Organized Pantry

Just want to show off my organized pantry.  I love glass jars.  They let you see what’s inside and they’re pretty! AND best of all … they keep my dry goods fresher than leaving them in their original packing.  How do I know what's in each? First off, I have them categorized ... sugars on one shelf, flours on another and pastas on another.  You get the picture.  Then so I know the self-rising flour from the all purpose, I cut off a part of the original packaging labels and tape them on the bottom of the jar. With some, like the grits or pasta, I cut off the cooking instructions and tuck them down inside as well.  

My spices on the door ... well they're kinda organized by type but mostly by the size of their jars but sooooo much better than putting them in a cabinet where the least used get pushed to the back and you NEVER know what you have and what you don't.  Keeping my pantry organized sure makes cooking so much easier … grocery shopping too.  You don’t go out and buy something and find out later that it was just stuffed in the back of the pantry.

Now this pantry is just my dry goods, spices, vinegars, flavorings and such.  I have another pantry for canned goods and other grocery items but it’s not near as organized because its waaaaay too deep and things do get lost … at least on the shelves where there’s only one of a certain item.  Scott does all the grocery shopping (well 90% of it anyway) and he buys in bulk so when we put in canned goods (tomatoes, beans, veggies, etc.) we rotate them and it’s easy to put them in 6-7 deep.  But those other items that you just don’t need to buy in bulk (cause it is just the two of us), like nuts or popcorn or croutons … well they kind of get lost.  I’m working on getting it more organized but I think the dang thing is just too deep!!!

Keeping your pantry(s) organized makes cooking more fun and definitely easier!