Fredericksburg Parent

8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • July 2021 WRITTEN BY DEBRA CAFFREY practical pantry The EASIEST Trick to Organize Your PANTRY Was it just me, or did you no ce that a lot of your friends and acquaintances were tackling their pantry during quaran ne and all the many months at home during the pandemic? I feel like I was seeing endless photos of renovated spice racks, before and a er pictures of pantries and cabinets, and even painted interiors of closets! Listen, I love an organized home as much as the next household CEO, but I don't think you always need your pantry lined up perfectly with matching see-through mason jars with fancy chalkboard labels for every pasta shape and cereal. In fact, I think it's o en these perfect-home images that paralyze most folks from keeping things be er orga- nized because it feels like an all-or-nothing feat that can be too overwhelming. But, there can be a happy medium! Keeping your pantry organized is one of the most important things you can do to ensure you are avoiding food waste, shopping and ea ng economically and meal planning effi ciently. But you don't have to get fancy! I've found that the simplest, cheapest and easiest way to keep my pantry func oning profi ciently is by simply corralling like-items in clear plas c bins that I can easily fi ll, remove and wipe clean. That's it! This simple "bin system" can keep your en re kitchen running like a well- oiled machine by keeping everything visible, mobile, consolidated and itemized. It's also super fl exible and easy to maintain and adapt to your family's needs. Best of all, it's not elaborate or unrealis c. Here's how to give your messy or crowded pantry a simple organiza onal re-do that you'll want to keep going forever! 1. Take everything—absolutely everything—out of your pantry and wipe all shelving and fl ooring clean. 2. Throw out anything that is expired or spoiled. Inventory what is le , and as long as an ingredi- ent or item has not gone bad, you can s ll use it. Star ng your grocery list and meal planning by inventorying what you have to work within the house fi rst is key. 3. Categorize like-items together, such as pasta and rice and baking fl ours and sugars in the kitchen to fi gure out how many bins you'll need and where they will go in the pantry. 4. Place like-items into clear plas c storage bins that fi t easily into your pantry shelves. You can get these for just a few dollars each at Target or Walmart. Save the lids for another use or in case you need them later on. Consolidate items to fi t into the bin to save on excess packaging and make room. For instance, if you have one serving of cereal le , ditch the box, put a clip on the liner bag and stuff it into the new box of cereal (this will also help family members not waste that last bit of things)! Place items that may leak, spill, or cause "food dust" like bags of fl our and sugar into a plas c grocery bag fi rst before placing them in your bin. 5. Keep "least used items" bins (such as your oc- casional baking items like lollipop s cks and powdered sugar) on the top and everyday bins, like snack foods and pastas at eye level. Bins are great at corralling awkward chip and pretzel bags. Simply use clips to close them and stuff them into one bin. 6. To save space, I like to use an over-the-door rack to store things everyone is grabbing each day, such as sandwich bags and foil. The fl oor of the pantry can be reserved for larger bulk items such as oils and cooking wines, as well as BBQ kits and giant canisters of things that may fi t nowhere else. I like to also have a "grab-and-go" box of snack bags my son can get easily. The best part about corralling everything into simple, clear bins is that I can just pull or angle one down to look for or get what I need. I don't have to futz around with moving a bunch of other things out of the way, and it's an easy way to see what you have to work with while planning out food and avoiding waste. For easy cleaning, all you have to do is remove the contents and wipe. If that jar of soy sauce leaks or the box of rice gets crumbles all over, these instances are contained, literally! So forget all the Pinterest-worthy images of designer pantries and put that label maker away. Keep it simple and focus on making your pantry facilitate effi cient ea ng and cooking!

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