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As you may remember, back in July 2021, we left our apartment behind and moved in with Brian’s parents. They graciously agreed to let us crash with them for a while, and one thing that was super hard to leave behind was our own kitchen. I’m not going to lie – the thought of cooking in someone else’s kitchen gave me quite a bit of anxiety. It took us several months to get settled and into a good routine.
We have A LOT of kitchen stuff, so the first step was figuring out what we should leave in storage vs. keep with us at his parents’ house. In today’s video, we are giving you a tour of our current kitchen and also showing you how we organized all of our kitchen stuff without completely taking over his parents’ space!
If you are interested in any of the kitchen products you see in this video, we have a list of some highlights below, but you can always check out our Amazon page for a complete list of everything we use in the kitchen! If you choose to purchase any products through links in this post or our Amazon list, we receive a small commission from each sale at NO extra cost to you. All proceeds go back into making more content.
Check out our Amazon Page to see more of our favorite products!
The house they live in is the same one Brian grew up in. In fact, he probably learned most of his cooking techniques right here in this very spot!
In the kitchen itself, without us even asking, his parents cleared out a few shelves/drawers before we arrived. One of my favorite things about their cabinets is this built-in spice rack! If you didn’t know, Brian’s parents are both shorter than him (and me!), so they can’t reach the very top shelves of the spice rack. Those became dedicated to some of Brian’s spices (he has a LOT).
Brian was excited to have a gas range to cook on again. Our apartment had electric, and Brian tells me that it is easier to control the temperature on this gas one. It also heats up a lot faster!
They emptied a drawer for us to use for our utensils, knives, and other gadgets that we use most often. Now, it may seem weird that we brought our own utensils when they already have a set, but it just works out better this way. They don’t have a dishwasher, so when using our own stuff, I just find it easier to keep track of what is ours to keep clean vs. theirs, so we aren’t creating any extra work for them.
After we moved in, we quickly realized that fridge space was going to be a premium, so we actually bought our own small fridge to use in the kitchen. We really only use one drawer and part of a shelf in their main refrigerator, where we store all of our fresh produce.
We store all of our non-produce items in this super snazzy red fridge – everything from condiments and tofu to prepped meals and sauces!
His parents also have a separate full-size freezer in the laundry room! Luckily, they weren’t using the freezer for very much, so this gives us TONS of extra space.
I like to stock up on lots of frozen veggies that can be used for quick last-minute meals. We can also do a lot more batch cooking since we have space to store leftovers in the freezer!
We also needed some extra storage/pantry space close to the kitchen, and I searched high and low for a few months before landing on a solution. I ended up purchasing a rotating “craft tower” that is actually meant to be used for storing arts & crafts supplies.
It worked out PERFECTLY for the space we have! It has four different sides with a variety of functions. One side has a cork board and two really nice, deep drawers. We use the cork board for recipes and grocery lists. The drawers store all of our beans, pasta and grains.
Another side has small built-in shelves that I turned into a spice rack! You might remember these spice jars from our spice drawer organization video. Since we didn’t have a drawer to use this time, I was so happy to find this tower with shelves that fit our jars perfectly.
There is a pegboard and additional spice storage on the next side! I love the way the pegboard looks with all of our spatulas, ladles, tongs, etc. hanging on it. I had to purchase the hooks separately, but it was great that this side could be customized to hold the things we use the most. We also added some fun letters to the pegboard! 🙂
The last side has three larger built-in shelves where we store things like unopened almond milk, homemade oat flour, beans, onions/garlic, tahini, salt-free seasoning blends, nutritional yeast, etc.
Brian’s old bedroom is actually on the same floor as the kitchen. The room is mostly filled with beds and toys for our niece and nephews, but they cleared out the closet for us to use. We went to IKEA and purchased these shelves that fit PERFECTLY into the closet with barely an inch to spare.
This is where we store all of the rest of our kitchen gadgets, bowls, jars, cups, mugs, plates, baking trays, small appliances, etc.
This may look like a lot of stuff, but we still have BOXES of kitchen stuff that went to storage. 😅
We also have to bring a lot more than a “normal” person would because we like to use certain dishes for filming and taking photos for recipe videos.
On the bottom shelf, I have some spice overflow in the back. These are mostly duplicates of what we already have out in the kitchen.
Even after ALL of this, I still needed just a little more storage space. The last thing I bought were some plastic, stackable drawers from The Container Store.
We hope you enjoyed this tour of our kitchen. Please watch the video here and comment if you have any questions!
Featured Products:
PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to purchase any products through these links, we receive a small commission from each sale at NO extra cost to you. All proceeds go back into making more content.
Check out our Amazon Page to see more of our favorite products!
Sauder Craft Pro Series Craft Tower, White finishGalanz Mini Fridge, 4.6 Cu.Ft, Red
IKEA BROR Shelf, pine plywood33 1/8×21 1/4″
IKEA BROR Post, black74 3/4″
The Container Store Like-It White Opaque Stackable Drawers
The Container Store Like-It White Stacking Drawer Trays
Glass Spice Jars with Spice Labels – 4oz Empty Spice Bottles (36 Count)
Talented Kitchen 134 White All Caps Spice Label Set
StarPack Basics Silicone Spatula Set (2 Small, 2 Large)
Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons Set
Mueller Vegetable Chopper – Heavy Duty Vegetable Slicer
The Original Popco Tongs for Cooking – Set of 3 (7, 9, 12 inches)
Pegboard Letters for 1/4″ Hole Pegboard
Pegboard Hooks 50-Pack 1in J-Hook
Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Smart Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz. Low-Profile Container, Black (Renewed)
Cuisinart CFP-9GMPCY Food Processor, 9-Cup, Gunmetal
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle, 1.7 L
Cuisinart GR-4NP1 5-in-1 Griddler
Ninja SP101 Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven with 8-in-1 Functionality
Pyrex Storage 4 Cup Round Dish, Clear with Blue Lid, Pack of 4 Containers
Tupperware Set of 3 Impressions Classic Nesting Bowls in 5.5, 10 & 18 Cup Sizes
Trudeau Structure Silicone Muffin Pan, 24 Cup Mini, Confetti/Fuschia
OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
IPOW Set of 3 Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainer, Colander Sieve Sifters
mDesign Compact Plastic Tea Storage Organizer Caddy Tote Bin – 6 Divided Sections
Homemade Popsicle Molds Shapes, Silicone Frozen Ice Popsicle Maker-BPA Free