How to organize your kitchen for easy weeknight cooking

Christy Kubicki
Aug 14
6 min read

If you’re like me, the first thing you want to do when you get home from a long day of work is enjoy a hot, homemade dinner. The last thing you want to do is make it.

When my daughters were younger, making weeknight dinners during the witching hour (5-7 pm, parents you know what I’m talking about) was the bane of my existence. The daily clutter, the “hanger” (from parents and kids alike), and the exhaustion from just existing all day, came to a head at this time and it made me want to bash my head in.

To make making weeknight dinners easy for my family (and therefore save my sanity), I created organizational systems in my kitchen to make cooking as simple as possible, so I could get to enjoying my own dinner as quickly as possible.

In this blog, we’ll walk through how and what to organize in your kitchen to make cooking weeknight dinners for your family as easy as pie.

Why organizing your kitchen actually helps on weeknights

Setting up your space before starting to cook is so important, there’s a specific word in French for it: mise en place. It refers to the process of gathering, prepping, and organizing all your ingredients and tools before you start cooking.

If your kitchen is organized to function for ease of cooking (this will vary of course from kitchen to kitchen and chef to chef), all you have to do for mise en place is get out your ingredients and chop your veggies. Everything else will already be in its spot, ready and waiting for go-time.

How + what to organize in your kitchen

I’ve broken this down by zone for easy organizing and decluttering. There is no specific order for which zones to organize when - go in the order that makes sense for you. However, I highly recommend following these organizational steps when working in your zones to make the process as smooth as possible.

How to organize:

Take everything out and put it on a table, counter, or other flat surface so you can see what you’ve got. (This is how I see what things I need to get rid of.)
Remove items that are broken, duplicates, and anything you simply don’t use anymore. Place them to the side for disposal later.
Classify items according to a system that makes sense to you. I like to classify by task, e.g. cutting, scooping, serving, mixing, etc. Make sure you include a section for items that don’t belong in that zone. You’ll do the “lost and found” section at the very end when you’ve organized all your zones.
Put items away in the way that makes the most sense to you and that will make cooking as easy as possible for you. See the zones below for more ideas on this.

What to organize:

The Fridge

The goal for the fridge is for everything to be able to be taken out without something else falling while you do so. (Is anyone else traumatized from a salsa jar falling and shattering all over the floor while you were digging in the back of the fridge for your Better than Bouillon?)

Use clear bins or baskets to group similar items like sauces, snacks, or meal components.
Label shelves or drawers by category to help everyone in the house put things back where they belong. Example: dairy, sauces + condiments, produce, snacks, dinner ingredients.
Keep quick-dinner ingredients at eye level for easy access.
Designate one section specifically for leftovers.

The Pantry

The goal for how to arrange your pantry is for everything to be in sight so you know what you have at all times.

Group items by type like grains, canned goods, baking staples, or snacks.
Use bins or baskets for smaller containers and packets. Example - a bread bin, a cereal basket, a sauce packet bin, etc.
Store dry goods in clear containers so you can see what you’ve got for easy meal ideas when you don't have a chance to hit the store.
Organize shelves in a reverse hourglass shape - least used on top, most used at eye-level, and second-to-least-used or extra storage at bottom.

The Prep Zone

You don’t need a fancy island to have a prep station that makes weeknight cooking super easy. All you need is a clear surface and a few surrounding drawers or cabinets.

Keep your cutting board, mixing bowls, and measuring cups in the cabinet or drawer right under or next to your prep space for easy access.
Store knives, peelers, spatulas, and other prep tools in their own drawer, grouped by task in smaller containers.
Ideally, set up your space close to your garbage can for easy disposal while prepping.
Wipe down and reset this space after every meal so it’s ready for next time.

The Cooking Zone

No, we’re not storing our pots and pans in the oven, people.

Don’t stack your pots and pans. Organize them with their lids so you can access them easily without things falling all over the place. This means only keeping what you actually use on a day-to-day basis in your cook zone. The dutch oven you use twice a year to make venison stew can go on a “least-used” shelf in your pantry or in your attic if you’re really tight for space.
Hang utensils or keep them in a countertop crock so they’re always ready. I repeat - only keep what you actually use on a daily basis in your cooking zone.
Place cooking oils, salt, and pepper, and any other common spices you use near the stove for quick seasoning. I like to keep my salt in a jar like this.
Keep oven mitts and trivets nearby to avoid searching mid-recipe.

The Cleanup Zone

This is only used by the person who didn’t cook.

Group dishwashing supplies like soap, sponges, and brushes in a caddy or tray.
Store dish towels and cloths in a nearby drawer or basket.
Keep extra trash bags, compost liners, and recycling bins tucked in an easy-to-reach spot.
Use a small bin or drawer organizer for any dishwasher pods or cleaning sprays that you use every day (I use Pinesol Lemon Fresh because the scent is divine and I know my counters are CLEAN when I’m done with it).

Maintaining your organization ( + your sanity)

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to organize once. Staying organized comes down to one thing - creating systems that make it easy to reset and maintain every, single day. The following are the systems that work for me:

Make a meal plan for the week based on ingredients you already have available.

Before you think about what to cook, look at what’s in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Planning meals around ingredients you already have saves money, helps you waste less, and overall keeps your kitchen organization more manageable. Tip: Start by planning just 3–4 dinners, leaving room for leftovers, takeout, and freezer meals (Kate with Naptime Kitchen is the queen of freezer meals).

Pick a grocery shop day and look at what you’ve got before going.

Choose one day each week to do your grocery shopping and make it part of your routine. Before heading out, take five minutes to scan your fridge and pantry. Toss anything that’s gone bad and add what you’re low on to a “next week” grocery list. That way you’re never buying copious amounts of soy sauce because you can’t remember in the store if you have it at home or not.

Actually do mise en place and pull out everything you need before you start cooking.

Cooking on a weeknight feels way less overwhelming when you don’t have to stop every two minutes to hunt for ingredients along with all the other 5 pm family fires you’re putting out as well. Also, your kitchen stays cleaner, and you’re less likely to forget a step or burn something while multitasking. Tip: Take 5 minutes at nap time or right when you get home and the kids are doing homework or picking their noses or something to prep your space.

Have a cleanup routine that’s quick and will leave you relaxed and happy when you walk back into your kitchen the next morning.

Load the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, and vacuum or sweep your floors. Maybe even mop if you’re feeling spicy. That way, the next time you walk into your kitchen, it feels calm and not chaotic.

In conclusion

There’s a difference between organizing your kitchen to work for your real life and trying to turn it into something from a magazine. If your kitchen organization helps you find what you need and cook without stress, it’s doing its job. You don’t need matching containers or a color-coded pantry. (But if you want them, I recommend these ones). You just need a system that works for you.