I Own 8 Lazy Susans — Here’s How I Use Them All to Organize My “Charleston Single” Kitchen

Once I moved into my current apartment, I knew I used to be going to get inventive with the way in which I saved my stuff — particularly in my kitchen. The house lacks a pantry, and although there may be ample cabinetry, a lot of it’s excessive up and arduous to succeed in. For fairly a while, I discovered cooking to be a headache. Only some objects could possibly be saved inside attain, and the opposite stuff was stashed away, forgotten, and finally went dangerous. 

I attempted rearranging, throwing stuff away, then rearranging once more. Nothing appeared to work. Think about a type of “earlier than” clips from an infomercial that exhibits pots and pans raining down on a distressed and borderline-hysterical lady. That was me, till I landed  on the right instrument for holding my cupboards totally stocked, organized, and simply accessible: Lazy Susans.

Like many residence cooks, I began with the acquisition of a Lazy Susan-style spice rack. It comprises two ranges, excellent for stacking and storing all my herbs and spices in plain sight. Upon getting it, although, I noticed the idea may work to retailer many different instruments and components in my cupboards.

I presently have eight Lazy Susans in rotation (pun meant), and I’m now cooking and baking far more than I used to be earlier than. Listed here are a few of my different favourite makes use of for turntables which may assist set up your house, too. 

However first, a notice: Earlier than you equip your personal kitchen with a fleet of Lazy Susans, make sure to get away the measuring tape. Lazy Susans are available a ton of sizes and variations, and to get essentially the most out of your space for storing, you’ll wish to get a measurement that matches each your cupboard and the objects you’ll be storing on it. 

I hold my on a regular basis cooking instruments proper subsequent to my herbs and spices. After getting the Lazy Susan spice rack, it occurred to me that the idea may work effectively for storing these, too. I popped a brand new single-tier turntable one subsequent to the opposite one, and I take advantage of it to retailer these  continuously used cooking objects, like salt and pepper, together with a vase filled with my cooking utensils. Better of all, there’s nonetheless loads of house to stash bulk components, like further containers of salt and spices, behind it, so I can replenish the smaller jars on the entrance with ease.

For the wide-but-shallow cupboard over my range and microwave, I bought an 11-inch Lazy Susan for storing cooking oils and salad dressings. The cupboard is about 7 toes off the bottom, and having the ability to attain for any bottle I want with out pulling out a stepladder is a lifesaver. 

Like spices, Lazy Susans are an amazing resolution for storing canned soups, beans, and veggies. I bought two of the identical measurement to go on the second shelf of a cupboard with a beneficiant depth and width. There’s a lot space for storing there, however with out the flexibility to spin it round, I used to be unable to succeed in lots of the objects — and I had know concept what I did or didn’t have. Many a spaghetti evening was ruined by the invention that I used to be out of tomato sauce. Different instances, I’d choose up a few cans on the retailer solely to comprehend upon placing them away that there have been already three of the identical merchandise hiding behind the shelf. Not anymore. 

Professional tip: I retailer duplicate cans in the course of the Lazy Susans. That means, I’m nonetheless utilizing each inch of the house whereas distinctive objects are all front-facing and simple to see.

I retailer smaller cans, like tuna fish and cat meals, on the second shelf of a cupboard that’s solely barely inside my attain. It was arduous to maintain monitor of what number of cans I had in inventory after I stacked the cans in rows. I solved the issue with this two-tier Lazy Susan. It doesn’t essentially save house, however it does permit me to extra simply hold tabs on after I have to restock on the retailer. With room within the center for taller objects, I can retailer cat treats on it too, holding all my pet provides organized in a single spot. Better of all,  I now not have to always attain inside to rotate objects within the again as much as the entrance. 

Probably the most spacious cupboard in my kitchen can also be the toughest to entry. It’s practically three toes broad, however the opening is just a few inches broad, making it arduous to succeed in greater than a few foot inside. A rolling storage shelf wouldn’t work for me right here, as most require drilling – and even when I may attain inside to drill, my landlords most likely wouldn’t be cool with it. What did work – you guessed it – was one other Lazy Susan. I ordered this 21-inch behemoth for the house. It’s marketed for tabletop use, however it was excellent for my cupboard. Set up was a lot simpler than a rolling shelf, too, as all I needed to do was flip it on its aspect and set it down inside the cupboard. 

I used to make use of this cupboard for lesser-used home equipment, and practically acquired caught on multiple event in an try to climb inside the cupboard to succeed in the stuff I’d stashed farther again inside. Now, I take advantage of it to retailer my dry components, and the flexibility to easily spin the wheel to get to my bag of flour has eradicated the necessity to attain. 

Professional tip: The depth of the cupboard additionally means it’s fairly darkish inside, too. To make it simpler to see what I’m grabbing, I popped a tap light on the wall straight adjoining to the door.