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Organize Your Countertops For More Intuitive Cooking

Consider it your first step into deep spring cleaning, countertop edition

Ah, counter space. It’s the cornerstone of every kitchen, and therefore a natural home for your most-used ingredients and utensils. Yet not all kitchens are created equal, which is why we devised a way to help you make the most of your counter space based on how much you have, no matter how precious the real estate.

If you only take away one thing, it should be this:

Olive oil doesn’t belong on the counter. Nor should it be transferred to a glass bottle for easy drizzling. (This shocked us, too, but when our Director of Private Label and certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savante—it’s a thing!—Morgan Drummond joined the team, she set us straight.)

While it’s undeniably convenient to keep your EVOO within arm’s reach, it’s best kept in a cool, dry place away from sources of heat: aka, your stove, oven, microwave, or that sunny window your herbs love. Heat and light are two enemies that degrade the quality of a great bottle of EVOO, which must meet specific testing and taste parameters to be considered extra virgin. EVOO is more prone to quickly turning rancid (yuck!) when exposed to heat or light for extended periods of time. Maximize your oil’s quality—and your money—by properly storing it.

If counter storage is unavoidable, look for olive oils in opaque bottles or tins (cough, like our Odd & Ends olive oils) as they’re more protected from light and, to a certain extent, heat. 

If counter space is a luxury…

As city folks know, reasonable rent often comes at the price of kitchen wiggle room. If you’re working with a mere sliver of countertop, three-dimensional thinking is the (literal) key to commanding every usable inch. Free up room with a magnetic knife strip, stash those stove-side salt and pepper shakers on a magnetic fridge shelf, and install under-cabinet racks and hooks to keep paper towels or slotted spoons out of sight. All are renter-friendly ways to hack your space without leaving a trace come move-out day.

If you’ve got some room to work with…

So you have some counter space to work with, maybe enough to leave out a couple appliances.  In this case, it’s best to organize according to frequency—the stuff we use every day (coffee maker, utensil crock, fruit bowl) get top billing, while we make room for the nice-to-haves, like toasters and cutting boards, as space and use dictate. 

Related: Fruits and Veggies That Don’t Need to Be Refrigerated

Got a little room to spare? Take a page out of culinary queen Ina Garten’s book and keep a salt cellar handy. Nothing makes you feel like a chef like throwing a fistful of salt into a pot. 

If you have ample territory…

Lucky you! Not only are you able to roll out a pie crust while prepping multiple main courses, but you can also do so with your most-used appliances living out in the open. Why not keep your favorite cookbooks easily accessible (or a tablet stand, if digital’s more your speed)? Decorative canisters for staples like flour, rice, and oatmeal and a butter dish can be nice aesthetic touches, too. If you happen to have a sunny window or two, why not try your hand at indoor gardening with potted herbs like basil and thyme? 

What did we miss? Tell us which other must-haves made the cut for your counter space in the comments below. 

Keep reading:

How to Be More Sustainable at Every Level

How FIFO Can Help You Get The Most Out of Your Groceries

Ways to Get Creative—and Save Money—with Food Scraps

Comments (30)

First box coming today and I can’t wait!!!!! Woohoo! I’ve been reading the blog non-stop since discovering Misfit and its AWESOME in every way! Looking forward to cooking up a storm with everything!!!!! Thank you!

Yay! Thank you so much for giving us a try — we truly appreciate your support. Do you have anything special planned for your haul? We look forward to hearing your thoughts on your first box. Enjoy! ????

i’ve learned that it’s much lesser in online
purchases especially in volume or bulk
and it’s easy to choose ’cause everything
is segregated from each other….

products are well arranged accordingly from
solid to liquid to prevent them from des-
troying….unlike in markets….everything
is combined and there’s a possibility of
contamination

Online markets attracts customers depending on the Sellers way of arranging
and getting a pictures on their Products

Online markets is more convenient ’cause
you’ll just stay at home and it’s Hassle Free
unlike on markets …it’s Time Consuming

We couldn’t agree more, Annabelle! There’s nothing like convenient, sustainable groceries ordered from the comfort of your couch. ????

Misfitsmarket is convenient and awesome
and am excited to explore some more
Thank You very much!!!!

Aw, thank you for sharing this great feedback! We truly appreciate your support and kind words. ????

am eager to explore some more Products
so as to discover other items…thanks a
lot misfits market !

We look forward to you exploring and discovering new items with us too, Annabelle! Have you gained any new favorites yet? We thank you so much for stopping by to share your thoughts! ????

Unbelievable, the difficulty I’m having to go through to get to your helping points for veggie/fruits. I finally gave up.

Oh no, Gloria — we’re so disappointed to hear that you’re experiencing any technical trouble. Let’s get this sorted out for you! The first step would be to have our customer success team take a look, as they are our tech experts who can help you troubleshoot this issue. Please submit a request using our contact form, https://www.misfitsmarket.com/contact-us. Once received, our support team will get back to you with the next steps as soon as possible!

Wanted to see what was suggested for storing broccoli. Could not get past password, skipped it, then finger print got hung up. I had no choice but to give up after 30 minutes of trying.

We’re happy to share, Betty! What is a must-have for your kitchen countertop? We hope you found this guide super helpful. ????

I love the convenience of having fresh produce delivered- thank you!

Regarding the tips on storing EVOO, I just learned that 70% of olive oils aren’t actually pure olive oil, particularly those imported from Italy!

I love the metal, rolling carts! I am not physically able to pick up and move my big appliances easily so I keep the heavier items on the cart and stash it in a closet until I need it. Then I just park it at the open end of my counter when I’m ready to use it. It has been a lifesaver!

Yes, we’re a big fan of rolling carts! It’s perfect for adding extra storage to your kitchen. We’re so glad to hear it’s been a lifesaver for you too! ????

I would like to see what you have before I commit, I dont eat acid like foods, I would like to pick & chose.
Is that not an option?
Is their no one to speak with? Or ask questions?

Thank you for your interest, Rose! Currently, only customers with active memberships are able to view our selections and build their grocery boxes. We do take your billing and shipping details when you become a member, but after joining, you can build/edit your box, allowing you to look around at our offerings during your shopping window.

You can customize each and every box from a range of seasonal organic produce and high-quality, sustainably-sourced groceries, including meat, seafood, and dairy–and you can skip an order whenever you need to. We hope you’ll give us a try and let us know what you think! Also, if you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to submit a request using our contact form: http://www.misfitsmarket.com/contact-us. Our support team is always happy to help!

I use a lazy susan in refrigerator, in corner cabinet and on my counterrop. My countertop one is large enough to hold 5 containers for utensils.

We love this idea, Alice! It’s time for us to add a couple more lazy susans to our kitchen too. ????

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