china and silver, and maybe barware.
3. Paper and Plastic Products.
   You need storage for paper plates and cups, plastic cutlery, plastic bags, foil, garbage bags, and paper towels.
4. Serving Items.
5. Linens.
   This would be napkins, placemats, runners, dish towels, dish rags, potholders, and tablecloths.
6. Utensils.
7. Pots and Pans.
8. Small Appliances.
9. Cleaning Products.

There are five main areas for Kitchen Storage:

1. Cabinets.
2. Refrigerator.
3. Counter Top.
4. Pantry.
5. Ceilings and Walls.

There are six ways of organizing your Kitchen Storage:

1. Shelving.
   This would include open shelving you would find in a pantry to stacking shelving for cabinets.
2. Closed Containers.
   Closed containers could be made of a variety of materials including plastic, fiber, metal, or wood. Be sure the containers you are using are appropriately finished to avoid deterioration in the moist areas of the kitchen.
3. Open Containers.
   Baskets, bowls, and trays would be the most common form of open containers.
4. Bags.
   You can have plastic bags, cloth bags, and paper bags for storage, depending on the product. Sealing with a FoodSaver would also fall in this category.
5. Dividers.
   Dividers are especially helpful in drawers, though you may also use them with shelving and open containers.
6. Specialty Containers.
   These could include cookie jars to bread bins to butter dishes to wine racks.

How you mix and match your kitchen items with appropriate storage and area will determine how organized your kitchen is. Not only do you want to consider efficiency and practicality, but if items are going to be out in the open or used at the dinner table, you would want to consider the beauty of the object as well.

— Shelly —