Kitchen Organization: A beginning

The weekend before I went back to work, the boyfriend and I had to hunker down for Hurricane Irene. If I had managed to clean the apartment, I could no longer tell because all the "free" space was covered with hurricane supplies. Since then, I've been living with that chaos and it has been driving me nuts. A rainy Saturday afternoon was the perfect time to tackle this project.

I started with my pots and pans cabinets. It was in such a bad state (sorry, no before pic! I know. I know. So bad). The cabinet doors were bulging out, so I sat down on the kitchen floor and pulled out everything. Seeing everything on the floor really helped me get a grasp on this out of control situation. I had Corningware dishes mixed in with my stainless steel pots and pans. Somehow I ended up with 2 or 3 lids that didn't match any of the dishes/pots I had, so those had to go. I also removed some of my smaller Corningware dishes and lids because I've never used them. Before I put everything back, I asked Steve to help with the organization. Since he's the main cook in this apartment, I figured it was only fair. He suggested that I group the dishes together that we use on a regular basis. I did and I think it's going to be a big help in our small kitchen.

On the top shelf from left to right: Stainless steel lids, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, box of lids
On the bottom shelf from left to right: The pans we use the most, stainless steel dishes we don't use that often

It's not perfect, but I'm amazed at the transformation. Removing excess dishes and lids and organizing it according to how we use the space is definitely a step in the right direction. Eventually I will need to go back and put in another container to hold the stainless steel lids (2 more were in the dishwasher when I snapped the picture), but for now, it works.

The next space I had to work on was the "pantry." These 2 upper cabinets to the right of the sink store our non-perishable items and cooking spices/flavorings. Again, I emptied both cabinets, tossed out the expired items and the items I hadn't used since the last time I reorganized this space. I think I've managed to organize this space in a way that we can both use it.
On the top shelf from left to right: Spices/rubs/seasonings, canned/bottled baking items, boxed baking items (i.e pudding, cake mix)
Second shelf from left to right: Drink mixes, canned veggies, seasonings/marinades, condiments, "leftover Hurricane survival food (i.e. Ramen, baked beans, and beef stew).
Bottom shelf from left to right: Canned food that we use regularly (tuna, soups), pasta and pasta sauce, and breakfast/snack items)

Ideally, I would like to get items in nice storage containers and that will come one day. For right now I'm excited I can navigate my way around the kitchen again.