Organizing Baking Supplies

December 20, 2024

I’m in the midst of gathering some new cookie decorating supplies for making sugar cookies this weekend, so baking supplies are top of mind for me right now. Are you an avid baker, or do you just pull your baking stuff out a few times a year for holidays? With all the holiday cookie exchanges and parties, this is a great time of year to organize your baking supplies. I’ve helped many clients organize their baking supplies, and I always love helping them sort through the cute sprinkles, cookie cutters, and specialty gadgets. In this post, I’ll give you my top tips for organizing your baking supplies.

Step 1: Clear off some counter space or a table so you can pull all your baking stuff out to sort. Look at the list below to make sure you’re not forgetting anything.

Step 2: Pull it all out! Try and group like items, such as putting all the flours together, the sugars together, and other similar items. If you’ve got tools or ingredients that you use even if you aren’t baking (like measuring cups and parchment paper) those can stay where they are. Just pull out things that are strictly baking related.

Step 3: Declutter what’s past it’s prime, or you simply don’t need.

Step 4: Make note of what you need, or what you need to reserve space for. For example, if you usually have a big bag of flour, but you just ran out, keep this in mind for the next steps.

Step 5: Decide where everything is going to go, keeping in mind how often you’ll need to access it. If you don’t use your stuff very often, you may want to just keep it all in an appropriately sized plastic bin, so you can pull it all out at once. Or if you do bake a lot, you may want to clear out another cabinet so you can have better access to your baking supplies. (There’s probably going to be some back and forth between step 5 and step 6, depending on your needs). You may need to move shelves, get additional shelves, or get creative with your storage options.

Step 6: If you haven’t already, group like items and containerize. I like to use temporary (or maybe not so temporary) cardboard boxes (or other containers) to help me keep like items together. Decant flours and sugars as needed. Do NOT store ingredients like flour and cornmeal in it’s original bag unless it’s in another plastic bag AND in a plastic tub or in the fridge. It’s ideal to store flour in an airtight container where it won’t absorb moisture, odors, or serve as a breeding ground for weevils. Individual, appropriately sized plastic Ziplock bags are great for grouping together cookie cutters, piping supplies, and sprinkles.

Step 7: Label your containers as needed. Even just a simple blue tape and Sharpie label could save you a lot of confusion and failed recipes.

Step 8: Celebrate your success with a delicious baked treat!

Things to include in your baking supply area:

-Flours and sugars (unless you’re storing your flour in the fridge)

-Baking soda/baking powder

-Kosher salt, sea salt

-Nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, cacao powder, baking chocolate, coconut flakes (unless these get used for other non-baking related recipes as well)

-Sprinkles and other baking decorations

-Extracts and baking spices

-Cookie cutters

-Piping supplies: icing bags/tips

-Cupcake liners/baking liners

-Toothpicks, birthday candles, pie weights

Have these items nearby:

-Cookie sheets

-Specialty pans and carriers (these will probably get stored farther away)

-Parchment/silicone baking mats

-Measuring cups, spatulas, whisks, mixing spoons

-Mixing bowls

-Kitchenaid mixer or other handheld mixer

-Potholders

Depending on your storage availability, if you have cake/cookie/muffin/brownie mixes, these might go with your baking supplies or might need to get stored somewhere else. What else do you like to keep with your baking stuff?? Send me photos, I’d love to see photos of what you bake!