Keeping an organized pantry in your Plano rental home can seem to be a tedious task. It is relevant to figure out where everything should go and how to keep things fresh and still organized over weeks (and years) of use. To bear in mind that your food supply is fresh and convenient to access, observe these simple pantry organization tips.
1. Create a System
The majority of people approach pantry organization with a rather easy system: grouping similar items together. Granting that this is a suitable approach, it’s not really the only way to organize a pantry. Consider placing items that you always use together not far from one another, such as pasta noodles, and sauce or baking essentials. But know, there are other effective tactics to group your pantry items.
Try to figure out how often certain things are used, place regularly used items in the easy-to-reach spots. One option would be to create zones or stations in your pantry, grouping food items according to function or the time of day they are generally used. Examples of this can be a coffee station, a bin with after-school snacks, or a shelf for breakfast. Whatever system you apply, it should reflect your routines and how you use your pantry every day.
2. Rotate Your Storage
One neglected strategy to pantry organization is a habitual and regular rotation of food items. It is all too normal for food items to get shoved behind others and forgotten, or for purchased items to sit unused for months at a time. To prevent throwing out expired food, it’s vital to develop a first-in, first-out system for your pantry items. If restocking each shelf, put new items behind older items. Furthermore, take the time to frequently check the expiration dates of your pantry items and clean out anything that has expired. In this light, you can maintain and keep your pantry food items fresh and ready for use.
3. Choose Proper Storage Containers
It doesn’t have to be excessive or attractive (although it can be), however, one of the most significant ways to keep food fresh in your pantry is to ensure that each item is stored properly. In contrast to canned food items, which can easily be stacked neatly right out of your grocery bags, other food items should be removed from the original packaging and stored in airtight containers.
To make certain of long-term freshness, decant flour, and other grain-based food items by taking them out of the bags they come in and placing them in glass or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. The very simple reason you shouldn’t place flour, cake mix, or similar items in their original bags is that not only will it go stale relatively quickly but more importantly, the bags might be hiding insect eggs and other concerns. The last thing you want is to know that your pantry is infested with bugs!
It’s equally significant to keep certain simple rules with grouping your pantry items. Most foods shouldn’t be stored closely next to other foods. If you store both onions and potatoes in your pantry, you should take care to separate them. If you don’t, the onions’ strong odor can permeate the potatoes and cause them to spoil faster.
Lastly, when determining storage containers for your pantry, it’s significant to select containers that not only fit your shelves but also will enable you to track and access the contents effortlessly. Mason jars might seem to be an appropriate option for storing rice and other items, but take note of the jar’s narrow mouth which can make scooping difficult. In addition, get containers that you can label with the name of the contents and the expiration date. Look into investing in removable labels to easily update each container’s information each time you refill it.
4. Size Matters
One last note, as you organize your pantry, it’s essential to not only corral small items, such as spice jars, in an orderly fashion but to make room for large items likewise. Make an effort to add smaller shelving or trays to keep little things together and organized. Whenever possible, provide some taller spaces for cereal boxes, bottles, or other tall or oddly-shaped items.
Finally, see for yourself that with a little ingenuity and some careful planning, you can build a tidy and functional pantry designed to help you keep your food supply fresh and ready for use.
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