7 Ways To Use A Movable Cart In Your Kitchen For Maximum Organization

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If you often stand staring at your kitchen countertops or cupboards in despair, you are not alone. Keeping a kitchen organized and tidy can sometimes seem like a full-time job, and it can feel nearly impossible to do on top of all of your other responsibilities. One clever way to clear space in your cupboards, extend your working space, and create a little bit of order in your kitchen is to use a movable kitchen cart.

You may have seen kitchen carts before and assumed you had no need for one, but they are so multifunctional that almost every kitchen can benefit from their versatility. Whether you need a designated place for your baking supplies, a mobile bar for dinner parties, or a kid-friendly unit to store their food, the right mobile kitchen cart can transform your space.

Carts come in all shapes and sizes, some with wheels, some with built-in counter tops, but all with extra space to make your culinary life easier. Whether you already have a kitchen cart that you aren't making the most of, or you are ready to buy and wondering what features to look for, this list of genius ways to utilize your cart will help you with your kitchen planning. Let's take a look at seven ways to use a movable cart in your kitchen for maximum organization.

We've all been there: You enter the kitchen after a long day, and the countertops you promised yourself you would tidy before leaving the house are covered in all of last night's dishes. There's no time to tidy before the family starts complaining of hunger, so you end up chopping veggies on a cutting board balanced perilously on the sink. Sound familiar? A movable kitchen cart can be a lifesaver in this situation, providing an extra (tidy) work space that will allow you to prepare your masterpiece properly.

If you plan ahead when purchasing your mobile cart, you can choose one that has a solid surface on top, a substantial cupboard or shelf underneath to store your essentials, and a few hooks on the side for utensils. If you already own a cart that doesn't have a built-in worktop, you can buy a butcher's block to place on top, giving you a solid surface to work from.

The beauty of a mobile cart, since it is on wheels, is that you can carry out your food prep in the most suitable place. Start near the sink so that you can wash your produce as you go, then scoot over to the stove when you are ready to start cooking. If you keep your movable cart well organized and stocked with your cooking essentials, it will always be there when you need it, your culinary mobile knight, to help drown out the background chaos and keep the joy in your cooking.

If you love to bake but you share your kitchen with others, you know how difficult it is to organize your baking supplies. The rolling pin you know you stored in the cutlery drawer has been used for Play-Doh since your last batch of cookies, and the gorgeous cake toppers you bought last week have mysteriously disappeared. Wouldn't it be brilliant to have a dedicated space for your baking essentials that you could bring out whenever your creative brain needs some action?

A movable kitchen cart is the perfect way to create a bespoke space just for baking, and carefully store all of your precious tools exactly where you want. You may need to go on a bonus shopping spree to get matching everything for your new space, but these are the sacrifices that keen bakers need to make. Depending on the size of the cart, you can store measuring jugs and spoons, various mixing bowls, and even small appliances in the cupboards or shelves. Your favorite baking recipe book can be at your fingertips when you need it, and you don't need to worry about the rest of the family using up all your hundreds and thousands on their breakfast. A baking station is also a great way to get the kids involved in baking, and you can always work on the main countertops while they roll out their dough on the mobile cart.

If you love an occasional cup of coffee (or eight), then constantly rummaging through the cupboard to retrieve a clean mug amongst the piles of herbal tea and half-empty sugar packets can be a drain on your precious time. If you are serious about coffee — or tea — then having a dedicated station in your kitchen just makes sense, and a movable kitchen cart is a super convenient way to do so.

How you arrange it depends on how you like to make your drinks. For instant coffee addicts, a kettle, a jar of your favorite blend, and a selection of cups and mugs will have you sorted. For tea aficionados, a perfectly organized tea caddy and your best fine china — or chipped tea-stained mug — will be required. For those who prefer to use a coffee maker, whether for filter coffee or pods, you will need to make space for the appliance and ensure you will have access to a power outlet, which is where the cart's mobility really shines.

In the shelves or cupboard below, be sure to keep a stash of drinks you may not personally love, but you might need to offer to guests if they come round for brunch. Herbal teas, decaf options, and hot chocolate are always handy to have available, and your friends and family will be more impressed by your setup if you are able to offer them their favorite brew.

As every parent knows, kids need snacks between every meal, before they leave the house, as soon as they come home, and pretty much all day, every day. If you can't put up with another food request from a "starving" little human in your house, try turning a mobile kitchen cart into a handy snack station that your kids can access easily.

The great thing about giving children direct access to their food is that they have the illusion of having free choice of what they eat, but it is closely governed by what you choose to fill it with. Sugary treats and crips can stay high up in the kitchen cupboards if you wish, while their cart station can be filled with fresh fruit, mineral water, and breadsticks. Keep cups, napkins, and cutlery in there too, and encourage them to prepare their food using a cutting board on the cart to help promote independence. You can even encourage them to wash their own crockery and return it to their station to save you time later on. They will get a real sense of pride in keeping their own space neat and tidy, and you may claw back a tiny piece of your sanity — temporarily.

No matter how hard you try to keep your kitchen cupboards tidy and organized, certain items always scupper your plans. Bulky cutting boards, appliances, and mismatched bowls just don't have the uniform shape that a perfect Insta-ready kitchen requires, so storing them elsewhere may be the solution to your slightly haphazard cupboards.

A movable kitchen cart is the ideal place to store your most awkward items, especially those you don't use every day. While your kettle and toaster may be deserving of prime real estate on your main countertop, it may not be the case for your stand mixer or pasta machine. Storing these on your mobile cart will free up space in the main cupboards to stack your identical glass and bamboo jars like you have always wanted, but still have the appliances at hand when you need them. You may find that storing your lesser-used appliances this way makes it more likely that you will use them, since heaving a food processor out from the back of the deepest cupboard can sometimes be an effort too far.

A set of cutting boards can also be stored neatly on the lower shelf or cupboard of the cart, allowing you to reach for them easily, but not frustrate you in the kitchen cupboards by falling down dramatically every time you touch something nearby. With some well-planned storage solutions, even your most awkward kitchen equipment can stop being the thorn in the side of your tidy kitchen aspirations.

Whether you love to throw glamorous cocktail parties or simply enjoy kicking back with a homemade drink after a hard week, having a dedicated bar area can make an evening tipple feel much more elegant. Plus, it prevents needing to make space in the main cupboards for specialist items such as cocktail shakers, shot glasses, and fancy corkscrews.

Start by stocking the cart with your favorite spirits, mixers, and stylish glassware — the type you are saving for a royal visit, but just might break out the next time your friends come round. Be sure to include a small chopping board to prepare citrus garnishes, a jigger and muddler for your cocktail creations, and a little ice bucket and tongs for an extra sophisticated touch.

The best bit about your bar cart is its mobility. You can wheel it from one room to another as your evening progresses, saving you from needing to retreat to the kitchen for every drink. And if the weather suits, you can roll it into the garden for a few al fresco drinks too.

Most keen home cooks have more cookbooks than they would like to admit, but storing them can cause problems, the more you collect. As a rule, recipe books tend to be fairly heavy, and finding shelves strong enough to handle them can be a challenge. By turning a movable kitchen cart into a moving library for your cookbooks, you can organize them however you wish, always have them handy, but not need to worry about them taking over your main kitchen.

The beauty of a mobile bookshelf is that you can move it to any part of the kitchen, or even to a different room. Not all recipe reading needs to be done as you cook, and if you fancy browsing recipes with a cup of tea in hand on a Sunday afternoon, your book cart can meet you where you are. Stack your heaviest books at the bottom of your cart; yes, it is perfectly acceptable to own every Nigella title. How else are you supposed to achieve domestic god/goddess status?! Keep lighter books or food magazines on top, or maybe some kid-friendly food books, if you want to encourage the whole family to take part in preparing the weekly meals.