Let’s admit it, we all have a love-hate relationship with our kitchen pantry. Perfecting your infamous lasagna or winning the neighborhood chili cookoff is a source of pride, and a touch of therapy! The end result is so satisfying, but it's such a pain to keep all your cooking necessities handy. Well, not anymore! If you are someone who is looking for inspiration or some tips to organize your kitchen pantry so that you can easily have your Zen mode "on" while cooking, this article is for you. :)
We want you to spend your time making memories in the kitchen, not wasting it by rummaging through your cabinets. Kitchen and pantry organization is a trend found all over the internet but it can be confusing on where to start. Here are some simple but important steps to successfully organize your pantry.
Start Over
Before you get into the nitty gritty, we recommend you start completely fresh. By this we mean you should empty your ENTIRE pantry. Not only will this allow you to clean away the dust and crumbs hiding on your shelves but it will also let you take inventory of what you actually have. Most importantly, it will force you to get rid of anything that has unknowingly expired. Let’s try to eliminate having more of those embarrassing moments like finding a jar of sauce that expired in 2008.
VSCO - mosswingbird
What’s in that Container?
Kitchen organization is not only practical, but it's also aesthetically pleasing. Our next tip is all about elevating the appearance of your kitchen contents. We recommend dumping everything from boxes into clear reusable containers. Not only will this give your pantry a sleeker look but it will also cut back on your searching time. Want to go a step further? Create your own labels to identify its contents.
Team Power
Now that everything has been taken out, put in new containers/labeled, it's now time to get categorizing! It is all personal preference and what makes sense to you, but a good rule of thumb is to put like items together. For example; oils, vinegars, glazes, and even dressings could all be grouped together. You can also group things together according to your cooking preferences and the combination of items.
FIFO!
After grouping, go ahead and put everything in the cupboard. Always remember FIFO! First in, First out. When stocking up, make sure to put the items with the most amount of shelf life in the back of your cupboards. That way, you are eating in the correct sequence. This should help to prevent finding that jar of jam from 2008!
The placement of your food is once again up to you, but keep in mind the frequency in which you use those products, if you want the kids to reach them, and how fragile the container is.
Buy What You Need
Now that your kitchen is set, ensure to take care of your newly organized kitchen by buying products you would need and not that you might use. For instance, a cinnamon sugar blend spice is nice and all, but do you really need it if you have cinnamon and sugar at home?
We hope you can now save you and your family time and stress in the kitchen. If you organize your kitchen pantry after reading this, we would love to see your BEFORE/AFTER photos. Do follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share your pictures by tagging us.
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