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How to Keep your Pantry Organized
When you open the door of your pantry and kitchen cupboards, what do you see? Can you locate what you need or do you have to lift and shift things first? Keep reading to find out a few valuable tips when it comes to organizing your food pantry.
“I have it all…but where?”
Have you uttered words similar to these when you open your pantry? Boxes, bags, trays, canisters, cans and jars seem to leap out at you from every shelf but you still can't find anything you need. Before you're finished, a dozen things have already slipped to the floor. There are even things in the pantry that were put there in the spur of the moment but don't really belong there.
The key to a well-stocked and useful pantry is to know where everything is and being able to easily get to it. How many times have you reached for something only to find that it is expired? Often these items were never opened at all. This is food waste and it is costing you money. Learn how to never waste another box of food again and save your money.
Step 1: Clean it out first
Whatever you have in there, pull it all out and examine it carefully. Check for expiration dates and sealed packages. One way to avoid food waste is to rotate your stock. Keep foods that are going to expire within six months to a year in front of the rest. Wipe over the shelves, wash empty canisters before refilling. Take out any empty containers, wash them and put them away - not back in the pantry.
Step 2: Invest in storage items
Plastic and glass containers are made for stocking a pantry. Dry ingredients don't usually come in resealable packages (i.e., sugar, flour). Store them in plastic or glass containers to save on space as well as keep them fresh. Include a scoop for easy dispensing. This method works well for dry cereals, pastas and beans as well.
You don't need to spend a fortune on containers for your pantry. I have a lot of Tupperware canisters, most of them have come from garage sales or op shops. I also have a lot of glass jars for storage and they are all recycled; they used to be coffee jars or pasta sauce jars or Vegemite jars or mustard or salsa jars.
Step 3: Label everything
What's in that plastic container and when does it expire? If you don't know, that could spell trouble. Labelling plastic containers with item name and expiration can save a lot of bother and headache.
Again you don't need to buy labels. A roll of masking tape and a marker will do the job. And masking tape come off easily so you can swap contents in the containers if you want to.
If the containers are always going to hold the same thing you can make labels using your computer. They look nicer and add a little pizzazz to your storage containers.
Step 4: Organize your shelves
Designate an area for each kind of item. For example, place baking items on one shelf. In a second, you can see the flour, sugar and cooking chocolate. Keep snacks together on lower shelves for kids to grab without disturbing other things. Place glass jars at eye level but out of reach of small hands. On higher shelves, place boxes sideways for ease of identification and retrieval.
Step 5: Keep much used items within reach
For foods that you use often, make sure they are within reach and not stuck behind something else.
Step 6: Try single serving containers
This works well for items that come in multiple use boxes and bags. Kids can grab a container and snack instead of grabbing the entire box and sticking their hands in. it will also be easier to tell when you are running low and need to restock.
An organized pantry serves many purposes for you and your family, but the biggest thing will be the money you save.
“I have it all…but where?”
Have you uttered words similar to these when you open your pantry? Boxes, bags, trays, canisters, cans and jars seem to leap out at you from every shelf but you still can't find anything you need. Before you're finished, a dozen things have already slipped to the floor. There are even things in the pantry that were put there in the spur of the moment but don't really belong there.
The key to a well-stocked and useful pantry is to know where everything is and being able to easily get to it. How many times have you reached for something only to find that it is expired? Often these items were never opened at all. This is food waste and it is costing you money. Learn how to never waste another box of food again and save your money.
Step 1: Clean it out first
Whatever you have in there, pull it all out and examine it carefully. Check for expiration dates and sealed packages. One way to avoid food waste is to rotate your stock. Keep foods that are going to expire within six months to a year in front of the rest. Wipe over the shelves, wash empty canisters before refilling. Take out any empty containers, wash them and put them away - not back in the pantry.
Step 2: Invest in storage items
Plastic and glass containers are made for stocking a pantry. Dry ingredients don't usually come in resealable packages (i.e., sugar, flour). Store them in plastic or glass containers to save on space as well as keep them fresh. Include a scoop for easy dispensing. This method works well for dry cereals, pastas and beans as well.
You don't need to spend a fortune on containers for your pantry. I have a lot of Tupperware canisters, most of them have come from garage sales or op shops. I also have a lot of glass jars for storage and they are all recycled; they used to be coffee jars or pasta sauce jars or Vegemite jars or mustard or salsa jars.
Step 3: Label everything
What's in that plastic container and when does it expire? If you don't know, that could spell trouble. Labelling plastic containers with item name and expiration can save a lot of bother and headache.
Again you don't need to buy labels. A roll of masking tape and a marker will do the job. And masking tape come off easily so you can swap contents in the containers if you want to.
If the containers are always going to hold the same thing you can make labels using your computer. They look nicer and add a little pizzazz to your storage containers.
Step 4: Organize your shelves
Designate an area for each kind of item. For example, place baking items on one shelf. In a second, you can see the flour, sugar and cooking chocolate. Keep snacks together on lower shelves for kids to grab without disturbing other things. Place glass jars at eye level but out of reach of small hands. On higher shelves, place boxes sideways for ease of identification and retrieval.
Step 5: Keep much used items within reach
For foods that you use often, make sure they are within reach and not stuck behind something else.
Step 6: Try single serving containers
This works well for items that come in multiple use boxes and bags. Kids can grab a container and snack instead of grabbing the entire box and sticking their hands in. it will also be easier to tell when you are running low and need to restock.
An organized pantry serves many purposes for you and your family, but the biggest thing will be the money you save.