How to Organize Your Pantry
There are three types of people in this world: those who are fastidiously neat and organized, the ones who live in absolute cluttered chaos and then there are folks like me who give the appearance of being neat and tidy until you open our closets and cabinets. I’ve noticed a recent trend of celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Busy Phillips and Kim Kardashian showing off their pristine pantries where mundane staples like cereal and juice boxes are displayed like an art installation. These are not the pantries of mere mortals and much of this can be attributed to the work of two women, Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer of The Home Edit, pantry organizers to the stars!
Looking at all this pantry porn gave me some serious pantry envy and made me realize that the hoarding situation in my own kitchen had become untenable. I was determined to get organized and in lieu of hiring the Marie Kondo of pantries, I enlisted the help of Google and Pinterest and tackled the job on my own. It wasn’t that difficult but it did take me a few days and my Amazon Prime account got a pretty good workout. I’m hopeful the following steps and tips will help you get the Instagram-worthy pantry of your dreams.
STEP 1: Remove everything and take an inventory
Remove everything from your pantry and set it on the dining room table or on the floor. Organize the items into groups (canned goods, spices, cereals, grains, baking products, condiments, oils, etc., snacks, etc.). Discard anything that is expired, dried-out or stale. Remember, when it doubt, throw it out. This is your time to PURGE! Take an inventory of the items you are keeping. This will give you an idea of how many containers you will need to purchase and serve as a guideline for reorganizing the items in your cabinet.
STEP 2: Wipe and clean your shelves and cabinets.
Give your cabinet a good scrub down and sweep away any spilled grains and detritus. I’m not a fan of contact paper and prefer the look of natural wood but my mother would gasp at the notion of letting your shelves go commando. This is a personal choice so do as you prefer.
STEP 3: Select your containers
Measure your shelves for depth, height and width to ensure your containers will fit your cabinets. Containers come in a wide range of styles and prices. Plastic tends to be less expensive (look for ones that are BPA free, Rubbermaid Brilliance is an excellent line) but I loved the look of these glass and bamboo containers. They are easy to open and have a fairly good seal on them. You will need a variety of sizes to accommodate different ingredients. Consider larger containers for flour and sugar or taller containers for things like spaghetti and linguine. This is why your inventory is so important, it will give you an idea of the types of containers and how many of them you will need.
STEP 4: Other Organizational Accessories
You will need other containers and accessories based on how you cook and eat. If you’re into granola bars, consider a storage container to organize them. What about left-over bags of chips and cookies? Maybe a bin to hold chip-clipped bags or transfer the contents to a clean container? I bought small jars for all of my spices and dedicated a special drawer for them. I also purchased a carousel and bottles with pour spouts to organize my vinegars and oils. Another useful tool is a step-shelf for canned goods to allow you to see what you have at a glance. Pinterest and Instagram are excellent resources to give you ideas on how to organize various items.
STEP 5: Labelling
These reusable black chalkboard stickers are fantastic for labeling. They come in a variety of sizes and include a chalk marker that washes off easily. I recommend thinner, pen-like markers as opposed to the bigger ones which are harder to write with.
STEP 6: Organization and placement
Think about what you use the most and give these items prime real estate. Items that are less frequently used can go on higher shelves. Also curate items based on similarity: spices in one area, grains, pastas and baking goods in another. Your organization and placement will also depend on the size of your containers. I bought large 1.5 gallon jars for my flour and sugar and placed them on a bottom shelf to support the extra weight. Also consider the other members in your family and ensure items are visible and within their reach. My kitchen pantry is fairly small but I did make use of a hallway closet where I stored backup items and larger bottles of oils and sauces.
STEP 7: Extra containers and maintenance
I bought extra containers to store future purchases and plan on transferring items to smaller containers as I use them up. The beauty of this system is it prevents spills but you can also easily wipe down your shelves if need be. It also allows you to find everything and it reduces food waste. My time in the kitchen has become more efficient and enjoyable as I now look forward to opening my pantry! Imagine that.
Where to Purchase Everything (click on the photo)
