How to Organize Your Pantry

1. Make Room: Clear out old food items that are cluttering up your pantry. The “gourmet” pasta sauce you received last year as a gift? If you are not going to eat it, let it go. Make room for the healthy food items you are going to bring into your kitchen. Also, get rid of anything expired or dated. Check your spices. When rubbed between your palms they should be aromatic. If not, throw them out and start over. That jar of pumpkin pie seasoning from 5 years ago probably needs to go!  Click here to see some spice organization systems.

2. Purchase canisters to hold bulk dry goods. I like Mason Jars, since they are airtight and you can see through them. They also have measuring lines on the side and that can save you time. Label your jars.

3. Also have containers for your spices, if you have purchased them in bulk. Hundreds of little spice baggies in your pantry can drive you crazy when all you need to do is find the chili powder! I have spice jars for my 10-15 most heavily used spices. When I do have little spice baggies I keep them in a basket and keep the number to a minimum.

4. There is no one “right” way to organize your shelves. What makes sense to you? In general, I group similar items together: dry grains and beans on one shelf; canned vegetables on another, keeping all the cans of crushed tomatoes, black beans and so on in a row. Ask yourself, what am I making when I go to this shelf? For example, I keep my kombu (sea vegetable) with my beans since that is how I use it the most. Just do what makes sense to you.

5. Now, I am a bit of a stickler on this but I think that you should only keep food in the food pantry. Paper plates you never use and old take out menus (is the restaurant still there?) can go someplace else.