RV kitchens can be small and organizing them can be tricky. Your cooking and eating utensils are no exception. You’ll want to have them handy and easy to find, but without compromising counter space or creating clutter. So, here are some ideas to help you organize your RV kitchen utensils.
Use Adjustable Flatware Tray
Many larger RVs or motorhomes will have standard-size drawers so you can simply pick up a standard flatware tray that you would use in your house. But a lot of RVs have smaller drawers that don’t fit a standard tray.
Pick up a set of adjustable flatware trays that you can arrange and adjust to fit your drawer. You can use individual bins that snap together and arrange them to fit your drawer.
Or how about expandable drawer dividers? Line your drawer with non-slip lining, and install spring-loaded expandable dividers. These are perfect for odd-size drawers that won’t hold individual bins or trays.
If you don’t use your RV all the time, consider using a flatware tray with a cover. The cover will keep dust, dirt, and bugs off of your flatware while your RV is in storage between trips.
Safely Store Your Cutlery
Keeping your cutlery in a cluttered drawer can not only damage the edge of your sharp knives, it can also be dangerous. There are plenty of clever storage options for your knives that don’t take up a lot of space.
Magnetic strip. This is a popular option to keep your knives out and easily available when you’re cooking. They are easy to install, but it does require you to screw the bracket into your wall. Double-sided tape or command stickers are not a good option. The magnet itself is fairly heavy. With the added weight of the knives, you wouldn’t want it to come off at the wrong time.
Wall-mounted knife storage block. Use a plastic, wall-mounted storage to hold your knives. These are thin and low profile so they won’t take up a lot of space on your wall, or protrude out and get in the way while you’re cooking.
In-drawer knife block. If you have drawer space, these in-drawer knife blocks are a good solution for your cutlery. They come in many different sizes to fit your drawer and the number of knives you have in your cutlery set. They come in a variety of materials from fancy wood, and bamboo, to an inexpensive silicone non-stick mat that holds 5 knives.
Cooking Utensil Storage Tips
Sure, you could toss all your cooking utensils, spatulas, pizza cutter, big spoons, can opener, and wine bottle opener all in one pile in a drawer that rattles around, making it hard to find what you need. But there are a lot of other ways to organize your cooking utensils.
On the countertop. One way is to store them up on the counter in a basket or holder of some kind. This keeps them out and handy while you’re cooking. The negative side to this is that it creates more clutter, will need to be put away on travel days, and won’t always work if you are short on counter space.
In my case, the only place to store them like this would be right behind the stove. This is fine when I’m not using the stovetop, but when I do, the lid to the stovetop folds up and blocks that area. So, I don’t tend to store things back there if I need them for cooking.
Magnetic hooks under the range. If you have a range or an under-counter mounted microwave, you could use magnetic hooks, then keep a few commonly used cooking utensils there.
Screw hooks under a cabinet are also a good idea if you have the space. A word of caution for this method is to make sure the screws aren’t so long that they protrude inside your cabinet. These small screw hooks are easy to find at most hardware stores, home improvement stores, or sometimes in your local grocery store.
Multifunctional wall-mounted utensil rack. If you have the wall space and don’t mind mounting something with screws, then this storage contraption could be the perfect solution. It’s a single rack that holds knives and silverware. It has hooks for utensils and potholders and has extra space for other items like coffee or sugar.
Command strip hooks are a great option if you don’t want to use screws in your walls, or if you only have the space for a few hooks and hanging items. They come in a variety of hook styles and sizes, but I find the ones with the metal hook to work with most items.
Tips for Buying the Right Utensil Storage Solution
There are so many different products available to organize your kitchen utensils and it’s hard to determine which will work perfectly for you. So, before you buy anything, spend a weekend, or take a few short trips in your RV to get an idea of how you want to use your RV kitchen.
Think about the most natural places to store things. How much countertop space do you have? Is it hard to reach behind the stove while you’re using it? Do you have room to hang items so that they won’t be in your way? Or, will you have to store everything in the drawers?
Once you’ve decided where items are going to live, start measuring. Measure the inside of the drawers. Measure the width and depth under the cabinets. Measure the length and height of your kitchen walls. Measure the space surrounding your stovetop. You could even go as far as to draw out a diagram of your kitchen, with the measurements, and layout of what goes where.
Once you have your plan, it’s time to shop. Most of these items can be found online and I’ve included links to some of them below. But, when you shop, check the specs for the product you like and make sure it will fit and avoid having to return an item when you find out it’s too big for the drawer.
I hope you found some of these tips helpful and useful in keeping your utensils organized in your RV kitchen.