1: Designate a baking area in your pantry or cupboard and store baking-specific foods there. Keep the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients together. Carry all bottled items (corn syrup, molasses, syrup) as well as special baking spices. Bags of ingredients that tend to slide around, such as marshmallows, coconut flakes and chocolate chips, can be kept together in one box. Many flours and nuts can go bad if not used quickly, so keep them in the freezer. Transfer all-purpose flour and sugar to separate airtight containers with large mouths that easily accommodate measuring cups. Open bags of brown sugar can easily harden if not sealed tightly and placed in a (sandwich or quart size) reusable bag.
2: Use clean, labeled bins to store decorating supplies so you can easily identify and pull out the entire bin. Keep the icing tips and piping bags, food coloring and meringue or royal icing powder handy. It is useful to store food coloring containers in a plastic bag or container with a lid in case they leak. Icing gel, sprinkles, non-prill, sanding sugar and other decorations can also be stored here, along with cupcake liners.
3: Keep the cookie cutters together. If you have a large collection, group shape cutters together: circles, squares, letters, animals and more. Carry a special cutter for the holiday. Keep separate groups in their own containers, either reusable bags or plastic containers, or even tie them together with a piece of string and store them all in one bin.
4: Designate a baking drawer or cupboard. Store dry and liquid measuring cups; measuring spoons; small offset spatulas; small fine mesh strainers; rolling pin; and any brushes, ice cream scoops (for cookie dough), spatulas, wooden spoons and whisks used specifically for baking.
5: Silicone mats can be stacked and loosely rolled and secured with rubber bands or stacked and sandwiched between two sheet pans.
6: Nest and stack as much baking equipment and store in cabinets: mixing bowls, sheet pans and accompanying cooling racks, such as cake pans, tart pans and muffin pans. Use wire racks or vertical dividers to maximize vertical space.
7: Unless you use it often or have a lot of counter space, stand mixers should be kept in a cabinet.