We Recommend Dozens of Yamazaki Picks to Organize Small Spaces. Here's How We Use Them at Home.

New York Times

2 days ago

Top: In Wirecutter's test-kitchen cabinets, stoneware plates, mugs, and glasses are piled high on the Yamazaki Home Expandable Kitchen Riser. Bottom: The riser maximizes counter space to store coffee and tea supplies. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter, Erica Ogg/NYT Wirecutter
Whether you're living in a rental with poorly thought-out cabinets, or you just need a teensy bit of extra room on your counter, a kitchen riser is a quick way to add space. Plus, a riser can help you avoid the dreaded task of reshuffling a tall stack to get the bottommost plate.
But many risers — especially expandable ones — are flimsy, and they wobble under too much weight. Yamazaki Home's Expandable Kitchen Riser, a top pick in our guide to small-kitchen organization, is sturdier than lesser versions, thanks to its powder-coated steel construction. And because it's expandable, it can move with you from apartment to apartment. The Yamazaki Home Stackable Countertop Shelf (Steel + Wood) makes a secure coffee station and frees up storage beneath. Katie Okamoto/NYT Wirecutter
Yamazaki Home also sells non-expandable risers, including the Stackable Countertop Shelf (Steel + Wood). Though it's modest in size, this riser is sturdy enough to support a small appliance. Editor Katie Okamoto stores an electric kettle and other items on her shelf to create a morning coffee station.
For a similar function, Katie is also a fan of Yamazaki Home's Bread Box. Though it's relatively expensive, at nearly $150, it's a durable and attractive solution when you're short on options. The top of the bread box is a convenient place to store appliances or other bulky items, and the door conceals odds and ends. Plate racks for space-efficient storage The Vertical Plate Organizer holds at least 13 stoneware plates, and it has rubber pads to prevent plates from scratching. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Plate racks (which can also be used for lids or baking sheets) help maximize space in awkwardly sized cabinets, and they can eliminate the dreaded pull-from-the-bottom-of-the-stack game. Thanks to its steel frame, Yamazaki Home's Vertical Plate Organizer is extraordinarily sturdy compared with others we've tried — it can hold up to 18 stoneware plates. This rack is a pick in our guide to small-kitchen organization ideas.
If you have narrow cabinets, Yamazaki Home's Plate Holder (which is smaller and measures 4.5 inches wide) can slide into tight spaces. It holds fewer plates, but this organizer is just as sturdy as its larger counterpart.
Both of these plate racks have pads on the rungs, to protect plate rims. And though we've found that the pads don't always stay in place (as is the case with many similar dish organizers), they still help to keep plates from chipping or scratching. A three-tier cabinet rack for roasting pans and casserole dishes Yamazaki Home's Three-Tier Cabinet Storage Rack files away clunky, hard-to-stack bakeware. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
For unruly cabinets and cupboards with insufficient shelving, Yamazaki Home's Three-Tier Cabinet Storage Rack adds some, giving collectors an excuse to add even more vintage bakeware to their stash. This rack is one of our top picks for organizing small kitchens because the steel construction is sturdy enough to hold clunky roasting pans and heavy casserole dishes (even if it does take about 30 minutes to assemble). The bottom two shelves can be adjusted in increments of about an inch, so you can customize clearance for taller Dutch ovens. Magnetic racks that make use of vertical space The Yamazaki Home Magnetic Kitchen Organizer secures tightly on the side of a fridge, and it has shelves, hooks, and a paper towel bar to stock kitchen essentials. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
If you're not using the side of your fridge as storage space, you're missing out. Yamazaki Home sells multiple magnetic organizers that make use of this oft-forgotten area. Consider this steel, hold-it-all Magnetic Kitchen Organizer, which won't slip when filled (unlike some lesser magnetic organizers). It has space for an assortment of bottles; a row of hooks to corral measuring cups, scissors, and peelers; and a rod to hang a paper towel roll (and free up counter space). Yamazaki Home's Magnetic Storage Organizer provides additional shelving on metal refrigerators (left) or washing machines (right), and it stays in place, even when fully loaded. Maxine Builder/NYT Wirecutter, Hailey Briggs/NYT Wirecutter
If you don't need more storage, but you still want a place to stash stray items, Yamazaki Home's Magnetic Storage Caddy has a single shelf with a bar, which prevents things from falling out. Editorial director Maxine Builder has moved from Brooklyn to Boston with hers, and she uses it to corral coffee filters, a Moka pot, and bottles of supplements. Editor Hailey Briggs is so enamored with this rack that she keeps one on her fridge and another on her washing machine.
All of the Yamazaki Home magnetic storage racks we've tested and owned stay put, thanks to their extra-strong magnets. This is true even when one of these racks is loaded with bottles or someone knocks into it (though it may need to be readjusted) Compact dish drying racks for clearer counters The Yamazaki Home Wire Dish Rack is petite enough to fit on a narrow countertop without dominating precious space, yet it's large and stable enough for daily use. Jennifer Sullivan/NYT Wirecutter, Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter
If you're looking for a quality dish rack that doesn't take up precious counter space but isn't as mini as our extra-compact pick, Yamazaki Home's Wire Dish Rack is a favorite among our staff. It's constructed of an easy-to-clean, powder-coated steel. So even though this rack is relatively trim, it's also heavy enough to stay put, even when it's loaded with a 5.5-quart Dutch oven, a 13-inch skillet, and multiple plates and utensils (as I can personally attest). Editor Jennifer Sullivan has had this dish rack for over five years, and she reports that it's holding up well. The Yamazaki Home Wire Dish Rack also comes in a two-tier version (pictured here alongside the single-tier model), for making do in a small kitchen without a dishwasher. Katie Okamoto/NYT Wirecutter
Yamazaki Home also makes a Two-Tier Wire Dish Rack, which offers nearly double the space yet has nearly the same footprint. Its removable drainage tray can be placed below the elevated wire basket, providing a second place for items to dry. Katie owns both the Wire Dish Rack and the Two-Tier version, and in her small rental kitchen, she uses them side by side in lieu of a dishwasher. Both models have adjustable drainage channels attached to the base of the heavy plastic drainage trays, to direct water flow back to the sink, though in our dish rack testing, we found that they didn't always drain sufficiently.
And for the most compact dish-drying rack of all, The Wirecutter Show 's producer Rosie Guerin recommends Yamazaki Home's Tower Collapsible Bottle Dryer. This powder-coated steel collapsible rack is ideal for drying bottles or holding bags open.