Thanks for this!!

I spotted that cart in the last IKEA catalog, and it as love at first sight.

I got to see that cart, in person, last weekend. I spent the rest of my Ikea visit trying to rationalize buying one.

I need those dish towels! Great post.

The small, inexpensive battery-powered milk frother is a kitchen essential!

There is one item that you missed that I just love...Rationell Variera (Trash Basket) for $3.99 each. They attach to the inside of your sink cabinet door, and they hold small trash bags. We put one on each door, so that we have one for trash and one for recycling. It saves so much space under the sink! So much better than a nasty trash can parked somewhere in your kitchen or mounted inside a cabinet.

Love the TEKLA dish towel - we use them as napkins when we have dinner parties. Great addition to the table and so inexpensive!

Don't know if they still have these, but I have a plastic bag holder (attaches to inside of cabinet door), cost about $2 (?) yrs ago and I still use it all the time.
I also have their flat lids (metal with glass center) for pots. Instead of a knob, they have a flat handle that folds down and makes the whole thing completely flat - great for storage.
The thing that drives me crazy with IKEA is that I can't order from them (except larger/expensive items). Everyday stuff is not available to ship. The closest IKEA is an 8 hr round trip for me. Since online shopping is now the norm for almost every business, you'd think they would jump at the chance to sell more goods - not so!

I"ve lusted after that cart too ever since I saw it in last year's catalog. Just trying to justify it myself...

Those clips are the best. We've bought bags for all of our relatives.

I really want a magnetic knife rack. My husband has an irrational refusal to buy IKEA. OK, for a piece of furniture we expect to use for years, I see his point. But all the little stuff? Why not? It's not heirloom quality and so what? We're not passing on the dish towels and utensil tray!

I could not agree more. A lot of my kitchen came from Ikea, including the dish towels and the hanging rail, but also a shelving unit (which I attached the hanging rail to), and some great glass bottles that we keep full of cold water in the fridge.

I NEED that cart! :)

I have been eyeing that cart for ages!!

We get to go (it's a three-hour drive) at least once a year; the rest of the time I just keep a running list of things to look for on that one trip. If I find something comparable before we go back, I just cross it off the list.

It's like how the Ingalls girls got to go to town that one time in Little House in the Big Woods, except they got candy as a treat and I get meatballs.

haha ive been eyeing the cart for awhile too trying to justify it...

ok, I'm going to Ikea asap. I might even get **two** of those carts. MWAHAHAHAHA!

The TEKLAs make my ELLYs ($3.99/4) seem expensive :) I needed the blue for my kitchen.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70069637/

I got the cart a couple of weeks ago to use in our office, and I love it. I wrote about it here:

http://www.brittanypowell.com/home/stuff-i-like-or-love-ikea-raskog-kitchen-cart/

I love that cart but had to go with one with a counter surface for my kitchen. :( It would be great for plants or crafts too...

Kitchen section is the most fun part of Ikea! I love going.

That cart has been on my wish list since it's debut. So amazing.

I do like the dish towels, too. We've been using hankies for napkins but they just don't have enough texture for my messy men.

The GRUNDTAL rail has so many neat add-ons. I put it in my bathroom with the hanging flowerpots. The pots are easy to pull in and out of their rings so things you need to use can be on the counter and then poof -- not seen when put away in their hanger. The rail with the hooks will hang small pictures and their easy to change.

I worked at IKEA for over 5 years, while the company has its issues..sustainability and slave labor are NOT part of them. Products for IKEA are often produced to much higher standards than most US companies and/or laws require. With a noticeable exception to mattresses (cuz the US requires flame retardant that the rest of the world recognizes as a carcinagin), IKEA products will not release chemicals or expose your family to questionable substances. While they are a retail company, the US labor laws very much inhibit many of the great benefits and qualities they offer their workers. Many, many people who start at IKEA in another country stay with IKEA for most of their working life. It is one place you can shop and KNOW what you are buying, that it meets strictest safety standards that the WORLD employs, and that when there is a problem this is a company that will pull the product and use its influence to make it right. If a supplier breaks contract and uses parts not approved or is found to employ child labor, they do NOT get their contract back. Experiences trying to establish factories in the US highlights our countries problems with trying to create a viable workforce with living wage jobs AND employment supporting community.

Hello, what about the Rajtan jars??? I put all my spices in them, and used a label maker to label the bottoms. They're beautiful to look at all full of spices and matching. And so cheap!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40064702/

I have the chopping board, clips, and glass storage containers. I also bought a mixing bowl which I love, but you have to watch out for quality. I picked one up that wasn't sealed correctly around the outer rim and it gave me a good cut! Check (carefully) with your fingers to make sure it's nice and smooth before buying. I also like purchasing single glasses or silverware from Ikea to use in food photography. So much cheaper than buying a set!

Whatever you do don't get their crappy Slipad 3-piece knife set. I should have known, what with it being only $2.99, that it was cheap in more ways than one. None of the three knives are any good. They can't even cut peeled cucumbers. I have butter knives that cut better.

I'm moving to a new apartment soon. I hate moving, but on the bright side, I get an IKEA trip after the move to fill things in. Yay.

I HATE those clips! I like good, American-style chip clips that are shaped like big document binders. The Ikea style are impossible to put over a big bag (like cereal or flour or cheese....).

Hey, DD Lizzy, I am dying with laughter about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I just read the entire series with my daughter, and am still a little stuck mentally out on the Plains. You totally nailed the analogy!
My last trip to Ikea (or to a real city, even) was over a year ago. It's just too far, and too expensive for gas and toll roads, to go more often, and it makes me very sad. Internet shopping isn't as good as being there, either. Horse meatballs--at least in Europe--or not (and I have nothing against horse meat), I adore their restaurant, especially when there's a little kid along.

Magnetic knife rack is the best invention! We have ours mounted under a cabinet so it takes up zero space, our toddler can't reach them and they are so easy to grab the right knife and use.

I have the IKEA cart in my dorm room at school as a little end table / storage for my tiny couch, and I love it. I'll bring it with me when I get my first apartment and maybe use it in the kitchen. It's super cute.

Not to write too much here, but another thought: old Ikea is much better than new Ikea. I give them lots of credit for keeping prices within reach of small budgets, but people would do better to get on craigslist or leboncoin or whatever the local equivalent is to find second-hand Ikea from a decade ago--cheap and good quality. The old stuff is made from better wood and all-around sturdier. I bought some basic Gorm shelves in the mid-1990s. About a decade later, I needed some more, and the difference in quality was huge, with the wood much flimsier. A pair of new Ikea love seats broke time and again (seat falls through), whereas my neighbors have the same sofas, but 10 or so years older, with no problems, and the same people sitting on them. I wish I'd bought the same love seats, but "vintage" Ikea.

FYI- I know you can buy some IKEA items on Amazon since I bought the knife rack there. Sadly I am also five hours away from IKEA.

I love the 365+ IHÄRDIG spice jars and mills. You can just switch out the top of the mill for any spice jar!

You forgot one! That Plastic tub Cheese Grater Set that comes in a set of two plastic holders to catch the grated cheese, the cheese grater "lids" (comes with both fine and large grate) that you grate the cheese with and then two plain plastic lids that seal the bins that now have grated cheese in them! GENIUS! Sold by all the small kitchen items like teaspoons, whisks, etc.

PS: and it's only $6.00-Can't beat it!

Great tips! IKEA is the best :)!

So funny -- I have almost all of these things and couldn't agree more. Love Ikea for what it's good for -- the rest - who cares.

My rental has no bathroom storage at all.This cart might be a solution to that problem.No need to put holes in the wall like shelves.Being on casters would make it easy to move so floors could be mopped with no problem.

Purchased one of these carts for my grand baby's nursery. Perfect for all things needed quick and moves easily into other rooms. I am picking up another for art supplies.
Another forgotten item is Ikea shelf liner. Great value, heavy duty and has saved many a cabinet and drawer from staining and damage. So sturdy when I have moved I have taken it with me to reuse in new place.
Also the Rationell Variera plastic , mountable trash can is great. I have one hanging in my laundry area for wet dishtowels and cleaning cloths.
The dishtowels are fab. We use them daily. Lint free.

Oh ! I also wanted a good sized, nice looking lazy susan with a lip(so stuff wouldn't fall off) for my kitchen counter corner. I bought a large, white Ikea plattter ($10) and super glued a rubbermaid turn table to the bottom. Looks great, cleans easily. 3 years later still working perfectly!

I bought one during the January Cure. I just love it. I want at least two more. The easiest assembly of any Ikea product.

Even I love ikea specially for kitchen stuff,..:)

Love Ikea! Thanks for sharing this post!

There are no Ikeas in Hawaii... I've never been to one before, but seems like we really need one here. All the houses are tiny! sigh

The 365 everyday bowls are awesome. Good for a big portion of soup or oatmeal, and great for mise-en-place. My faves -- nice to look at, nice to hold.

Went to Ikea, purchased a few things and was treated so rudely at the checkout counter that it will be a long time before I go back. I agree about cheap labor made products. The rude employees and cheaply made products are not worth it.

Things for the kitchen is the only reason I go to IKEA these days. Since I grew up in Sweden I associate IKEA with the whole moving-away-from-home process. At least in my generation, everyone bought their things at IKEA for their first home (was a lot cheaper back then), and I guess that followed me throughout the years.
Furniture I rarely buy since I'm not a fan of the look or the quality...but they have a lot of kitchen items that I recognizes from back home and can't buy anywhere else here in England.
That cast iron pan on that rail is in my kitchen too btw. And it's great :D

IKEA was a godsend on our first home. but most items are not built to last. and made in china - which means their ethics is questionable enough for me. i'd rather buy from my local charity shop and car boot sales rather than these cheap mass-manufactured goods.

Ikea is great or all sorts of accessories, especially the kitchen stuff. Has saved my life as a student!

It's so strange for me to hear that some people need an 8 hour trip just to make it to ikea! From my parents house in Belgium and from my flat in the Netherlands, Ikea is a mere 20-30 minute drive away!

And in regards to one person complaining about rude workers at the check out, I've never experienced that in the Ikeas I visit, whilst at the same time, rude cashiers could be anywhere - not fair to judge Ikea by that.

I cannot say enough nice things about the Raskog carts. I have 2 of them, for holding all of the extra food/supplies/equipment that there isn't room for in my kitchen. You can see just how MUCH stuff they hold here:

http://www.foxeslovelemons.com/2013/02/the-food-hoard-shrimp-grits-i-thought.html

We just spent $500 at Ikea last weekend outfitting our home office and getting a few kitchen essentials. I was amazed at how many things we were able to get for that amount. Plus, it's so easy to use their items differently than the original intentions. My husband is putting together a neat desk and wall unit using one of their closet systems. Pretty cool.
Whenever I go, I always pick up a set of their flexible cutting boards. Love 'em.
Oh, I wanted that cart sooo bad (our home is in that blue shade) but I just don't have a place to put it.

The clips DO suck for big bags, but compared to twist ties or those bread bad clips in a crowded freezer, they are MUCH much better at staying on.

The Raskog cart is going into my home "office". I looked at it on my last trip down (3 hours round trip!) and went home with my measurements.

I couldn't resist the cart - am such a sucker for colour, as the grey version didn't tempt me in the slightest! I also like the clips, and, as somebody commented, the hand-held milk frother is great. I tried to buy one in town, but they were all about ten or twelve euro. Ikea to the rescue! I also love the soy sauce bottle, and this jug, which is a great starter item, for under three euro: http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/10131699/

My best ikea kitchen purchase was a hanging dish rack that folds up when not in use! I used in it my tiny studio kitchen without a lot of prep space and now its being used in my boyfriends kitchen which has even LESS prep space. Hung above the sink, its a fantastic space saver!

I really want the cart, but if I get it, I'll have to paint it because it's the one color my fiance HATES.

I love the cart too and see it great for holding art supplies, that said, no room for it, nor the funds right now anyway, but would love to have one.

I have the 365 pepper mill (2 of them) and they are great. These have the blue plastic tops with the ceramic grinders inside that you set down, grinder up and when you need to use it, turn it upside down and twist. They are inexpensive, forget what I paid for them years ago. I bought one, and it disappeared for a time, bought another one, and a couple of years ago, the first one showed back up - at Mom's.

Now I keep black pepper in one, white pepper in the other one and they sit on the back of the stove, along with my vintage Franciscan Ware ceramic container with lid that I use as a salt cellar.

We have this wire basket thingy from IKEA in our kitchen. I love it because I can store onions and garlic in one basket, potatoes, various dried fruits and veggies, glass containers, etc. Best thing I've bought there.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19876454/

I love IKEA. If it weren't such an ordeal to get to one (traffic is horrible on 95 all the time), I'd go more often. I don't have the patience for IKEA's website. Anyway, that cart is a great 1950s color. If I had the space or need for one, I'd certainly get it. I am sure magnetic knife racks are perfectly safe but the crazed irrational side of me is sure it will magically de-magnetize and someone will lose a foot or a pet will lose an eye.

Their simple $11 under cabinet LED lights have made a huge difference in our kitchen and been far more reliable than more expensive lights we tried.

I have a complete aversion, though, to having sharp knives out on display (rail or block). I make sure any sharp knives I have used are washed and put in drawers as part of my kitchen clean-up at night-- I couldn't fall asleep if I knew there was a big knife left sitting out visibly.

I bought the knife magnet from IKEA this year when I ended up leaving my restaurant supply store version in my last apartment. I promise you that it was well worth it! The power on the magnet is awesome and the sleek design makes it easy to put in tighter spaces. Also, it was extremely easy to install...5 minutes and I was hanging knives!

i love this tray, i use it for dinner (in front of the computer) mise en place, the kids' snacks, gathering up dirty dishes.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00237842/

For those who want the cart, but don't need it in their kitchen, I actually use it to hold hats, gloves and socks for the kids in the mudroom. I had bins on a shelf at first, but the kids could never reach them. Very functional.

Those sealing clips are the best purchase ever.

As far as the child/slave labour accusation, I know that Ikea doesn't support that, and as mentioned by another poster, they do their best to ensure their suppliers are adhering to labour laws.

I try to buy my Ikea items second-hand when it makes sense since there are usually a lot of each item on Craigslist, but other things make sense to buy new. I stay away from the crap that will break and buy things that I know will last a decent length of time.

The kitchen utensils are good quality if you don't buy the cheapest ones. I have a non-stick frying pan with a lid that's lasted me about 3 years and it still looks new. Other cooking utensils will last forever as long as you treat them well.

One kitchen/dining item I avoid are the cups and glasses. They break so easily it's not even funny. The slightest vibration sends them shattering into hundreds of sharp shards. Their plates and bowls also chip quite easily, but they are still usable if that happens.

It's fair to accuse Ikea of making cheap crap, but they also have higher end lines that last a long time, or are good options for people who might need something but can't afford higher quality. My couch, the Kivik, was made in Vaughn (a suburb or Toronto) from Canadian lumber. The cover was made in Turkey. I couldn't afford $2K to $3K for a couch, and even then the fabrics are often made in countries with questionable labour laws. My $500 couch was a good alternative to not having a couch, and it's held up well and employed people in my region (at the store, the couch factory and the lumber folks).

I met a guy a few years ago in China who opened a bunch of stores for them as upper-mgmt and then left the company. He suggested that a lot of the 'cult of personality' issues that are cited in this book are quite real.

This doesn't sway my opinion about Ikea as a brand, but I couldn't see being an employee for them. If I lived a bit closer to one, I'd definitely make a living out of selling stuff to people who live far away from their stores via Amazon at 100% mark-up. That's a no-brainer.

I have two of those magnetic knife racks that have been in use for about 6 years now. For what I needed and what I was able to spend at the time they were perfect, and they're still going.

I haven't had bad experiences with their drinking glasses -- I bought a package of the VÄNLIG ones just over 2 years ago and with the exception of one incident that was totally my fault that cracked one of them, they're all intact, and are used daily. They felt particularly solid when purchased, though. I'm not sure about the others but probably some are more fragile than others.

I think with Ikea stuff it's always best to go with your gut instincts: If it feels flimsy in the store, it won't hold up; if it's solid wood or heavy glass or otherwise seems sturdy, go for it.

I'm also a fan of the CELEBER jars, the ones with the wooden lids -- did they stop selling those? I don't see them on the U.S. website at the moment.

My sister in Portland has her work cut out for her: buying the stuff I want and shipping it to me. I, along with almost everyone in Hawaii who knows of Ikea want an Ikea in Hawaii. Alas, we don't have enough population to make it worthwhile for them. I may just have to move.

@lazy_lurker - My thoughts exactly. I need to invent a reason to buy that kitchen cart.

Whatever you folks do - DO NOT BUY the TEKLAs towels. They have zero absorbancy, are ridiculously difficult to get clean and lose their shape after one wash. Not worth it no matter how inexpensive (or in this case, cheap) they are.

@kanberra That's funny, I have had the TEKLA towels for just over a year and am totally in love. They're a little thinner than my other dish towels but I find them waaaaaaaay more absorbant (since they're 100% cotton). They do shrink a little after the first wash, but not so much to make them unusable. I wash them on hot, hang dry and then iron them (extra work, I know, but that may be why yours lost their shape, as they aren't supposed to go in the dryer).

Personally, the clips are one of my most favorite purchases from IKEA ever. Yes, a little bit of a pain for the big bags, but they keep a *much* tighter seal than the regular big clips for a lot of bag types. I don't mind it. I do wish they had one size larger though for the flour bags etc

I know ALL about the cheap labor! It took me 9 hours to put the stupid Memnes dresser together, and all I got were 3 potty breaks! Thank God I liked the end product , cause that was a pain!

We actually use the GRUNDTAL line in our bathroom. We bought the longest rail and some of the new canisters, and hang our towels on it and store soaps, brushes, razors etc in the canisters.

I have to agree with you, I am a fan of ikea for sure, I grew up in germany and Ikea was the everyday brand for house hold products. There are some that aren't the highest quality,but I feel you can't complain when you pay so little for some of their items. However, I do have to say that I am not a fan of the BLANDA BLANK Serving Bowl only because the base of it has such a small circumference, that it easily tips over and rolls on its side. I love the size and shape,but for that reason I have given mine away. We have a ton of their furniture, and their torsby tables are amazing as well as their malm series and karlstad couches.

I wonder if quality changes depending on city? Mine are garbage. In fact, that's where they went. I am happy with the ELLYs though...

Sadly, most, if not all, of those items are made in China.

That cart is amazing - I use it as storage for all the change/bath/health things for my 3 month old so it's all in one place and we can wheel it out of sight when visitors come over (we change him on a mat on the dining table). I've also seen it used without the wheels as bedside tables

I could write a love letter to the Raskog cart. It's currently being used as my nightstand, but has the versatility to be used in the kitchen, laundry room, art studios, & more. I bought it in Turquoise, but the color is actually more of a Mint.