Are Kitchen Pantry Drawers More Efficient For Storage Than Shelves?

Do you have deep shelves in your kitchen pantry and feel like you're constantly forgetting about items in the back? Well, it may be time to consider converting those shelves into drawers. In fact, losing items to deep storage space in pantries is a pantry storage mistake you need to stop making, like yesterday. Plus, it turns out that pantry drawers are more efficient for storage than shelves. The reason is because drawers make it easy for us to see and access items like pots, pans, and serveware. Nothing gets lost or forgotten in the back.

If your kitchen pantry only has shelves, luckily, there's a cost-effective way to easily convert or retrofit them into drawers. You can also maximize every inch of your kitchen cabinets with Ikea's pull-out baskets, which serve as drawers. By doing this, you also don't have to go through a costly pantry or kitchen remodel, or build your own new cabinet and drawers. You also don't have to overhaul your whole pantry storage space at once. Start small by retrofitting one deep shelf with a pull-out basket or drawer insert, then expand from there. However, if you're unable to make the conversion at all, you can check out this storage hack for deep pantry shelves that we've uncovered.

Aside from maximizing storage space, making items easier to access, and not losing items to the back of a shelf, drawers will also keep your pantry looking neater and tidier. When items are not in use, they are tucked away in the drawer. These items can include all your kitchen towels, for example. Use Marie Kondo's towel folding method to fold kitchen linens into compact rectangles that you can file away neatly in a kitchen pantry drawer. 

To continue to keep things neat and well organized in your pantry, consider adding dividers and bins where needed within the drawers. You can also organize food items like spices and baking supplies in containers. Even dishes, such as dinner plates, can be stored in drawers by using a plate rack insert. Instead of having dishes and plates stacked atop each other, the rack will keep them upright, and easy for you to reach each one. 

You can also organize food items, like spices, and baking supplies, in containers. When everything has a place (and you can actually see it), cooking and meal prep become faster and easier, and organization becomes more enjoyable.