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Our menus alter to reflect in-season ingredients as the food varies with the seasons. Traditional summer foods like strawberries, fresh lemonade, and creamy cucumber salad give way to rich recipes like roast turkey, butternut squash soup, or a robust southwest chili as the temperature cools. To properly prepare your kitchen for fall cooking, you’ll need to reorganize your pantry.
Cleaning and organizing a pantry to create room for new ingredients, on the other hand, can be a daunting process. Never fear: with a few pointers, you can stock your pantry with tried-and-true autumn essentials that will survive well after the first big winter celebration.
Measure Your Pantry Space Accurately
This process should take a maximum of roughly thirty minutes, and all you need is a measuring tape. Measure the depth and width of the space, paying specific attention to any barriers that will need to be removed in order for new containers and shelves to fit. Make a list of all of your measurements, so you can refer to them later when choosing these things.
Make a Simple Pantry Inventory
Overshopping is a certain way to end up with a cluttered pantry, so take inventory of what you currently have before you go out and buy your fall essentials. Take a few minutes to write down everything you have in your pantry and sort it into categories like:
- Canned goods
- Dry goods
- Grains
- Condiments
- Spices
Make a note of the expiration dates as well. Throw away any expired food, and save the items you won’t consume in a separate container to donate to a food bank or other good cause.
Declutter, Sort and Buy New Storage Tools
It’s time to work on your containers after you’ve done all of your homework on how you’re going to lay out your pantry. Remove all of the items from the pantry and place them on the kitchen table and counters.
This is when the categories you jotted down can come in handy. Sort your pantry by items that are similar as you go through it. This will also help determine the number and size of containers required. Remove the old shelving from your pantry once it’s empty if you plan to replace it. If you’re preserving the current organizational structure, start with a thorough cleaning. Don’t forget to sweep the floor as well, as crumbs and other trash accumulate over time.
It’s now time to start looking for containers. They don’t have to be expensive, but they should be customized to your needs and available space. Glass jars work well for baking ingredients like flour, sugar, oats, and the like, while plastic transparent bins are useful for collecting cans. If you have small children, invest in easy-to-access containers, so they can grab their snacks whenever they want them.
Stock Your Fall Pantry
Stock up on packaged staples like chicken or vegetable broth, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and canned beans to ensure you have everything you need for great autumnal stews, soups, and chilis. Pick up some root vegetables like potatoes and onions for the produce, and rosemary, thyme, oregano, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon for the herbs and spices.
Begin the Fall Pantry Organization Process
Before you put anything back in your pantry, line the shelves. Food does not fall through wire shelving, and cartons do not topple over, thanks to shelf liners. Baskets and containers will not fall from pantry shelves if they are lined. So shelf liners are a pretty important, but often overlooked, component of pantry organization.
Group similar items together. A lazy Susan makes it easy to put oils, snacks, and baking essentials in one location, so you can access what you need quickly.
To save space, store packaged foods in baskets and containers. Instead of being heaped haphazardly on the shelf, odd-shaped boxes and bags fit perfectly in storage containers. Canisters made of clear plastic or glass with tight-fitting lids are perfect for storing decanted dry foods.
As you add ingredients to containers, ensure that you label each of them clearly, even if it’s fairly obvious what’s inside. This will not only make your time cooking in the kitchen faster and more efficient, but it will also make it easier for anyone enlisted to help you – especially during the busy holiday entertaining season, actually be of use.
Use a Bluetooth label maker for quick labeling or chalkboard labels, so you can easily change the text should the contents of the container change.
Make Better Use of Pantry Door Space
Hang organizers over the doors of your pantry to free up shelf space. These organizers work well with canned goods, spices, oils, and jars.
Don’t Forget About Wall Space
If you have it, wall space can be a game-changer when it comes to pantry organization. Non-food items such as aprons, brooms, and reusable shopping bags can be hung on hooks. A bag dispenser can be used to hold grocery bags and keep them in easy reach.
Keep Up the Good Work
After a while, your pantry may become disorganized if you don’t put in a bit of work. Always return products to their proper locations, and make food available and visible to help ensure that the entire family is on board. Make sure everything is clean, orderly and in its place twice a month, so you don’t have to spend hours on pantry organization all over again.
No time for fall pantry organization, or feel like you need help getting started? Call in the Just Organized by Team. We’ll help you get your pantry space decluttered, help with that initial fall pantry organization project and then, before we leave, give you a solid plan to follow to keep everything neat. Book an appointment here to get started.
Working with Taya and her team is easy. You can book an appointment easily on her website, or contact her directly at 832-271-7608
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