Anupy's Guide to Pantry Organization

January 29, 2025 1 Comment

I'M NOT CEREBRAL ENOUGH TO WORK THROUGH CLUTTER.

I've tried to fight this most of my life, but now I'm resigned to the fact that I simply perform better when things are in their proper places. I'd argue that most of us would, especially in the kitchen. For me, to succeed in all that I have going on with recipe testing, writing, and product development AND needing to keep my family fed and happy - I must have a clean and organized PANTRY and REFRIGERATOR. When the two do happen simultaneously - wow, my days flow so much more efficiently. I know which ingredients I have on hand for dinner, we all eat healthier, we use up what we have rather than grocery shopping unnecessarily, and we don't reach as readily for takeout.

I still remember those days as a harried working soccer mom during the week with a consultant of a husband who traveled Monday through Friday mornings. It was so easy to stop for a quick meal for the kids post late-night practices. Until one day I realized we were doing that way too much and for the sake of our health and budget, I would have to get more organized at home. So, with some very simple tips, I did. And, what resulted was a really tight system that I want to share with all of you. Take the tips and implement the ones that work for your household and discard the rest. I assure you, you'll learn something from this post. Please leave a COMMENT below with your own tips so that we can all learn from you as well! 

MAKE PEACE WITH THE SPACE YOU HAVE

I remember our first space where we brought our second daughter home from the hospital. Our older daughter was two years old at the time. It was a small, renovated row house in historic Lincoln Park in Chicago with no pantry. While renovated and lovely, our neighborhood is known for homes constructed in the 1800s with virtually no closets or storage. It was a bit of a struggle, but I found a way to manage. 

I converted the cabinets under our small breakfast bar that lined our dining room into a makeshift spot for all of my grains and lentils. I also used part of our basement for stacked and well-labeled boxes that stored extra spices and canned goods. While I dreamed of more space, I had to make peace with the space that I had at that moment to work with - and use it to my advantage. It was what it was and I had to simply be as creative as possible to keep my spaces tidy and useable rather than cluttered. But, remember you can still continue to DREAM ABOUT THE SPACE YOU WANT! 

ORGANIZATION BEGINS AT THE STORE

I'm that impulse buyer that stores love. I can spend hours filling a grocery cart dreaming of all the new ingredients I'd love to try and cook up. The problem is, once you bring it all home you have to store it and be able to find it when you are ready to cook. Keep your purchases in line with your storage capacity. Don't buy bulk if when you bring stuff home you're simply swimming in it for weeks on end. Only purchase the things you will actually use in larger quantities. It is NOT cheaper to buy in bulk and end up throwing away half your stuff. Not to mention - it's not good for the environment either. Keep your purchases tight and use up what you have.  

Use a meal planner to make your grocery list ahead of time. I love planners so much that I came up with my own Indian As Apple Pie version! 

PLAN TIME FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION AND TRY TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE

Like any project, you can take it on a little at a time, but for the most effective pantry clean out/storage give yourself about a week. Do not schedule it ahead of a dinner party or in the middle of travel. Be practical. Find a week when the family won't mind clutter on the kitchen counters. It will get messy. But, not to worry, that mess will be short-lived when you get it under control.

I like to pull everything out and wipe down my pantry. Simple soap and water goes a long way. You don't have to overdo it with fancy cleaners unless you prefer. I don't like chemicals near my food - so I keep it very simple. As you pull things out, immediately put them into the categories on the counter that you will group them in your pantry. I had dried mushrooms used for making Italian chicken marsala ... they were always difficult to find until I added them to my Italian shelf. My tomato paste jars go on my Italian shelf as well even though I also use them in my Indian cooking. And, so on. 

The reason I recommend doing it all at once is that you lose more ground starting and stopping projects. It's hard to remember your system if you've stepped away from it for a week. Things will pile up again and you'll start to feel discouraged. This is the one thing that has transformed my mindset with everything. I focus on one project at a time and get it done from beginning to end. If the project is large, then I break it down into smaller portions. But, that portion, when started has to get done completely. One example is that when I'm organizing my pantry and start cleaning a shelf - I finish wiping down and reorganizing that shelf completely before taking a break. I can come back to the project later, but I will not start cleaning another closet in the house until the pantry is finished. I used to have a ton of half-done house projects, but now with this system of laser focus I have started actually getting things marked off my to-do list. It's slow, but it's deliberate and effective. 

REGIFT IMMEDIATELY

Regift if you need to before it goes into the pantry and sits. During the holidays we get so many food presents. I love them all, but I never want anything to go to waste. So, after the kids (who have the most fun with it) open everything and take what they want, I take the rest and add it to my own gift bundles. Of course it's still in it's original packaging and sealed, but I send it out to my nieces and nephews, share it with anyone who might enjoy it, and even leave it in a basket at the door for workers that come and go in the house. I love doing that before things have a chance to sit and go bad. And everyone loves a little something special. I love looking at people's faces when they get a little something that they may not have splurged on for themselves. 

SETTLE ON CONTAINERS

Truly take the time to think through if you want/need containers and which ones you'll want to use. One of the biggest and first fights I had with my husband was over containers. He thinks all containers are unnecessary and I've never met a container I didn't love. Why I suggest doing some online research on what's out there and MEASURING OUT (yes, with a tape measure) how much space you have for which containers because you may have them for a very long time. You want to be sure they fit the shelf you want them for. 

Really good, quality containers may be expensive, but if you take care of them they can last forever. I have had some of mine for twenty years. So, when you make the investment know that it will serve you for a long time, but do it thoughtfully. My husband and I met in the middle. You don't want too many - but just enough to get the job done. One incredibly important thing to me is to be sure containers are not too complicated and can be washed easily. I don't buy storage devices with too many bells and whistles because they are usually a hassle to keep clean. 

Remember, food does best in glass or metal. I prefer glass in a pantry so that I can see everything rather than needing to label. I also think that beans, lentils, and spices are beautiful. Years ago, I found some gorgeous round glass jars for my spices and legumes/grains and have kept them ever since. Glass containers can be expensive to purchase and sometimes tougher to find. So, look around. There are so many stores that sell storage options now that it's much easier. While I don't like using plastic containers for food items - I will use higher quality to store cereals and snacks. If I find glass to replace them I eventually will. As a disclaimer, my junk area is for my kids - I don't eat that stuff and they truly don't eat too much of it. But, they would revolt if I took it out completely. It's okay. And, it's all about what you eat most of the time! 

REUSE GLASS JARS!

One of my favorite things to do is repurpose glass jars. From spaghetti sauce to olive jars, I will soak them in hot water to get the labels off, wash them well, dry them completely, and use them for loose leaf tea, nuts, grains, and other odds and ends. Most of my kids' snacks are brought home, transferred into storage containers and/or jars, and then I throw away the original packaging. This way everyone can see exactly where everything is located quickly and easily. And, when you can see everything you tend to eat it up.  I cannot tell you how many times I've found my girls hidden in the pantry on the floor snacking and chatting away. 

ORGANIZE AROUND HOW YOU EAT

There is no reason to have, say, an Indian shelf if you never eat Indian food. For us, we rarely if ever use canned goods, so we have limited needs for shelving for canned items. We buy a ton of bulk-dried legumes and grains, so that's where I focus my energy and organization. I split our pantry into shelves for: Indian, East Asian (Chinese/Japanese/Korean), Italian (pastas/Mac & Cheese, tomato paste), Kids' snacks (and, yes, some junk), and Spices. 

LARGER BINS

If you have the space, use larger bins to throw in extra bags or ingredients by category. We eat a ton of onions and potatoes, which go into one large bin. One bin is for extra bags of rice, one is for bags of flour, and then we have a few overflow bins. 

LABELING

Your labels should be good enough to get the job done but you don't have to lose your mind over it. Some have asked me if I label products with expiration labels. I truly don't get that specific. My thought is that if I need to do that then I really just need to 1. buy less and, 2. eat what I have more quickly. I sometimes don't even use a Sharpie to label my jars. If I have a jar of Moong Dal, say, I will cut the label from the bag and put that label into my container. It sits at the top of the product and is easily visible. I love my jars to be completely clear and beautifully simple, so I will write the contents on a label under a jar sometimes as well. I also am so annoyed by tiny things that if the labels were not completely aligned I would not be able to relax. So why even try? 

WHY LIMIT PLASTIC? 

A key thing to remember is that plastics - no matter how good - do shed microplastics into our food and water system. A simple example is, sadly, bottled water. Water stored in plastic bottles has elements of plastic in it from the bottle especially if it ever sits in the sun. How many moments does a case of plastic water bottles sit in a heated room or in the sun before it gets to your home? Same with your food. 

Spices especially are very susceptible to plastic contamination. They are incredibly powerful and can 'eat' through a plastic container. Why sometimes you'll get turmeric and see the bottom of the plastic container on the inside is worn away. A major grocery store chain that I worked with once had to reline their bulk plastic spice bins for this very reason. Cloves are notorious as is turmeric and other key spices. Try your best to store them in glass. It's why we never sell our spices in plastic containers and only use glass jars. Again, you can use metal containers - I just prefer glass so I can see through it. These jars below are our high-grade food-safe plastic that we sell our legumes in, but if I find a replacement in glass, I'll take it. Again, you don't want to lose your mind over it, but you want to be aware enough to make small daily changes. 

WHY DRIED BEANS AND LESS CANNED?

Dried beans take up less space, are cheaper, and taste better when cooked. I also don't love eating things that have been sitting in cans or anything else with a lining that could leach into my food. Again, if that's all you've got eat it and don't stress. But, when you have choices start to get away from canned. Start with dried chickpeas and cook them in your slow cooker, pressure cooker, or even on the stovetop. You'll get into the habit pretty quickly and I know you will thank me later. Remember, my cookbooks have lots of recipes and tips on cooking dried legumes. 

FLOUR STORAGE IS IMPORTANT

Did you know that the ingredient that goes bad the fastest and causes quite a bit of illness in the food category is flour? That's right. It goes rancid quickly. Don't buy in bulk amounts unless you will use it. And, keep it tightly wrapped and sealed to use up. 

KEEP EVERYTHING FOR THE KITCHEN IN THE SAME AREA(S) OR YOU'LL FORGET IT'S THERE.

I used to store some pantry stuff in my basement - I had no choice. But, once I had a little more space I made an effort to keep all extra food on top of my pantry's highest shelf in bulk bins or in the cabinets above my pantry. Try and keep it together for easy refilling.  

HAVE FUN!

The best advice I have? Plan to have fun! Put some music on, and put the phone away so you are not distracted. Set a timer. I work using the Pomodoro Technique to really get moving on my projects. Set a timer for 25 minutes allowing yourself to do NOTHING else. When the timer goes off, take 5 minutes to rest - preferably not scrolling on your phone, set the timer again, and so on. 

Next up? Getting your refrigerator organized ... 

1 Response

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in Indian As Apple Pie Recipes