The Complete Guide to Organizing Deep Kitchen Drawers

If you've ever struggled to find that one right-sized mixing bowl or dug around endlessly for the perfect pan, you know the frustration of disorganized kitchen drawers. Modern kitchen trends favor extra deep drawers to take advantage of unused vertical storage space. But without a system in place, those capacious drawers become black holes where tools and containers vanish, never to be seen again.

Don't despair! With some effort upfront followed by regular maintenance, you can transform those deep cave-like drawers into organized storage perfection. Read on as we walk through everything you need to know to get the most out of your kitchen's deep drawers.

Assess Your Storage Needs

Before investing in organizers, take stock of everything that currently lives in your kitchen drawers. Pull everything out and group like items together on your counter or table. As you survey the pile, make notes about:

• Which tools and containers you use most often
• Which ones stay buried in the back
• Any damaged or duplicated items to remove

Also consider the categories you want to store and how much space to allocate for each. For most kitchens, key groups include:

• Cutlery
• Cooking/Baking Utensils
• Food Storage Containers
• Small Appliances and Accessories
• Food Packages like Foil, Wrap, Baggies
• Kitchen Towels

Choose a Drawer Organizing Strategy

Deep drawers lend themselves well to vertical storage solutions that make the most of all that lovely height. Here are some of the most popular approaches:

Vertical Dividing Systems

Look for drawer organizers about as deep as your cabinets with slots, dividers or shelves to separate space from front to back. Many include adjustable components allowing you to customize compartments to fit your needs.

Stackable Bins and Trays

Rectangular containers of varying heights stack neatly on top of one another like building blocks. Label the front of each bin clearly with contents or category. Just beware of creating unstable towers!

Cutlery Organizers

Specialty trays with built-in sections offer dedicated spaces for cutlery. Select an organizer that fits well width-wise to make the most of your drawer's footprint.

Customizable Inserts

Modular organizer systems allow fully customizable layouts with movable dividers and accessory attachments as your needs evolve. Prepare for sticker shock, but these high-quality products last for years.

Organize Cutlery and Utensils

Don't just toss tools in a drawer willy-nilly! Follow these tips to keep spatulas, tongs, whisks and other indispensible utensils neatly ordered:

• Group like items together - keep all spatulas together, all whisks together etc.
• Consider a divided cutlery tray or inside-the-drawer knife block.
• Use an upright holder for bulky tools like wooden spoons.
• Store lesser-used specialty pieces toward the back.

Avoid overcrowding your cutlery drawer. If you regularly use all the items, but space is tight, consider storing some pieces on a wall-mounted rack or hanging hooks nearby.

Store Bakeware Vertically

Pots, pans and baking sheets tend to stack better vertically rather than piled horizontally. Here are some space-saving ideas for bulky bakeware:

• Install floor-to-ceiling divider racks in unused back corners of lower cabinets.
• Use vertical dividers in deep drawers to create baking sheet and cooling rack storage slots.
• Mount hanging racks on the inside of cabinet doors to store pie pans and muffin tins.
• Keep your most-used sheets near the top for easy grabbing.

Organize Food Storage Containers

Between plastic leftover keepers and Pyrex glass pieces, food containers easily get jumbled in storage. Get them neatly ordered with these approaches:

• Invest in slotted organizers with adjustable dividers sized for standard container shapes.
• Group containers by size or type.
• Store lids separately or invest in containers with snap-tight lids.
• Label frequently used containers for easy ID of contents.

Maintain the System

Organization is an ongoing process in the kitchen. Avoid backsliding into cluttered chaos by:

• Regularly purging unused or duplicate items.
• Checking you have optimal amounts of key supplies based on usage frequency.
• Adjusting your organizational method if you acquire many new containers or tools.

Shopping List for Drawer Organizers

Ready to get your deep drawer organization started? Here are some top products to consider purchasing:

• Drawer Organizers: Lynk, SimpleHouseware, YouCopia
• Cutlery Trays: Bambusi, Home Hero, Joseph Joseph
• Food Container Organizers: Copco, Rubbermaid, Lipper International
• Pots and Pans Organizers: SimpleHouseware, DecoBros, MUDEELA

Deep Drawer Organizing Ideas by Category

Not sure what to put where? Take inspiration from these tried-and-true storage solutions:

Spices

Keep spices visible and within reach via slide-out trays or spinning racks installed right inside a drawer.

Foil, Parchment Paper and Bags

Store boxes of aluminum foil, wax paper, and sealable plastic bags together for easy access when prepping or packing leftovers.

Appliance Accessories

Those small parts like blender blades and attachments never seem to be around when you need them. Give them a dedicated home in a marked bin or tray.

Baking Tools

Cookie cutters, pastry tips, cooling racks and silicone mats all store neatly together in sectioned organizers.

Overcoming Deep Drawer Challenges

While deep drawers offer bountiful space, they can pose some storage struggles. Conquer the challenges with these fixer tips:

Cluttered Drawers

Narrow Spaces

Rental Kitchens

Maintaining an Organized Kitchen

A tidy, efficient kitchen extends beyond impressively structured drawers. Integrate these habits for an orderly space:

• Clear countertops each evening before going to bed.
• Put items away immediately when done using.
• Set up activity zones like food prep stations based on workflow.
• Take grocery store items out of bags and sort into storage promptly after shopping trips.

By tackling deep drawer organization along with establishing other good kitchen practices, you'll benefit from neatly ordered tools and a serene cooking environment.

Deep kitchen drawers dazzle with abundant storage potential but quickly grow chaotic without deliberate organization. Assess your needs, invest in quality organizers aligned with your usage patterns, and maintain the system over time.

With some thought, you can use all that space to make your exceptional kitchen items accessible. No more wasting precious cooking time fishing around in a jumbled abyss for the perfect pan!