Pantry organization?

[Stacia]

My pantry always seems to be a jumble & I would like to clean it out & better organize it.

For those of you who are good at doing these things &/or have reorganized your pantry & love it, please share any tips, ideas, or thoughts. What do you love about your pantry? What makes your pantry "work" for you? What do you keep in there? What do you *not* keep in there?

My pantry is long & narrow with four shelves that are approx. 11 inches deep. Lighting is bad where the pantry is located. It has two folding, louvered doors, so no way to use the back of the doors for storage. In addition to people food, I also (currently) store some small appliances there, placemats, cat food. On the floor under the shelves, I have two large bins -- one holds paper towel rolls, the other holds stuff I don't use too often (like disposable plates, cutlery, & some party decorations). I don't have loads of kitchen storage so I don't really have other (convenient) places to relocate some of this stuff.

Fwiw, I'm not a cook (but am trying to slowly remedy that).

I would like to make it workable & cheap (i.e., not have to go out & buy a bunch of organizers or anything). Yeah, I would love to have all glass jars that are nicely labeled & everything, but that's not in my budget right now. So, I would love creative ideas.

Yes, I have "organized pantry" envy!

Thanks!

P.S. (I am too embarrassed to share a pic right now. ?)

[Miss Tick]

I have mentally divided my pantry into sections. I have a baking section for flours and sugars, a dry good section for pasta, beans, and grains, an oils and vinegars section, and then canned and jarred goods. Within each section it may be disorganized, but I know where to look this way. I work hard to keep the baking goods area organized (four bins for most used staples) and a bit sparse, so I'm not regularly shuffling through it. I let the oils and vinegars self-sort, so the ones I use the most are toward the front.

 

ETA: notice I'm not posting a picture either!

[Carrie12345]

Mine does not exactly "work" for me in any sort of ideal way.  I also have stupid doors that make it awkward. Like Susan C, I have mental categories, most of which the kids and dh can make sense of.  *Most!

I will never do the pretty jar thing.  Our pantry rotates too quickly to keep up with that nonsense!  Most of my shelves aren't very deep, though. That helps with the rotating.  I generally keep larger items on the deepest shelves (cereal boxes, pasta 2 boxes deep).  I'd consider plastic dollar store bins to keep smaller items on deeper shelves so that many things can be moved at once to reach those in the back.

[HomeAgain]

Figure out what you need, first.  For me, needing to SEE everything was a big part of how I needed to organize and stay organized.  It made sense for me to invest a little bit in clear containers.
I spent $16 on mason jars from the grocery store.  Most of our grains and baking supplies go in those.  I cut out the instructions from the box/bag and shove it inside, and then the tops all have another part of the box/bag cut out and slipped between the metal lid and ring.
I repurposed old containers.  We don't eat cereal much, but have 3 plastic cereal boxes.  They now hold single serve snacks, rice, and tall pastas (I keep the pasta in their respective boxes/bags and shove them in all together).  We had open top plastic boxes we weren't using around the house so one became the 'not often used' supplies like a bag of slivered almonds, a box of orzo, etc., one for various baking supplies, and one for all the mixer attachments.
I have two closed, airtight clear boxes for powdered sugar and brown sugar.  Regular flour, sugar, and masa are in the only white containers. 

From there, it was a matter of grouping everything in logical places.  Daily snacks and cans were moved to a low cabinet where everyone could reach them.  Liquids were placed on a high shelf, out of children's reach, along with the open bins.  The next shelf got all the clear containers.  The bottom shelf got the mixer, attachments bin, flour, sugar, and masa.

[Pawz4me]

29 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

I spent $16 on mason jars from the grocery store.  Most of our grains and baking supplies go in those.  I cut out the instructions from the box/bag and shove it inside, and then the tops all have another part of the box/bag cut out and slipped between the metal lid and ring.

So how does that work for something like a five pound bag of flour? Do you use multiple jars with multiple parts of the label? Or do you only buy the tiny bags that I guess might fit in one jar?

[HomeAgain]

10 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

So how does that work for something like a five pound bag of flour? Do you use multiple jars with multiple parts of the label? Or do you only buy the tiny bags that I guess might fit in one jar?

The regular flour goes in a larger white tin.  It's one of 3 in the pantry so I know at a glance what it is.  I do have almond flour in a quart sized jar because that's about the size it comes in and I don't use it much except for a few Christmas cookies.
Most of my baking supplies are things used in small amounts or have just that much left over - like chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon sticks, nutmegs, coconut shavings.  It didn't make sense for me to keep the bags of all of them in my pantry, especially since we live in the woods and it's not unheard of to have a furry visitor seeking refuge from the cold during the winter.  They can't chew through glass or metal.  ? And they do seem to love chocolate, which is how we bait our traps.

ETA: cake flour/bread flour are stored in the freezer.  I haven't figured out a shelf method for them yet.  Not often used, don't want them to go rancid, and I'm out of large containers.

 

[Angie in VA]

We don't have a pantry, but I did want to suggest something for the lights. 

This motion detector light uses AAA batteries. I have one near the light switch in the staircase going down to the basement. I should add one at the bottom of the stairs too. I've never replaced the batteries and we've had it over a year, and it comes on every day. Here is a set of 3. This one is longer and is rechargeable, so there are different sizes and different ways to power them. 

I've seen something like this at Costco - probably w/ more lights, but it's been a while. They're probably sold in many places. A friend put them in her kitchen and loves them. 

When, if, you are ready to add baskets to your pantry, look at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marsalls, and Target (using Target's cartwheel app to see if there are sales). One tiny thing I did in a kitchen cabinet was to take dry soup mixes (onion soup, taco seasoning, etc.) out of boxes and put the envelopes in a basket like this on the shelf. Takes up less space than those boxes of 2 envelopes. Label/date if necessary. 

Lastly, if you did have some money to spend on containers, I'd try to temp you buy this ~$60 OXO deal at Costco right now. It wouldn't help w/ large bags of flour, but for smaller things I love these. Easy to label too. 

[4everHis]

Like pp my pantry is divided into sections. Cans, baking, cereals, PB&J stuff, Mason jars (you can sometimes find at thrift stores) the 1/2 gallon will hold a whole bag of flour or sugar. The one thing I wish I had invested in sooner was large lazy susan's. I was always finding things "lost" in the back. No more?

[Katy]

Well... organizing only requires removing everything from the space, wiping the shelves, and putting things back into categories.

If you want it to look pinterest-worthy beautiful, you're going to have to buy containers. This is because the packaging creates visual clutter that distracts the eye from the organization of the pantry.

If you have some small budget to do so, Walmart carries a mainstay brand plastic canister for $3/each, or alternatively you could use mason jars, which should start going on sale nationwide soon, as tomatoes come into season.  You can get plastic bins and baskets to sort small items inexpensively at both Walmart and Dollar Tree.  Just beware that some of the colors are seasonal, so if you fall in love with a pastel buy all you need now, before the fall shades come out.  White seems to be around year round.  You can get labels and custom print them with your printer, or get chalkboard hang tags and a "chalk" marker in the wedding decor aisle at Walmart.   World Market has huge gallon + sized glass canisters for around $15.   Hobby Lobby has similar canisters, and they have a fairly predictable 50% off sale schedule.  Both places also sell matching baskets and bins from time to time. There are many pinterest posts of redoing a whole pantry for less than $50 using cheap containers.

[regentrude]

9 hours ago, Stacia said:

Yeah, I would love to have all glass jars that are nicely labeled & everything, but that's not in my budget right now. 

You can do this for free. Do you ever use goods that come in glass jars? Pasta sauce? Pickles? Save the jars and use them for storage.

I keep all my grains, legumes, small volume (i.e. not flour/sugar) baking ingredients in pasta sauce jars. I just paid attention to getting identical jars for a while. Looks great. Since they are transparent, you dont need labels - you see which are the lentils and which the chia seeds.

(I bought a few simple inexpensive large glass jars for sugar and flour. )

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

So how does that work for something like a five pound bag of flour? Do you use multiple jars with multiple parts of the label? Or do you only buy the tiny bags that I guess might fit in one jar?

There are large jars. I have one that holds 5lb of flour.

[Katy]

17 minutes ago, regentrude said:

There are large jars. I have one that holds 5lb of flour.

 

Yes, there are glass canisters that are 1 or 2 gallons.  Just make sure if it's in that quantity it tightly seals to prevent bugs, and you might want a little wood trim added to the edge to prevent a careless child from accidentally knocking it on the floor.

[KungFuPanda]

My pantry organization tip involves a trip to the pet store. I use those plastic, sealing dog food containers for my flour and rice. (I need to get one for sugar.) These hold ten lb bags and the handle makes them easy to get out and put away. I stole this idea from a pastry chef.

Other than this small organized area, and the hanging wire basket that holds All The Baking Chips, my pantry looks like a bomb went off. 

[Bambam]

Our pantry has shelves. Originally I thought each shelf should be dedicated to a certain type of foodstuff (or not foodstuff).  That worked well for me when no one else used the pantry. Add two girls cooking with their own ideas of how the pantry should have been organized, one husband who just puts stuff in empty spots if he helps put away groceries, and it all goes down hill. But I want them to use the kitchen and help cook, so although sometimes I get frustrated looking for someone in there, I know that soon enough I'll be the only one in there (except for husband, of course!), so I just ask the girls to help me find whatever. Usually they can pinpoint it right away. 

I do have my flours (bread, AP, wheat) and sugar in the plastic containers. I use the ones King Arthur used to advertise, but I found them on sale at the Container Store first and decided they were a perfect fit (and they are!). 

If you want practical ideas on how to organize a pantry, you can go to the Container Store. But they are pricey! They do have lovely products though. 

So, good luck! 

[Angie in VA]

Agreeing with Katy wrt getting all the containers that you need if you like a certain color.

Also, if you want to designate 1-2 baskets that kids can help themselves to its/their contents, then get a different color for those. 

[justasque]

I use my pantry for storage, and keep frequently-used foods in the kitchen.  For example, I put all but one can of black beans in the pantry; when I use the one I bring up another.  I make sure to put newer things in the back, and older things in front.  I group things by food types - the proteins are at eye level - cans of salmon, chicken, beans.  Nearby are the tomatoes/sauce/paste, and cans of corn.  I have a section for soups and broths, where I also put the coconut milk (which I use for sauces).  Ready-to-use sauces go there too.  My herbs & spices & such are in the kitchen, in three plastic bins.  They are roughly divided into "Savory", "Sweet", and "Baking". The baking bin also has food coloring, cupcake liners, baking powder and baking soda, etc.  I have a small container with a clear lid (leftover from a take-out meal) labeled "Pumpkin" which has cloves, ginger, and everything else you might put into pumpkin pie. 

Don't forget you can use plain old cardboard boxes for storage.  I use the ones that hold frozen burritos in the grocery store (which I get when I buy the last of the burritos in that box), the boxes that a 12-pack of good beer comes in (which are also the PERFECT size for sewing patterns), and the big sturdy boxes from applesauce cups bought at BJ's.  I leave corn, beans, and tomato cans in the boxes or flats they came in (from BJ's) until I am down to only one or two of them.  It's not pinterest-y, but it is very budget-friendly.

As my nest empties, I am moving various rarely-used kitchen tools & appliances (big crock-pot, large roasting pans, etc.) to the pantry, and moving more food into the kitchen.  Things like paper plates, large coolers and not-often-used lunch boxes, first-aid (including meds, knee braces, and the like), cleaning supplies (like vacuum bags & swiffer refills) and big platters go there too, all grouped by like items.

Every January, I do an "eat down the pantry/freezer" exercise, in which I take inventory of what we have on hand, and try to use as much of it in meals as possible.  I use this as an opportunity to clean the shelves as well, and declutter anything we don't need anymore, before stocking up again.

[justasque]

10 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

I have the SAME problem.  We have 15 jars of olives because we never THINK we have olives.  

I got plastic bins and put all the jars of condiments in one, all the things that go into soups in another, all the tomato products in another, all the flours, baking sodas etc, in another, all the granola/chocolate bars/dried fruits in another.  Etc.  It helped a lot in large part because we can see what we have and we don't keep buying it.  Plus, if you *have to* you can take out a whole bin and search through it in good light.

Sounds like we have the same pantry.  

 

 

Yes!  When I bake, I get out my whole "baking" bin, and I can easily see what we have on hand.  This is especially useful during the churn of kids going away to summer programs or college (needing a few baking basics, for which we "shop the pantry" first) and then returning.  We put returning supplies right back into the appropriate bins, so although we always seem to have two half-used bottles of vanilla extract and three boxes of cocoa, we can always use the oldest first, and wait to buy new until there really is none left.  It helps to reduce the clutter and reduce the waste of having to toss old food.

[LoveMyBeautifulGift]

Zones! As pp poster mentioned, make categories and store those things together. If you feel like it needs more "structure" or want to eliminate visual clutter, dollar tree baskets are a great option-for example, we have three medium sized (I think these are the newest version of what we got a few years ago) baking goods baskets, 1 of which is mostly chips and bark, 1 has vanilla, dyes and other small jarred items related to baking, and one has various sugars in their boxes. Flour is in an old coffee container right next to them. We have a couple of these larger baskets for holding potatoes and onions-I just dump the bag right into them. Rearrange seasonally and/or as needed to fit what's happening in your life. Right now, the sno cone maker (and all its syrups) are down where DD13 and friends can get to it easily. In the winter, it gets put up out of the way and other things take its place. Right now, I'm rethinking our spice cabinet because it has become a hot mess. The trick is really thinking about how you use things-doesn't make sense to put the flour up with the other baking things that you only use once a month if you use it every morning to make scratch pancakes. I have olive oil in a basket with salt and pepper in a cupboard next to the stove because I use them together so frequently for dinners, but vegetable oil is put up in the pantry with the baking stuff because 99% of the time it gets used for baking, and that just doesn't happen all that often right now. 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

These are the glass jars I use for flours, rice, popcorn, pasta, oats, etc. 1 gallon, they are squarish, so they line up nicely. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Anchor-Hocking-Cracker-Jar-with-Lid/16520333

[Violet Crown]

Agreeing to zones and to recycling glass food jars. We have an impossibly tiny "pantry" and so struggle just to not have everything piled on everything else, so I'm reading your thread with interest.

By the way the most effective method of pantry decluttering in my experience is a good meal moth infestation. 

[PeachyDoodle]

Yes to zones as well. 

And Dollar Tree has great organizing containers for cheap. Last time I redid my pantry, I stocked up on little plastic baskets and cardboard bins that I use for corraling smaller items. One holds snacks the the kids can grab, one is for baking stuff like food coloring, cocoa, vanilla extract, etc. I probably spent less than $10.