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How to organise your pantry like a professional

Keep your pantry organised and your kitchen cupboards in shape with these simple storage hacks

Knowing how to organise your pantry can often fell like an insurmountable task, but making the most of your kitchen involves taking advantage of every inch of space and maximising your storage. So, to help you keep your pantry in organisational bliss, we’ve put together our top tips on how to organise your pantry like the pros, with some added help from the experts.

Pantries come in all shapes and sizes: big, small, walk-in (bliss), drawers, shelves, roll-out compartments… the list goes on. How to make the most of a pantry, whatever the arrangement, simply comes down to organisation. An organised pantry will not only make cooking easier, but it will save you buying groceries that you already have, but are hidden amongst the mess!

Here are some of organisation expert Amy Revell’s top tips on how to organise your pantry so you can always find what you need.

1. TAKE EVERYTHING OUT 
Sometimes things need to get worse before they can get better, and this is often the case with big clean outs. The first step to an organised pantry is to take everything out. Yeah, you read that right.

You’ll want to make sure your countertop, kitchen bench or dining table is empty so you can see it all clearly and sort as you go. Once your pantry is emptied, give your shelves a good clean, and ensure your drawers are rid of pesky pantry moths and mould.

2. SORT INTO CATEGORIES 
Now that you can see everything, group what you have into categories. Put your baking goods together, cereals together, cans and jars together, as well as spices etc. This enables you to see what you have and makes the decluttering and organising process much quicker. It is also a good way to catch potential double-ups (hands up who else has multiple bottles of soy sauce in their drawers) or what things you might be running low on stock of.

3. DISPOSE OF OUT OF DATE ITEMS 
Next, it’s time to Marie Kondo your stock. Move through what you have and throw out anything that has passed it’s used by date. Make sure to add these items to your shopping list as you cull so you don’t find yourself caught out later without the pantry essentials.

Once your pantry is neat and organised you’ll actually waste less food because you’ll be able to see what you have in your cupboards, and nothing will get lost hidden at the back. If you come across long life items you know you’ll never use, set them aside to donate to a food bank. There are usually pick up points at your local supermarket.

4. USE CLEAR MODULAR CONTAINERS 
To make the most of pantry space and to keep food fresh for longer, we like to decant things into clear containers, labelled with that’s inside. (This can also apply in the laundry with cleaning products and powders.)

Pick containers that stack well and are large enough so you don’t end up with half bags of food that won’t fit, as this somewhat defeats the purpose of this exercise! A good small pantry organisation trick: while round containers look nice, square or straight-edge containers stack better and make the best use of your space.

5. USE ADDITIONAL SPACE 
For items that don’t need sealable containers, use baskets, tubs or stands to maximise space and visibility in your pantry. Cans are great on tiered shelving, meal packets are easy to grab when kept in a basket and having your grocery bags in a bag holder keeps the floor of your pantry clear.

6. SET UP FOR EVERYDAY USE 
When deciding where to put everything away, keep items you use regularly at eye level and items you use less often higher up.

Consider using open tubs for snack items and storing them below eye level so you can empty packets into the tub and the whole family can see what’s available. Your organised pantry will inspire you to cook and eat healthy, and writing your shopping list will be easy because you can quickly and easily see what is running low.

PANTRY ORGANISATION IDEAS AND TRICKS

  • Place opened packets in secure containers to keep pests like pantry moths away.
  • For deep shelves where food tends to get lost or forgotten about, add a shallow second shelf against the back wall to make them more visible.
  • Add labels to your shelves so that everyone in your household knows what belongs where and can help keep the pantry tidy.
  • Organise sections into baskets so they are easy to pull out of the pantry and rummage through.
  • If you have a small pantry and are struggling for space, stick to buying only what you need or find another cupboard in your house to store things like cans, back-up items and extras like paper plates and napkins.
  • A lazy Susan is a great way to store condiments or sauces that you need to access regularly.
  • Make a meal plan for the coming weeks that will help you use up any close-to-expiring products or anything you have over-brought.

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