Have you heard of the saying that “The kitchen is the heart of the house?” With the holiday season just around the corner and before calendars are full with family and friends. Organized Chick wants to help you get your home prepared for all the baking and food making. Organizing your kitchen and pantry now will help you tackle whatever the season may throw your way. Please use these 6 easy steps to organize your pantry.
COMPILE THE ESSENTIALS
What do Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookies, tailgate dips, hearty soups, and pumpkin spice everything all have in common? A well-stocked pantry. Before you start your season of holiday cooking, make sure you’ve stocked your pantry with the essentials. Not sure where to start? Here are a few staples you don’t want to forget:
GET RID OF EXPIRED PRODUCTS
Even though most kitchen staples have a long shelf life, that doesn’t mean that those items should have permanent residency in your pantry. Now’s a great time to check the expiration dates on your dry goods. Spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg can last up to four years; however, you should replace flour, baking powder, and baking soda every year. I recommend cleaning out your pantry 2 times a year, once in the spring and then again in the fall.
DECLUTTER
On a similar note, consider all that you may be storing in your pantry. Has your pantry become a catchall for anything that didn’t fit in your kitchen cabinets? Is there a better place to keep those items? If not, could you find a better storage solution?
For example, items such as paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, and paper goods can take up space, especially if you are like me and buy in bulk. Put out what you need and put the rest in clear storage bins. Store them in your laundry room, hall closet or in garage.
DONATE UNUSED CANNED GOODS
While you’re tossing expired products, now is also a great time to donate any canned goods that you don’t plan to use. We’ve all gone to the grocery store and picked up items that we were certain we’d use in our latest new cooking adventure.
Unfortunately, many of those recipes never materialize and those unopened cans of pinto beans can be put to much better use in your local food pantry than pushed to the back of your kitchen shelves.
ORGANIZE BY TYPE AND USAGE
Now that you’ve bought the essentials for the season, thrown away any expired products, and donated unused canned goods. The best way to organize your pantry is to pull everything out and sort by type and usage. This might seem like an obvious first step; but we’ve found that over time, even the best organizational processes can go sideways. If your pantry looks like a war zone, returning to the obvious can reset your space.
Once you’ve gotten that far, go ahead and “contain” related items. Clear bins are available in multiple sizes and are perfect for chips, snacks, breakfast bars or whatever else your family loves to eat. You can use them side-by-side or stack them on your pantry shelves to contain everything from bottles and cans to packaged goods.
MAKE THE BEST USE OF YOUR SPACE
While you’re organizing and placing items back in the pantry, remember to make sure your ingredients are easily accessible. When you’re in the middle of pulling together a holiday feast, the last thing you want to do is to unravel your pantry in search of the right spice.
Organizers don’t have to be purchased. You can repurpose household items such as recycled spaghetti jars, shoe cubbies, magazine racks, or shower caddies to hold your stuff. However, you may like the simplicity of a Lazy Susan (1 or 2 tier) for spices and other miscellaneous cooking accessories. Be sure to place your most frequently used ingredients on the exterior ring, while putting less frequently used spices on the interior for ease of use.
If that’s not enough, you can also purchase cereal containers, spice jars (if you prefer a more uniform look), and many other kinds of bins, baskets and kitchen storage goods.
Ya’ll it never hurts to start looking ahead and doing what you can to alleviate holiday stress. Your kitchen doesn’t have to be a source of stress. Get your pantry in order first so you can focus on getting the rest of your house in order for the holidays.
Organized Chick has been serving the Metro Atlanta community for over 8 years and a proud local and national member of NAPO. Organized Chick specializes in residential organizing, home office organizing, small business organizing and relocation services. When you are feeling overwhelmed, or needing more help? Organized Chick can create a personalized work space for you and your children and help you maintain a balanced working-home. Contact us now for a consultation.
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