If you’re someone who cooks every day, someone who rarely cooks but would like to get more into cooking, or anything in-between, this post is for you! We believe that it’s important to make things as convenient as possible in the kitchen so that it makes the whole process of cooking much more enjoyable.

Although eating out and buying prepared meals is very convenient, there are so many benefits to cooking your meals at home. You can choose what ingredients go in your food so dishes can be fresh and well-balanced, ingredients are often cheaper, and the process of cooking can be very therapeutic, it’s a great way to get creative!

Nevertheless, a lot of us have very small kitchens and cooking spaces if we live in a small home since it can help cut down the costs of rent. This can easily put you off from cooking, but it doesn’t have to be the case! Below we’ll discuss some of our favorite accessories, furniture, and tools to make your life easier in the kitchen. If you’re planning to move into a Village House, we highly recommend these items, so you can have the best possible start in your new home!

Drying Rack

Washing up can be one of the most draining parts of cooking, so let’s start with that. Sometimes, instead of spending a long time drying everything you have washed by hand, you just want to leave it to air dry!

Sinks rarely come with a drying space, and if they do, you can’t use them for more than one or two plates or pans. You can purchase standing drying racks at stores selling kitchen bits such as Nitori and Ikea. These are particularly useful for anyone with a small sink. However, these drying racks often need to be placed over something to absorb all the water, which then needs to be wrung dry and replaced, and washed regularly.

Instead, an over-the-sink drying rack is a perfect thing to make the dishwashing process less time-consuming. You can find these at stores such as Nitori, or online on Amazon or Rakuten. They are metal wire railings that can be placed over the sink. You can place all your freshly washed dishes and pans on the railings and all the water that comes off will simply drip into the sink.

Cutting Board

If you have a particularly small kitchen, an over-the-sink cutting board may be of use to you. If there are limited or no surfaces around that you can easily use to chop and prepare your ingredients it can be frustrating. You probably don’t want to have to clear your desk or carry your ingredients over to your only table every time you can make a meal.

This is where an over-the-sink cutting board comes in! You can purchase a cutting board that has been purpose-made to slot in over standard-sized kitchen sinks from kitchen appliance and homeware stores. This way you can do all your chopping over the sink to maximize your preparation space. Alternatively, you could buy a large and firm chopping board from a 100-yen store and balance it over the sink. However, please remember that chopping can be dangerous, so please make sure that the chopping board is heavy and stable, and that there is no risk of slipping.

Stackable Shelves

Shelving and storage are some of the hardest things to navigate in a small apartment. Maximizing space and making a kitchen feel organized is essential for making your life easier in the kitchen.

Stackable shelves are a wonderful solution for making storage spaces more organized and for making the most of any vertical space. If your cupboard only has one shelf, but plenty of extra space, you may want to add more layers. You can make stackable shelves out of tension poles and planks of wood or plastic for a cheap DIY solution.

For an easier solution, you can purchase stackable shelves or small shelving railings on legs that you can place on the built-in shelf to create more layers. Instead of piles of ingredients, you can have organized stackable shelves so that you can easily reach all your dried ingredients. These are also helpful for organizing cleaning products.

Magnetic Rack

If there is any unused space in your small kitchen – use it! One of the unexpected kitchen spaces you can make use of is the gap between your fridge and the wall or any other furniture – or just the side of your fridge if it is against open space.

This is where a magnetic rack comes in handy. You can place a magnetic rack against the side of your fridge to use for additional storage. This could be used for small items and is perfect for things like spices. Some of these racks even come with holders for kitchen roll or towels, which makes them even more practical. You can also purchase hanging racks and shelves instead of magnetic racks that function in the same way but may be able to withstand a heavier load.

Grid Mesh Panel

One of the most popular storage items at 100-yen stores such as Seria and Daiso is the grid mesh panel. These panels come in a variety of colors and sizes and are a perfect way to create some vertical storage. You can hand them up against a wall, or simply place them on a surface leaning against a wall.

There are various clips and accessories you can use in combination with a grid mesh panel. Hooks are particularly convenient. You can hook all your cooking tools to a grid panel and then you can easily access them whenever you’re cooking. They can be used to dry your tools too!

We hope these kitchen tools and tips help make your life much easier in our Village House homes! They are all budget solutions designed to help you be able to make the most of your kitchen. Now it’s time to enjoy some tasty home-cooked meals!