Is your kitchen neat or cluttered?

Question

I was on Pinterest this morning and kept seeing pins for hiding everything in the kitchen. Dish soap, paper towels, appliances, mixing spoons, everything. The goal was, basically, a showplace kitchen.

That's the furthest thing from the way I like my kitchen! I use my kitchen; I like everything handy and don't care that it's out in the open. I have a jar of utensils standing next to the stove. When I had a KitchenAid, I left it right on the counter. My dish soap stays in the bottles in which they were purchased and stay on top of the sink. My cookbooks and recipe print outs are crusty!

My sister also cooks, but her kitchen has everything put away. Her recipes are perfectly neat. Dish soap and sponges underneath the sink. Mixer in a cabinet, etc.

Which are you? Admittedly, I tend towards clutter, generally, and actually get a bit anxious if things are too neat. Crazy.

Answer

Mine is pretty neat, but not showplace quality. I had to live like that before (both when I was selling my own place, and later when the place I was renting was up for sale) and it was not fun. I pretty much had to clean the kitchen spotless every night (not fun with a solid glass backsplash!), and make sure everything was in it's place every morning before leaving for work. 

But now, I do leave out dish soap and sponges, and always have a few kitchen towels laying around. I leave out my Kitchen-Aid, toaster, and coffee maker. I have one container next to the stove for utensils, my big wood cutting board stays out, and a knife block in another corner (although it's filled with the cheap knives that I don't use haha). I don't like a ton of clutter though, I even organize my walk-in pantry every few months so everything is orderly. I used to work as a home stager in high end homes so I guess that spilled over into my home too :) 

I put away the dish soap, sponges, kitchen towels (other than the ones hanging in front of the sink and on the oven handle), and toaster when we have people over.

Answer

Neat and organized but user friendly. Paper towels on a decorative holder but in easy reach. Hand soup and detergent on the sink but in smaller, nice looking containers as I buy that stuff in bulk. Cooking utensils in a container by the stove, pots/pans organized in cupboards but again in easy reach. My cook books are well used and stained but put away when not using. I have a cook book stand on the counter for ease of viewing when in use.

So not messy and cluttered but not show house empty. I believe in a place for everything and everything in its place..

Answer

In between. I am fortunate to have a large kitchen with plenty of storage, so what is out I consider attractive or too much of a hassle to not have out. 

The only appliances on the counter are the toaster, coffee maker and Sodastream. I have a knife block and crock of some utensils beside the stove. I also have a number of large, clear glass canisters holding flours, sugars and oats. I also have a salt pig beside the stove. 

My dish soap is beside the sink, but in a glass bottle with a spout, not the container it came in. Dish towels are not out; I have hooks inside the door under the sink. 

I have a large island, but I keep nothing on that. I like the way it looks clear.

Answer

Neat - until you open the cupboards.

Answer

In my kitchen, the cabinets, back pantry closet, cold box, bar, wine closet, frig & freezer keep everything I need in place. The counters are completely clear of anything other than water, fresh flowers & herb pots. I don't keep small appliances out either. I only bring things out when I'm ready to cook/bake/throw a party.

Answer

Neat. I dislike clutter in the kitchen. Benches are kept clear of everything except hand soap. All appliances are stored in a cupboard and pulled out as needed.

Answer

Heh. Seems like I'm in the minority! That's okay. :-) I also like to decorate with lots of color vs all those neutrals and my toothpaste and hairdryer and whatnot also stay out.

Now, for kitchens, if I had a giant and I do mean giant, pantry, I'd maybe put stuff away in there on shelves. But, fiddly drawers and cabinets? Nah.

Answer

I purchased a buffet at a bargain and have all my flour, sugar, and spices on it. As well I have two shelves in my kitchen on which I have bowls. I must explain that my kitchen storage is limited,am do for a kitchen makeover. I do like seeing what I need. I do have some clutter in the cabinets and a purge is in order. I have one counter clear and use this for food preparation.

Answer

Dish soap is out, wooden spoons and various utensils are in three enameled pots near the stovetop for easy access, as are cutting boards. I've got tight-lock containers of flour and sugar out, but the mixer is under the counter, as I don't use it that often. A convection toaster oven is to the left of the sink, leaving about 1 foot or so of counter before the sink's edge.

While I *like* it when the counter is mostly clean of papers, etc., so I have a clear place to work, it does tend to gather "stuff" rather easily. Mine is a galley kitchen, so while I have decent counter space, it's not a lot, so the most open work space is a stretch of granite next to the sink. If I've hand-washed dishes, they need to be dried and put away so I've got enough space to work.

Answer

Mine has been cluttered but I'm trying now to make it functional clutter. What gets used is in the highest accessability area. 

We are out in the country and don't have local restaurants and have only one grocery store within 15 miles, so I do a lot of cooking and baking, etc.

All the baking stuff centers on one side with all the flours in canisters (labeled) with spices used in baking and preparations in the cabinet above them. 

Over by the cooktop, the Le Creusets are under it as are the huge boiling pots, pressure cookers, etc. The cooking pans (includeing paella) hang above and to the left of the sink, over the dish drainers. 

Cooking spoons, ladles, hang from a rack in back of the cooktop as so the commonly used pot lids (we made this thing they fit in).

Herbs grow to the right of the sink where they get sunlight and are easy to water. Also my tamarind tree is growing there and may outgrow its space in two more years. 

Function is taking a large time to figure out...what works for me wouldn't work for most, probably.

Answer

My kitchen has very limited counter space so most things are out of sight. It's more of a practical issue than an aesthetic one but in general, I don't enjoy clutter.

Answer

My husband is a non-clutter freak and I tend towards the neatness side of the spectrum too. The only thing on our counters between meals are a vertical paper towel stand in a corner to the right of the sink, a dish-drainer immediately above the dishwasher to the left of the sink (typically holding at least a few items that are air drying as we run our DW on the non- heat-dry cycle), a bowl of fruit, a smaller bowl of grape tomatoes, a loaf of bread, and, as of a few months ago, our drip coffee maker. We used to keep the coffee maker in the appliance garage along with the rest of the appliances used most often but, when we recently went to buy a new one, they all were too tall for the garage. Other appliances, used less frequently, are stored in cabinets. With the exception of the Joy of Cooking which resides in a gap on the built-in under-cabinet shelf for our microwave, all cook books are behind cabinets. The only thing on our island is the tea kettle on the cook-top. The kitchen table is absolutely bare, with placemats, salt & pepper shakers, and napkins all put away between meals.

Answer

I designed the kitchen to be a working kitchen with high quality products like custom cabinets, ceramic floors, granite counters, sealed travertine back splashes & high end appliances. Infrequently used small appliances are kept in cabinets designed for such items and the counters are free of clutter. I designed it to be this way so nothing would have to be moved to wipe down all surfaces after cooking a meal. Because it is so easy to clean everything up after cooking, it always get done in a thorough manner. The result is that after heavy use it looks as good / new as the day I built it 15 or so years ago and its very sanitary. Have never seen so much as an ant or ever had a cross contamination issue with a product such as chicken.

My recommendation to any serious cook is to wait a couple years if you have to in order to do a kitchen remodel right and give daily cleanup serious thought as it is often one of the biggest parts of prepping a meal.

Answer

My kitchen is mostly neat, though certain things are left out. It is a very large kitchen with a lot of storage space, a good-sized pantry and a storage closet so that definitely helps keep things organized. It is not necessarily the most well-designed kitchen in terms of logical places for things but after 7 years here, i have found a way to make it work.

I leave out on the counter things that are used frequently/daily: toaster, coffee maker, spice rack with most commonly used spices and herbs, Salt, pepper, sponge, scrubbing brush, dish soap and hand soap. Also a fruit bowl and a tea pot on the stove. Mail gets stacked daily in a corner on the island.

Answer

Neat and fairly well organized. NO refrigerator magnets!

Answer

Mine is sorta cluttered. Utensils are in a container next to the stove and lots of vintage canisters everywhere filled with stuff that I use all of the time. On top of the cabinets I have lots of vintage kitchenware, I'm a collector. My dishsoap is in a fancier glass bottle with a pourer spout on in, since I don't have a dishwasher I am constantly doing dishes. My cabinets are filled to capacity of new and old vintage stuff. I wish I had an old fashioned walk in pantry and also a butler's pantry to put my dish collections in but alas I don't!

Answer

My kitchen is reasonably tidy and dishes are cleaned immediately after meals, but what really drives me ape-sh*t is when my husband dumps things on my island that I consider a prep area. His office is less than 20ft away, however I've come home many a night 15mins after him and he's dropped all his stuff on my kitchen island. Since I do all the prep work for meals and such there I consider this an off-limits area for non food items. Call me Crazy as well.

Answer

Living on a boat, a place for everything and everything in it's place.

Answer

Neat, but pretty packed. The kitchen is also the laundry room, and houses a washer and dryer, so there isn't a ton of room. There is no dishwasher, so I keep on top of the dishes to keep the sink/counter area uncluttered; the oven stores a couple of fry pans and a cookie sheet.

Answer

I really dislike "showplace" kitchens. To each his own, but to me that is not a cozy kitchen, it's a picture in a magazine. My kitchen is CLEAN, but it is definitely cluttered. The coffee pot is always out (though emptied/cleaned when coffee is done being consumed), the dish drainer is always out. Olive oil carafes and salt dish are out. Two big round utensil holders with wooden spoons, spatulas, etc. are always out. Knife block. Coffee grinder. Couple of other things. I can't imagine having to find a place for all that stuff in my very tiny kitchen, let alone having to get the grinder out, put the beans in, grind the coffee, then unplug it and put it away, do the same thing with the coffee maker, etc. It just seems insane to me. Why is the goal to make it look like nobody lives there?

Answer

Mine is neat and not barren, but pretty free of clutter. When we moved to this house with a small galley kitchen, I got rid of a lot and anything I kept that doesn't get regular use is on shelves in my basement. The only stuff out on the counter are the coffee pot, a toaster oven, a small flat panel TV in the corner and a few canisters.

So in addition to have the neat gene, I have to keep it clutter free so I can work without having to move stuff out of my way..

Answer

There isn't much storage room in my house, let alone my kitchen, so the counters and even the top of the refrigerator are quite full but I try to keep it organized at all times with everything in it's appropriate place which means that everything is within reaching distance. The dish soap is in the original bottle next to the sink, the cooking utensils are in a wooden holder next to the stove, pots are hanging on hooks on a pot rack against the wall. It usually stays quite organized but to me often feels cluttered and I desperately wish for more counter space. For example, I would love if there were a good place to store my nearly 50 bottles in my hot sauce collection other than the corner of the countertop or a separate counter to store frequently used appliances like the Kitchen Aid mixer, toaster, coffee machine and air popper, or a good cabinet to store the bins of popcorn kernels, snacks and cereal on top of the refrigerator.

Answer

Clutter is banned, but some tools are stored in the open. Neatly. (That is, in an assigned spot and secured or contained). Nothing sits out that isn't used daily, or at minimum many times a week. The kitchen looks like a workroom, one that's ready for cooking to start. 

The two most-used skillets and three most-used saucepans hang on the wall near the stove.

On the prep counters:
- knife block and paper towel holder
- utensil crocks large, medium, and small 
- oil, salt jar, pepper mill, butter crock
- cutting board

A dish towel and kitchen towel are always on the oven door.

At the sink, the dish soap and baking soda are out, but in unobtrusive containers. The dish brush and scrubbie air out on the sink grid (near the front base, invisible to anyone not standing right there).

Bread is in a box on top of the microwave at the back (wall) end of a worktable, along with a set of depression glass mixing bowls (decorative but also in frequent use). The worktable also has at all times an openwork container with onions and garlic.

The insides of the cupboards are packed, but organized. The utensil drawer is one layer of tools with assigned positions that haven't changed much in the last five years. The pantry shelves seem to get into better and better shape the more cooking I do (one result is I'm buying and storing in more appropriate quantities).

Answer

We live in a studio/1 bedroom, so our kitchen is really really really really small. I have about two feet of working counter space. The rest of the small counter is occupied by the single sink, the 2-burner radiant heat stove (with my induction cooker parked on top of it), and a microwave (with kettle and rice cooker parked on top of the microwave). It's neatish. Ish. Emphasis on the ish.

I also don't have a lot of cooking/baking stuff. We're currently in Singapore and have been for a year, but will we be here permanently? Another six more months? Don't really know, so there's not a lot of point in buying things that I'll just have to get rid of. So I make do with what I have.

Answer

I would prefer my kitchen to be neater - but due to limited counter space and poorly designed storage, it's a mess. It will probably remain cluttered after I rip it out and install something better... I'm not really into show room. :)

Answer

I am an unclutterer and a neat freak. My kitchen counters are somewhat busy-looking, because the kitchen is small, but my workspace is tidy and clean. PEEP is the watchword. A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place.

Answer

My kitchen is smallish, so I try to keep everything in its proper place and try to not freak about when it is not. 
Not a Pinterest-able kitchen though.

Answer

Full disclosure: I have a decently large kitchen currently, so some o my items that used to be counter or on top of cabinets are now in the pantry.

Currently out on counter:
Cookbook stand
Dish soap
Papertowel holder with towels
Toaster oven
Glass canister of flour
Glass canister of sugar
Ceramic jar of utensils (spatulas wooden spoons etc.)
Wooden antique salt cellar
Produce bowl
Plastic carousel of small kitchen gadgets that I use often.
Olive oil bottle (functional decorative)
Toaster( I refuse to use, for my fiancé)
Phone
Kitchen aid mixer

All of this is a large use shape broken up with sink, stove, pantry and fridge. 

In pantry:
Coffee maker
Electric kettle
Electric knife
Blender
Food processor
Cake carriers
Yo Nanas machine (ridiculous invention my mothe bought)
Platters
Grater
Mini food processor
Food

Topics

Locations

Your post has been published!

Is your kitchen neat or cluttered?

More from Chowhound

Guides

The Ultimate Spring Produce Guide: What's in Season & How to Use It

Recipe Round-Ups

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for Less Morning Stress

Guides

How to Care for Enameled Cast Iron So It Lasts a Lifetime

Home

The Best Tool to Clean a Wood Cutting Board Is Probably in Your Compost Bin

Trending Discussions

Chowhound Recipes That You are Saving

A Final Goodbye for Chowhound

Favorite Chowhound Memories

NY Times: Chowhound Closes After 25 Years of Food Obsession, Wisdom and Debate

January–April 2022 Baking COTM: DESSERT PERSON by Claire Saffitz

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

12 Irish Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day That Aren’t Corned Beef and Cabbage

Chowhound

Policies

Community

Editorial

Content