How to Organize Your Pantry
- Tips and How To's
- 09/30/15
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You can wrap and save all your dry storage items for months with your FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer, which means a carefully organized pantry is key. After all, those freshly saved grains and spices won't be any good to you if they can't be found, and this becomes an even bigger problem if you aren't preserving them well.
Luckily, you can organize the pantry in a cinch with a few helpful tips.
Maximize Space with Mini-Step Shelves
An organized pantry is all about visibility. You want to find the items you need quickly and without hassle. That means putting cans, jars and spices one in front of another is a no-no.
Instead, invest in some mini shelving units that put your items at different levels so the labels can be seen. Use these racks for your vacuum sealed jams and spices as well as for all those cans you collect. Fetching your tomato sauce and basil will be easier than ever.
Vacuum Seal All Your Opened Items
Vacuum sealers are great for organizing because they'll reduce the space your packages take up. Even better, they keep opened items - cereals, sugar, flour, pastas - fresh and protected from pests for months or even years.
Canisters are perfect for dried fruit, granola, flour, sugar and cereal. If you can never finish that box of cereal before it gets stale, use a FoodSaver® 3 Piece Round Canister Set to lock up the freshness of those classic breakfast treats.
Organize by Type and Preparation
Another common misstep is organizing all grains or all pastas together. This will become confusing because you'll start mixing the instant-prep items and snacks with the dinner ingredients. Instead, organize by how the items are cooked and what they are.
All your instant-prep items like granola bars, cookies and other snacks should be grouped together, preferably in a labeled box for easy reorganizing. Put your other, quickly made items in this group, too, but with a subdivision. This will keep your instant noodles and boxes of mac and cheese together by the snacks instead of mixed in with the other dinner pastas.
Your meal prep items should be in another area of the pantry and split into categories. Try splitting into groups such as:
- Cooking oils and liquids
- Herbs and spices
- Sauces
- Pastas and grains.
Remember, it's easier to keep heavy items on middle or bottom shelves, so stack those cans down low and put your pastas and herbs further up.
