Use food storage containers
Decant your pantry ingredients from original packaging into clear food storage containers. This allows you to see everything at a glance and lets you know what you need to stock up on too. The key is making sure this strategy stays organized is to have the right container for each ingredient. Employ sealed glass canisters for your dry baking goods such as flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, etc. Try to find ones with a wide enough mouth so you can easily fit a 1-cup measure inside (pouring it out can get messy!). Tall skinny containers are great pasta and cereal, plus they stack nicely against each other which is much-needed to conserve precious space. For spices, we love Evermill’s countertop or in-drawer rack because it looks good while it keeps everything neat and organized, which brings us to our next tip.
Employ baskets for snacks
The one thing in every pantry that has a tendency to get out of control is the snacks. And since our snack craving is so easily guided by our mood swings, you can end up with multiple packets open by the end of the week—and they’re usually bunched up on top of each other, too. So, set aside an area of designated baskets to ensure they’re all in one place (and easily accessible, of course!).
Maximize space
With all of the clearing out and categorizing you’ll be able to make additional room for storing more than just food in your pantry to free up space in your kitchen. Use this space for napkins, oversized cookware, liquor, cookbooks, appliances, etc. It feels good to have your efficiency rewarded, doesn’t it?
Don’t compromise form for function
Of course, the way you categorize your pantry should align with how you use your kitchen but we’ve never been ones to sacrifice style—we’re a beauty and utility kind of people. That means finding storage and organizational products that look good while they’re working hard. This also applies to how you style them too. Think of your pantry organization as you would any other room of your house and style accordingly. Besides, no one likes looking into a messy pantry.