Kitchen Organization Hacks for Small Indian Kitchens

Small kitchen organization hacks for the cooking platform

In a typical Indian kitchen the granite platform holds the stove, the cooker, the masala dabba, a water filter and a dozen bottles. Clearing it is the first and biggest win.

1. The arm's reach test. Stand at the stove and stretch your arms. Only things you use every single day, like oil, salt, the masala dabba and a spatula, earn a place inside that circle. Everything else moves to a shelf or cupboard.
2. Lazy tray for daily oils. Put the oil bottle, ghee jar and salt on one small round tray beside the stove. Lift the whole tray to wipe the platform, and drips stay on the tray instead of the granite.
3. Corner shelf riser. The back corner of an L shaped platform is usually dead space. A small two step riser there holds jars of tea, sugar and coffee in a row you can see.
4. Stove side utensil stand. Keep ladles, the chimta and spatulas upright in a heavy steel tumbler or an old ceramic mug near the stove. One grab and you have the right tool while the tadka is hot.

Spice cabinet organization hacks for the masala dabba and beyond

The round steel masala dabba is one of the best organisers ever made. The trouble starts with the 30 other spice packets around it.

1. Two dabbas, not one. Keep one masala dabba for daily tadka spices, like mustard, jeera, haldi, red chilli and dhania powder. A second box holds weekly ones like garam masala, kasuri methi and ajwain, so neither box overflows.
2. Same jars, same size. Move whole spices into identical small glass or steel jars. Matching jars line up in rows on a shelf, and you can stack two layers in a drawer.
3. Lid top marking. If jars sit in a drawer, write the spice name on the lid with a marker or a strip of tape. You read them from above without lifting each one.
4. Refill from the back. When you open a new spice packet, pour it into the jar only after the old spice is used up, or put the new one at the back. Old spices lose flavour and should be used first.
5. Keep away from the stove. Spices go stale faster from heat and steam. Store the backup jars in a cupboard away from the gas, and keep only the dabba near it.

Steel dabbas and the dry store: kitchen cupboard organization hacks

Dal, rice, atta, poha, sooji, sugar and a dozen kinds of namkeen live in this cupboard. Here is how to stop buying a second packet of moong dal because you could not find the first.

1. Clear front, steel back. Use clear jars for the dals and grains you use daily, so you see when they run low. Keep bulk stock in big steel dabbas at the back where light does not reach.
2. Dal row by colour. Arrange dals in one line from light to dark: moong, chana, toor, masoor, rajma. You find the right one at a glance, even half asleep at 6 a.m.
3. Bay leaf in the rice drum. Drop two or three dried bay leaves or a few whole red chillies into rice and dal containers. Many families use this old trick to keep small insects away. It is not a pest control product, so still keep the lids tight.
4. Shelf liner from old saree cloth. Cut a worn cotton saree or a thick newspaper to the shelf size and lay it under the dabbas. Spills wipe off or the sheet gets changed, and steel bottoms do not scratch the shelf.
5. Snack basket for kids. Put biscuits, chikki and namkeen packets in one open basket at a low height. Children find their snack without pulling out the whole cupboard. Parents can find similar ideas in the kids hacks list.

Pressure cooker, tawa and kadai storage

Heavy, oddly shaped cookware is why most kitchen cupboards look messy. These kitchen organization hacks give each piece a place.

1. Lids upside down. Store the pressure cooker with its lid turned upside down on top, not locked shut. The gasket stays in shape, no smell builds up, and you can stack a smaller pot inside.
2. Tawas on their side. Stand the tawa, flat pans and plates on their edges in a file rack or between two heavy books. You pull out one without lifting the whole pile.
3. Kadai nesting order. Nest kadais from big to small and slip a folded kitchen cloth between each. The cloth stops scratches on non stick coatings and absorbs any leftover water.
4. Whistle and gasket pouch. Keep the spare cooker gasket, whistle and safety valve in a small zip pouch taped inside the cupboard door. When the gasket leaks, the spare is right there.

Kitchen drawer organization hacks

One drawer usually turns into the junk drawer, with rubber bands, foil, spoons and old bills all mixed up.

1. Cutlery tray from bottle halves. Cut the bottom off a few plastic bottles to the same height and line them up in a drawer. Spoons, knives and peelers each get their own cup.
2. Roll drawer for foil and cling film. Lay foil, cling film and butter paper rolls flat in one shallow drawer, in a single row. They stop rolling around the counter and you never search for them.
3. Rubber bands on a jar. Stretch rubber bands around an empty jar instead of throwing them loose in the drawer. They stay untangled and you pull one off when you need it.
4. Bag inside a bag. Fold plastic and paper bags into small triangles and keep them in a tissue box. One pulls out at a time and the drawer stays flat.

Under the sink and on the walls

The two places most people forget are the space below the sink and the bare wall above the platform.

1. Tension rod for sprays. Fix a tension rod across the top of the under sink cupboard and hang spray bottles from it by their triggers. The floor of the cupboard is free for the dustbin and buckets.
2. Tray against leaks. Put an old baking tray or a cut plastic tub on the cupboard floor below the pipes. A slow drip shows up in the tray before it damages the wood.
3. Wall rail with S hooks. One steel rail and a few S hooks on the wall hold the strainer, grater, ladles and a cloth. The wall is free space and things dry quickly in the air.
4. Magnetic strip for knives. A magnetic strip fixed high on the wall holds knives and metal spoons. Keep it well out of children's reach.

DIY kitchen cabinet hacks: what to reuse instead of buying

A neat kitchen does not need new organisers. Look around before you shop.

Once the cupboards are sorted, give the fridge the same treatment with our fridge organisation tips, and see the full home list on organization hacks.