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Space-Saving Kitchen Gadgets I Wish I Had When I First Moved Into My Tiny Apartment
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items My first apartment had maybe four square feet of counter space and one sad drawer. I spent a year stacking bowls inside pots and shoving spatulas into a mug before I figured out what actually works. If you're cooking in a small kitchen and constantly...
Sections
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Collapsible Kitchen Tools That Store Flat
Over-the-Door and Hanging Storage Solutions
Compact Countertop Appliances That Actually Earn Their Spot
Drawer and Cabinet Organizers That Actually Fit
Magnetic and Stick-On Solutions for Walls and Fridges
Nesting and Stackable Cookware for Small Cabinets
Collapsible Kitchen Tools That Store Flat
I used to have a full-size colander taking up half my cabinet. Then I found collapsible versions of basically everything and got an entire shelf back overnight.
Grab this before you lose another inch of cabinet space to a bulky plastic strainer. It folds down to almost nothing and I literally hang mine on the inside of a cabinet door with a command hook. Perfect for anyone in a studio or shared apartment whe...
Mainstays Bowl and Colander Set Red Polypropylene Plastic
Use this if you have zero counter space and need to drain pasta without playing Tetris with your dish rack. It extends over the sink so it doesn't take up any room at all. Wish I had this before I dropped a full pot of spaghetti trying to balance a r...
Squish® 6 Quart Blue Collapsible over the Sink Colander
Toss your clunky nesting cups and switch to these. They flatten down and fit in a drawer without jamming it shut. For anyone who bakes in a kitchen where opening one drawer means closing another first.
Prepworks by Progressive Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
Keep these stacked flat in a cabinet and pull them out when you actually need them. Before I found these, I had three mixing bowls taking up an entire shelf. Now that shelf holds my snack collection, which honestly matters more.
Collapsible Mixing Bowls for Home Use
Pair this with any small kitchen setup. It folds into a little chute so you can chop veggies and slide them right into the pan without spilling half of them on the floor. My clumsy hands needed this years ago.
Dexas Chop & Scoop Cutting Board, 9.5 by 13 inches
Over-the-Door and Hanging Storage Solutions
The back of every door and cabinet in my kitchen is now working overtime. That dead space was just sitting there doing nothing for a whole year.
Snag this if your spice collection lives in a chaotic pile on a shelf somewhere. Hooks right over the pantry door and suddenly you can actually see what you own. I found three duplicate jars of cumin after I organized mine.
Over The Door Pantry Organizer
Stick these on the side of your fridge and free up an entire cabinet. For anyone who keeps buying garlic powder because they can never find the one they already have. The magnets are strong enough that nothing slides off, even when you slam the freez...
Kamenstein Prefilled 16 Jar Plaza Spice Rack with Ridge
Use these on the inside of cabinet doors to hang collapsible tools, oven mitts, or measuring cups. No drilling, no landlord drama. I have about fifteen of these scattered around my kitchen and regret nothing.
Command Large Utility Hook 17003ES
Try this on a narrow kitchen wall to hang pots, pans, or utensils. Before I mounted one, my pans were stacked four deep in a cabinet and pulling one out sounded like a cymbal crash at 7 AM. My roommate appreciated the silence.
Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage Storage Rail Kit
Get this off your counter immediately. Wall mounting a paper towel holder gave me back enough space to actually set down a cutting board. Sounds small, but in a tiny kitchen that six inches of counter is prime real estate.
Spectrum Diversified Euro Wall-Mount Paper Towel Holder
Compact Countertop Appliances That Actually Earn Their Spot
Every appliance in a small kitchen has to justify its square footage. These are the only ones that survived my ruthless counter purge.
Grab this if you want weekend waffles but can't fit a full-size iron anywhere. It's about the size of a grapefruit and stores upright in a cabinet. I make one waffle at a time and honestly it's the perfect portion for someone who lives alone.
Customer reviews for Rise by Dash Mini Waffle Maker
Swap your giant blender for this if you're only making smoothies for one or two people. It blends right in the cup you drink from, so there's nothing extra to wash. Saved me from hand-washing a five-piece blender every single morning.
Ninja Fit Compact Blender 700W, 2x16oz Cups
Keep this instead of a full kettle if your counter is already crowded. The 1-liter size is plenty for a couple cups of coffee or tea and it tucks behind the toaster when you're done. For anyone who drinks more tea than water like I do.
Hamilton Beach 1L Electric Tea Kettle
Try this before you write off air fryers as too bulky for a small kitchen. The 2-quart size fits on a shelf and cooks enough for one hungry person or two reasonable adults. I make crispy tofu in this thing three nights a week.
Rise By Dash Compact Air Fryer Oven with Temp Control
Ditch the four-slice toaster if you live alone or with one other person. This one is narrow, light, and toasts frozen waffles perfectly. I freed up a shocking amount of counter space just by downsizing this one appliance.
BLACK+DECKER, Toaster, 2-Slice, Extra Wide Slots
Drawer and Cabinet Organizers That Actually Fit
My junk drawer used to be every drawer. Then I measured things for once and bought organizers that actually matched my weird cabinet dimensions.
Use these if your drawers are a non-standard size and nothing from the store ever fits right. They expand to match whatever weird dimensions your landlord decided on. Finally separated my spatulas from my can opener and it changed my whole cooking mo...
YouCopia DrawerFit Sliding Drawer Tray with Adjustable
Snag this for the disaster zone under your kitchen sink. It creates a second shelf so your cleaning supplies aren't just piled on top of each other in a damp heap. Took five minutes to set up and I immediately felt like a functional adult.
SimpleHouseware Stackable Sliding Basket Organizer
Switch to this if your regular utensil tray eats your entire drawer. It angles the slots so everything fits in half the width. For anyone whose kitchen only has two drawers and one of them is already full of takeout menus.
Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Compact Cutlery Organizer
Toss this in a cabinet so you can see the stuff in the back without pulling everything out first. I used to forget I owned certain spices for months because they were buried behind canned beans. Problem solved.
madesmart 2 Tier Organizer with Pull Out Bins
Try this for that fake drawer panel in front of your kitchen sink. Turns dead space into a little tray for sponges and scrubbers. It's a weirdly satisfying upgrade that takes about ten minutes to install. Wish every apartment came with one.
Rev-A-Shelf, Tip Out Organizer, 11" Sink Front Tray
Magnetic and Stick-On Solutions for Walls and Fridges
When you run out of drawers and cabinets, the walls and fridge become your best friends. No drilling required for most of these, which your landlord will appreciate.
Get your knives off the counter and onto the wall. A magnetic strip holds them all in plain sight so you stop digging through a drawer full of sharp objects every time you need to cut a tomato. For anyone who's ever nicked a finger fishing for a pari...
Zulay 11.75" Seamless Maple Wood Magnetic Knife Holder
Pair this with a small kitchen that has zero shelf space left. I stuck one above my stove for oils and salt, and it's like I added a whole new cabinet without touching a drill. Adhesive strips held up fine for over a year now.
mDesign Metal Wire Wall Mount Magazine Holder
Stick these on the side of your fridge for extra storage that doesn't take up any floor or counter space. I keep foil, plastic wrap, and snack bags in mine. Before these, that stuff was crammed into a drawer that wouldn't close.
Customer reviews for Magnetic Fridge Shelf Versatile Metal
Keep this mounted under a cabinet so your paper towels aren't hogging counter space. The one-handed tear feature actually works, which sounds minor until you're holding a dripping chicken breast with your other hand.
Simply Tear Stainless Steel Paper Towel Holder
Toss a few of these on empty wall space near your stove for hanging utensils, oven mitts, or that one apron you keep forgetting to wear. They hold more weight than you'd expect and come off clean when you move out.
Command Small Stainless Steel Metal Hooks, 4 Hooks
Nesting and Stackable Cookware for Small Cabinets
Regular pots and pans ate up three cabinets in my old place. Nesting cookware cut that down to one cabinet and I finally had room for actual food storage.
Grab this starter set if your cabinet can only handle one stack of cookware. The pieces nest inside each other so they take up the space of a single pot. Ceramic coating means eggs slide right off without scrubbing, which is a relief at 11 PM.
GreenLife 18-Piece Ceramic Nonstick Cookware Set
Switch to this if your current pans are scratched up and taking over your kitchen. They stack neatly with detachable handles so you can actually close the cabinet door after putting them away. For anyone tired of the pan avalanche every time they coo...
CAROTE 39-Piece Nonstick Pots and Pans Set
Keep this instead of buying separate bowls, measuring cups, and colanders. Nine pieces nest into one compact stack. I went from a cluttered shelf to having actual breathing room, and everything is color-coded so I grab the right size on the first try...
Customer reviews for Joseph Joseph Nest 9-Piece Food
Try the removable handle system if you want pans that double as storage containers. Cook on the stove, pop off the handle, snap on a lid, and stick the whole thing in the fridge. Saved me from transferring leftovers into separate containers every sin...
T-fal Ingenio Expertise, 14 Piece Nonstick Cookware Set
Use these if your mixing bowls are currently stacked in a wobbly tower that falls every time you open the cabinet. They nest perfectly flat and the pour spouts actually work. Baking in a small kitchen went from stressful to doable.
Cuisinart, Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls, 1.5 qt size
Tiny Kitchen Hacks I Use Every Single Day
These aren't flashy purchases but they're the things I reach for constantly. The boring stuff that quietly makes a small kitchen actually livable.
Use this to turn your sink into extra counter space when you're prepping food. It sits right across the basin and gives you a solid surface to chop on. For anyone who's ever balanced a cutting board on top of the stove because there was nowhere else ...
Prepworks by Progressive Large Cutting Board
Snag this if your dish rack takes up half your counter. It holds a surprising amount of dishes in a tiny footprint and the tray underneath drains right into the sink. Went from a bulky wire rack to this and immediately felt like my kitchen doubled in...
OXO International OXO Good Grips Aluminum Dish Rack
Ditch the plastic wrap and the lid drawer chaos. These stretch over bowls, cups, cans, and half-cut avocados. I stopped buying cling wrap entirely and freed up a whole drawer. For anyone who opens a drawer and gets attacked by a roll of foil.
Zulay Kitchen Reusable Silicone Stretch Lids Food Covers
Bring this into your kitchen if you need moveable storage that tucks into a gap between the fridge and the wall. I keep fruit, snacks, and cooking oils on mine. When I need counter space, I just roll it into the hallway for a minute.
Honey-Can-Do 3-Tier Rolling Craft Cart with Handle, White
Swap out your sponge collection for these. They dry fast, don't get smelly after two days, and you can throw them in the wash. I rotate through them all week and toss the whole batch in the laundry on Sunday. Way less gross than a soggy sponge sittin...
Customer reviews for S&T INC. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths