Top 5 Tips for Pantry Organization
The pantry is one of those spaces in our home that can become quickly out-of-order and chaotic. It's also one of those minor chores that is hard to make a priority when there are so many more pressing things to get done around the house. Today I share my top five tips for tackling the pantry and keeping it organized.
1. Define the space.
This one can be difficult or easy depending on the layout of your kitchen and whether or not the space was designed with a pantry in mind. If you have the opportunity to renovate a kitchen or build a house then you are in a prime spot to design a kitchen for efficiency and practicality. When we moved into our house the kitchen came with a pantry, but the space was not practical at all. It was a narrow closet that was difficult to get into and keep organized. We saved up our money and had a new pantry installed on an empty wall in our kitchen and the old pantry is now a linen closet and a space to store the dog food.
There are three things to keep in mind when choosing a space for your pantry.
The first is location. The pantry should be located in a place that is convenient to where the food is prepped. If this isn't an option based on the layout of your kitchen then do the best you can.
Next is considering how much space you have to work with. This will depend on the size of your family, how much food you prefer to keep on hand, and how much space is needed for your dishes and kitchen tools.
And lastly, plan for efficiency. We want our kitchen working for us, not the other way around so spend a few weeks working in your kitchen and pay attention to your habits, where things are stored, and look for areas to improve the space.
2. Choosing an organization method.
There are mainly two options for organizing your food... Categorizing or alphabetizing. Some people do a combination of both. Categorizing your food is merely lumping similar foods together and storing them on the same shelf, for example, all of your snacks are on one shelf, and all of your baking needs are on another. The other option is to alphabetize all your food in one lump sum. Combining both options would work by categorizing your food and then alphabetizing them within each category. Which option you choose depends on your personality and what works best for your family.
3. Containers.
There are endless options for containers and it can get a bit overwhelming. When it comes to containers I prefer glass because it's a non-toxic choice as opposed to plastic and I can see exactly what's inside. I do use these Rubbermaid cereal containers, which are great for storing things like rice and beans so as for the plastic team... this is one I like. My other go-to containers are the good ole' Mason jars and the Le Parfait jars. Mason jars can be found almost anywhere from thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales, or they can purchased at full price from any big-box retailer. Le Parfait jars can be found at The Container Store. Containers are really a choice of personal preference so explore and trail-and-error to find your perfect match.
4. Eat what you buy and food rotation.
Keeping a pantry organized really starts with the food itself. How many times have you purchased a food item that gets forgotten and pushed to the back of the cupboard only to be discovered months later after the food item has gone bad. Guilty with a capital "G". One of the best ways to keeping a pantry clean and organized is to eat up the food you buy. This takes some practice learning what your family likes versus what they don't like so on and so forth. Another aspect to food to keep in mind is rotating your food... making sure the food that needs eaten first is in the front so that it's grabbed off the shelf first.
5. Maintenance.
Doing a check over and a cleaning every few months will ensure that your pantry stays cleaned and organized. When it's time to put away the groceries take a few extra minutes and wipe the shelves with a clean rag. Also checking over expiration dates and making sure the food that needs to be consumed first is in the very front of the cupboard. This will safe lots of time in the bigger scheme of things.
I hope these 5 tips were helpful and you're on your way to a cleaner more organized pantry.
1. Define the space.
This one can be difficult or easy depending on the layout of your kitchen and whether or not the space was designed with a pantry in mind. If you have the opportunity to renovate a kitchen or build a house then you are in a prime spot to design a kitchen for efficiency and practicality. When we moved into our house the kitchen came with a pantry, but the space was not practical at all. It was a narrow closet that was difficult to get into and keep organized. We saved up our money and had a new pantry installed on an empty wall in our kitchen and the old pantry is now a linen closet and a space to store the dog food.
There are three things to keep in mind when choosing a space for your pantry.
The first is location. The pantry should be located in a place that is convenient to where the food is prepped. If this isn't an option based on the layout of your kitchen then do the best you can.
Next is considering how much space you have to work with. This will depend on the size of your family, how much food you prefer to keep on hand, and how much space is needed for your dishes and kitchen tools.
And lastly, plan for efficiency. We want our kitchen working for us, not the other way around so spend a few weeks working in your kitchen and pay attention to your habits, where things are stored, and look for areas to improve the space.
2. Choosing an organization method.
There are mainly two options for organizing your food... Categorizing or alphabetizing. Some people do a combination of both. Categorizing your food is merely lumping similar foods together and storing them on the same shelf, for example, all of your snacks are on one shelf, and all of your baking needs are on another. The other option is to alphabetize all your food in one lump sum. Combining both options would work by categorizing your food and then alphabetizing them within each category. Which option you choose depends on your personality and what works best for your family.
3. Containers.
There are endless options for containers and it can get a bit overwhelming. When it comes to containers I prefer glass because it's a non-toxic choice as opposed to plastic and I can see exactly what's inside. I do use these Rubbermaid cereal containers, which are great for storing things like rice and beans so as for the plastic team... this is one I like. My other go-to containers are the good ole' Mason jars and the Le Parfait jars. Mason jars can be found almost anywhere from thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales, or they can purchased at full price from any big-box retailer. Le Parfait jars can be found at The Container Store. Containers are really a choice of personal preference so explore and trail-and-error to find your perfect match.
4. Eat what you buy and food rotation.
Keeping a pantry organized really starts with the food itself. How many times have you purchased a food item that gets forgotten and pushed to the back of the cupboard only to be discovered months later after the food item has gone bad. Guilty with a capital "G". One of the best ways to keeping a pantry clean and organized is to eat up the food you buy. This takes some practice learning what your family likes versus what they don't like so on and so forth. Another aspect to food to keep in mind is rotating your food... making sure the food that needs eaten first is in the front so that it's grabbed off the shelf first.
5. Maintenance.
Doing a check over and a cleaning every few months will ensure that your pantry stays cleaned and organized. When it's time to put away the groceries take a few extra minutes and wipe the shelves with a clean rag. Also checking over expiration dates and making sure the food that needs to be consumed first is in the very front of the cupboard. This will safe lots of time in the bigger scheme of things.
I hope these 5 tips were helpful and you're on your way to a cleaner more organized pantry.
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