Where You Should Be Storing Plates (It's Not In Cabinets)

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Are you satisfied with your current kitchen set-up? While you may know of various ways to organize your pantry, such as placing foods in bins and airtight containers, what can you do about your cabinets and dishware? Though it's quite common to place plates and bowls in upper cabinets, relocating dishware to your kitchen drawers offers many benefits. Relying on cabinets can be inefficient, as you might need to move stacks of plates or bowls to reach items in the back. Additionally, a lack of space between interior cabinet shelves might mean that not all your dishware will fit easily.

On the other hand, using a deep kitchen drawer for storage doesn't require any maneuvering to access out-of-reach items. You can fill it with bowls and plates of varying sizes. Unlike short (or hard-to-reach) cabinet shelving, the depth of the drawer may accommodate more items. The lower storage location also makes it easier to move dishware as needed. This is especially beneficial when it comes transferring plates from the dishwasher to the drawer (you can also check out our ultimate guide to loading your dishwasher the correct way for more efficiency tips).

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The best kitchen organizers often come from unexpected places, like repurposed magazine racks and pegboards. When storing dinner plates in kitchen drawers instead of cabinets, you might need a more specialized solution to ensure the space remains neat and functional. Peg dividers are a great solution when it comes to kitchen organization, as they can hold plates in place inside drawers. These dividers are also removable, so you can rearrange them as needed within drawers to accommodate your dishware collection. 

When using peg dividers, dishes are placed between each peg and stacked on top of one another. If you find this set-up too unwieldy, a drawer organizer-slash plate holder might serve you better when it comes to kitchen storage. Organizers are placed in the bottom of the drawer and have thin slots for placing dishes. Because dishes stand upright, some people find drawer organizers easier to use and less likely to cause chips and cracks in dishware. These storage methods can also be combined to ensure that your kitchen drawers offer optimal efficiency and functionality.