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If you bake frequently, consider creating a zone where you can store dry ingredients along with related equipment.ĭecant bulky bags of flour and sugar into airtight containers to keep them from absorbing the odors around them. For staples often bought in larger quantities-such as cereal, oats, and rice-stackable canisters ($30 at Amazon similar set for $25 at Amazon) or basic jars can help maximize shelf space.īaking ingredients: How often you bake will dictate the amount of space you need for the ingredients and where they should be in your pantry, Socci says. Lau’s go-to containers are Bormioli Rocco’s Fido jars (from $5 at Sur la Table $30 for a set of three at Amazon), which can be used for storing anything from pasta to dried beans.
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Here’s what the experts recommend.ĭry goods: Grains, cereal, and pasta (plus anything else that is purchased in bulk) tend to occupy a good chunk of our pantries, so pouring them into uniform containers can be helpful. Once you have a general idea of what you’re keeping and where it will go, think about the best way to display it in your pantry. This way, when refilling it, there will be room to add the contents of a new bag instead of having half in the container and the rest in its original packaging. Lau recommends purchasing containers that are double the size of what you will be storing-so if you have a 16-ounce pack of pasta, you can put it in a 32-ounce container. When to decant: Decanting ingredients into matching containers can seem like a space-saver, but unless you’re committed to replenishing them when needed, it can create more clutter because you might have multiple bags of the same item open at once. Anything that can’t stand up on its own should be gathered into bins, she says. “If you have multiples of the same item, arrange them from front to back, with the one expiring the soonest in front,” she says. Intersperse the rest throughout, putting items rarely used in areas that aren’t as easy to reach. Reserve the shelf above and the shelf below for goods used either every day or a few times a week, recommends Sharon Lowenheim, founder of Organizing Goddess. Frequently used products should be the most accessible and placed on shelves that are at eye level. Then make a rough outline of where everything will go, and if it helps, write it down to keep things straight. If you have unopened ingredients you don’t anticipate using, make a separate donation pile. This can be by meal, grouping breakfast or dinner foods together, or by categories, such as grains, baking staples, and spices. Toss out expired foods and group items together in a way that makes sense to how you function in the kitchen. Take everything out of the pantry and lay it all out.
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The size and shape of a pantry will inform the best approach to tidying it up a dedicated storage room will require a lot more gear than a cabinet or cupboard will. To declutter the area, think about what you’ll use on a daily or weekly basis and make those accessible. Pantries can be littered with items for “maybe someday use” or random packages with a single cookie left in them, says Karin Socci, founder of The Serene Home. Here’s what to think about when shopping for pantry storage items. Planning and a willingness to maintain organization are just the start.Ĭonsumer Reports enlisted the help of organizing professionals for their insight on the most effective ways to tackle this problem area. But it takes a lot more than just a set of uniform containers to whip the clutter-prone area into shape. We’ve seen a range of styles, from color-coded systems for packed pantries to minimalist displays that look like a storefront. Meticulously organized pantries are often a coveted feature at home.
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