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Were you introduced to the lazy Susan in the heyday of honey-oak kitchen, when the spinning trays were often built into corner cabinets? Or perhaps you associate lazy Susans with easy access to your favorite dumplings at dim sum? Either way, if you’re having a hard time imagining a lazy Susan in your modern home, let us paint you a picture. Or three.
Lazy Susans for the kitchen counter
As a denizen of your kitchen counter, a lazy Susan is a great option for housing the items you reach for on a regular basis: Your salt and pepper collection, hot sauce supply, or oils and vinegars can become full-time fixtures of your countertop without looking cluttered, provided they’re corralled neatly on an attractive turntable. You can also employ a lazy Susan as a stove-side flavor station, packed with your most-used ingredients for easy access while cooking.
A sturdy lazy Susan can even be used to house small crocks filled with flatware and cooking utensils. Don’t see your tiny spatula? Just give your countertop tray a quick spin! Stylish models made of marble, wood, or powder-coated metal mean you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetics for utility. There’s a version to fit the vibe of any kitchen, especially if you opt for something low-profile and minimal.
Lazy Susans for tabletop display
Keeping a lazy Susan on your dining table absolutely makes mealtime a little easier. Family-style dishes, favorite condiments, and extra napkins become available from every angle, without resulting in a spill-prone pass. A lazy Susan can also be a fun way to serve cocktails or present different garnish options when you have people over—as long as you don’t get too aggressive with the spinning after a few drinks, that is.
Lazy Susans for behind-the-scenes kitchen organization
Lazy Susans can do a lot of organizational heavy lifting from behind closed doors—and they’re an especially good option for renters who can’t install pull-out cabinet shelves. A favorite of organization porn Instagram accounts, turntables made of clear plastic and durable rubber can group similar things together in your pantry or refrigerator, making them equally easy to access. If you’ve ever accidentally bought a second jar of capers because the first was hiding behind the soy sauce, you know the dangers of a crowded shelf; a spinning tray, particularly those with see-through walls to keep bottles and bags from falling off, solves the problem for good. And if you drink coffee or tea, a clear, divided lazy Susan is great for keeping tea bags and coffee pods organized and accessible.
If a fridge and pantry reorganization project is part of your kitchen spring cleaning, a few inexpensive models in various sizes can help the process along and keep you better informed of what ingredients you have on hand now and for years to come. Speaking of cleaning, a lazy Susan can help make cleaning supplies more accessible in the dark depths of the cabinet under your kitchen sink (because who ever wants to reach a hand back there, anyway?).
While clear acrylic material isn’t necessarily worthy of display—at least not like a marble model— it is inconspicuous enough that you shouldn’t have to hide it either. So some of these more utilitarian lazy Susans could also be used for organization on an open shelf or counter.
