BlogCooking in Small Spaces: Top 5 Cookbooks and How to Organize a Small Kitchen

Our Top 5 Cookbooks for Cooking in a Small Kitchen

1. The Minimalist Kitchen by Melissa Coleman
   This cookbook focuses on pared-down recipes that require minimal tools and ingredients. The author covers smart storage solutions and being pantry-prepared for simple yet healthy meals — perfect for small-kitchen chefs.
   
   
2. One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder
   Have a household of two? Specializing in one pan dinners and meals, this cookbook is a must-have for small-space cooks who don’t have space for a lot of cookware and aren’t cooking for a crowd.
   
   
3. One Pot, One Portion by Eleanor Wilkinson
   Delicious food for a party of one? Yes, please. These 100 recipes for one pan dinners and other meals means easy-peasy clean-up.
   
   
4. Tiny Kitchen Cookbook by Annie Mahle
   With her experience as a chef on a 6-foot-by-8-foot boat kitchen, this author features meals requiring little counter space but offer big rewards.
   
   
5. The Tiny Mess by Maddie Gordon, Mary Gonzalez, and Trevor Gordon
   So you might not be living in a tiny house or a converted van, but the small space cooking in this book will no doubt inspire how you approach cooking in a small apartment kitchen.

Kitchen Organization Ideas for Small Kitchens

When cooking in a modern small kitchen, the ideas you want are all about efficiency and versatility. From tall storage to being selective with your small kitchen appliances, here’s a few tips for how to organize a small kitchen to its maximum potential.

Think Vertical Storage
That waffle iron or turkey roasting pan? Store things you don’t often use up on higher shelves or on top of the cupboards. Use a magnetic surface of your fridge to set up magnetic spice tins or attach hooks or containers for small tools.

Use Your Wall Space
Cooking in small spaces also means maximizing walls. Use hooks, a pegboard, or wall-mounted magnetic strips to keep clutter off the counter and free up drawer space. Just remember, you don’t want to treat the wall in a way that forfeits your damage deposit.

Blank wall space in your dining area? invest in floor-to-ceiling shelving or cupboards that you can use for both storage and decor.

Invest in Multipurpose Kitchen Tools
You want kitchen tools to have more than one function. Think outside the box with hacks like:

• A cocktail shaker to get the skins off garlic cloves
• A pizza cutter to finely chop fresh herbs
• A mesh splatter guard on a bowl for a makeshift cookie cooling rack

As for space-saving small kitchen appliances for a small kitchen, multifunctional appliances are one of the best kitchen organization hacks for efficiency without sacrificing functionality. Check out these multipurpose kitchen tools, a list suggesting items like a 4-in-1 cutting board and a cast iron pot with a lid that doubles as a skillet.

Benefits of Small-Kitchen Cooking

Small can be mighty. Once you’ve tackled how to organize your small kitchen and stocked it with versatile small kitchen appliances and tools, a small kitchen can have perks such as:

• Easier, quicker clean-up
• It’s less costly to stock and decorate
• Less opportunity for clutter
• More opportunity for variety in your meals since you buy and use ingredients in smaller quantities
• Less food waste

Learning to cook well in a small kitchen can build useful habits for cooking in larger spaces, too.

Helping You Find The Right Home - Small or Big

Whether an apartment with a cozy cooking space or a detached home with Costco-worthy kitchen, the VADA team manages all varieties of rental properties.

We also have listings to suit your lifestyle and budget if you’re on the hunt. Check out our Metro Vancouver rental listings now to get started on your search.