Welcome to Pantry Goals, your destination for all the practical tips and need-to-know tricks to get your space in tip-top shape (and keep it that way).
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If I had to choose a VIP in my kitchen I’d have to go with my pantry. Humble and unsung, the pantry has saved me on bare, lonely nights when I have nothing in the fridge but shouldn’t splurge on takeout. It has provided me with countless pasta dishes, slapped-together salads, and slow-cooked, warming bowls of soup.
But it’s also sometimes really gross and annoying. The other day I stood on my tiptoes and blindly tried to grab for the cumin off the top shelf of my pantry where I keep my spices (why???) and ended up sticking my hand smack-dab into an opened container of honeycomb. Very unpleasant.
Thankfully, it’s easy to do a quick pantry revamp without investing a whole day or hiring professionals (yes, professional pantry organizers exist). In fact, you can do a pretty good refresh in just 10 minutes. Or during a few consecutive TV commercial breaks. For real.
Here’s how:
1. Toss out the old & unused
To make room for new shiny condiments/spices (be they gifts or impulse buys), old ones must leave. Sorry, it’s the circle of life. Go Marie Kondo on it and toss things that don’t bring you joy. Or finally wave goodbye to that bottle of vinegar with only the teensiest tiniest drop left (make a vinaigrette right now!).
Go through and check expiration dates of everything, from flour to olive oil to spices. (Yes, all three of those things actually have expiration dates). If it’s super past its prime, plan some cooking projects over the next few weeks to use it up. Maybe chicken paprikash for that that lingering jar of paprika, or a loaf of sturdy Swedish bread to take advantage of that half-bag of rye flour.
2. Combine like with like
Did you find out you accidentally have two bags of half-empty quinoa? And three opened vanilla extracts, since you kept forgetting you actually had some hidden way in the back? Combine ‘em!
3. Give your worst, messiest shelf a refresh
First, take everything out. Yes, everything. Every spice container and cracker sleeve and bag of beans. Every bit or bob you shoved in there because it had no other place to go. Then wipe everything down. This part is gross but can also be very satisfying. Grab a spray bottle of cleaning solution (or make your own!) and a towel and give everything a good wipe down.
Bonus level: Invest in jars & labeling
This is next-level and might put you over the 10-minute mark, but if you really want to feel like a winner, invest in a dozen sealable glass jars from IKEA or Goodwill (or, you know, the Food52 Shop), to store your dry goods. They’re perfect for things like flour, rice, beans, and brown sugar. Bonus: Since they look so fancy in the jars, you can store these ingredients outside the pantry on your counter, thus freeing up new pantry space.
Want to really take things to the next level? Label! Because sometimes you might forget which jar is farro and which is barley. You can use a dry-erase marker or grease pencil, but you could also put a label maker to use and be really snazzy.
Give Yourself a pat on the back
You did it! Way to go―I knew you had it in ya. Now move on to your fridge.
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Written by: Catherine Lamb
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8 Comments
The only way now that I store things is in a) metal containers, b) glass containers, c) thick plastic containers, d) heat and vacuum-sealed bags. I printed labels for all my storage containers, bulk spice preserve jars, and handmade spice mixes I keep in used pimento and mushroom jars.
Small, empty Amazon boxes also play a part in my pantry to hold boxes of pasta and group some things together. I love having an organized pantry.
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