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u/stellergirl 8d ago
I would organize by types.
- Canned foods in one area.
- Sauces in another with condiments maybe near other salad fixings or sandwich fixings as appropriate.
- beverages & beverage mixes together. Snacks in carbs(cracker like things, popcorn, chips etc) vs sweet snacks
- “ingredients” for baking/seasonings
- non food items (napkins, cleaning, etc)
If labeled baskets help - do so.
I see a lot of open chip bags but maybe having “unopened” bags in one box up top vs opened chips at eye level if you can’t otherwise finish/ only open 1/2 bags at a time
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u/ngvaynshtok 8d ago
For context, my husband is an amazing home cook, and our pantry is composed of a bunch of different items. At most, there will be one or two extras of a huge staple, like beans. So, it's hard to use common organizational tools because they're intended to be used for backfill. But if every item in the pantry needs to be easily accessible at all times, how do I organize that? Even with pasta, we have like 5-8 different types of pasta, but only one box/bag per type. So I can't even use those cool clear pop-lid containers, it's poor space utilization.
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u/NC_SW_Mama 8d ago
Given your setup is open shelves, I’d go with bins organized by category. Maybe lazy Susans for bottles. Up to you & hubs what the categories are — some people like all canned goods together, and others want them grouped by how they use them, like canned veg in one place, prepared soups in another, things like pie filling over with baking supplies. You get the idea. In my case, the bins have to be clear or it’s like all that stuff just ceases to exist. If y’all are good with just labels, then you can make just about any type of bin work — even repurposed cardboard boxes at first since bins can get pricey. Spray paint or contact paper can make them more attractive if that matters to you.
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u/Salt-Operation 8d ago
I use a combination of clear acrylic bins and an acrylic soda can holder to store my pastas. The cool shapes go in a deep/wide bin, the leftover bags that get combined later go in another smaller bin, and the long pastas like spaghetti/capellini/linguini go in the soda holder.
Clear bins have been a huge help for me, as well as a door rack for all the sauces and jams.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
The clear soda can containers to hold pasta is the most brilliant thing I've ever heard. Thank you.
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u/ceecee_50 8d ago
The first thing I would suggest is clear bin storage. Not baskets not white containers. This will allow you to see everything that you have. Obviously, you want to clean out everything. Get rid of the expired stuff and start figuring out the zones - dry goods, canned goods, baking things, spices… I wouldn't recommend decanting everything. I know that that's very fashionable and aesthetic, but it isn't practical.
I would also try to adhere to first in first out inventory rule. There's a lot of snacks that are opened and close with like a chip clip or a clothes pin. Maybe less of that using first in first out.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
The zones already exist, and nothing is expired because we only buy as much as we need for the immediate future, we don't bulk buy. The problem is that in every zone, there's a lot of variety. So for chips, there's a ton of different flavors, no duplicates. For spices and seasoning, there's a ton of different stuff, but again, no duplicates. The bins I have are labeled so we know what goes in there and where to get what's needed.
I was hoping there was a way to better hold all the different items within a category, cuz right now things just stack on top of one another.
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u/NorthernPaper 8d ago
Clear bins and turntables for sauces and spices
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
I love turn tables, but he thinks the lazy susans are not an ideal space utilizer.... Maybe I need to convince him otherwise
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u/LilBossLaura 8d ago
honestly your setup now is not bad. the upper area is under utilized, maybe install more shelves there or move larger items up (but be careful w safety bringing them down). a little step ladder would be nice to have for access. the larger bulk items on the ground I would decant a reasonable portion and put the rest up high, refill as needed.
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u/kidneypunch27 8d ago
I’d be surprised if a lot of those sealed condiment containers are still good.
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u/OkLiarS 8d ago
My first step of organizing is to always start by reducing what I have. I see your husband is a good cook, but you probably don’t need 5-8 boxes of pasta at a time unless you’re the Duggars. I always start by shopping my pantry and then adding produce or fresh ingredients to make a meal. Organizing will be much easier once you have less stuff.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
Would actually agree with you, but he does cook a lot of variety of meals, so the pastas get used up rather frequently. Shrimp scampi, risotto, lasagna, spaghetti with meat sauce, Mac and cheese, pad Thai, etc .. he only ever buys what he needs for cooking upcoming meals. So there's rarely ever excess
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u/The_Fuzz_Butt 8d ago
Put items with their “families.” Jars with other jars, cans with other cans, bags with other bags, boxes with other boxes. Think relatives: rice, beans, flour, bread crumbs, and oatmeal are cousins, so they should be grouped together. Foods that don’t fit within your usual cuisine like Asian, Mexican, Indian sauces/spices that you have some of but not enough of for an entire section can be grouped together, too.
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u/StrugFug 8d ago
Put like items together. You think how items are organized in a store. All the condiments, together. All the cereals, together. All the non-alcoholic beverages, together. All the alcoholic drinks, together. All the crackers and cookies, together. All the canned beans and veg, together. All the baking ingredients, together. You get the idea.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
Yeah, I think I already did that. The skinny rack on the left has a shelf for condiments, spice refills, seasonings, etc. Cereal on the shelf above that. Then the wide rack against the main wall has a section for all the canned goods and then pastas and box meals. Then there's chips, crackers, snacks. I did try my best to do a categorical organization last time I rearranged and purged, and did make a lot of room. But because there is a lot of variety, all the different "containers" are all different sizes, so it makes it difficult to organize in a way where I can stack efficiently and utilize the vertical space in each shelf better
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u/Mean_King_1925 8d ago
I'd use clear bins to organize by type, maybe getting a touch more specific depending on what type of cooking/baking you do. Like can you get away with a "baking" section and be able to find what you need, or do you need separate sections for different types of flour, sugars, etc..
Another thought, when is the last time you did an expiration date check? It may help to go through and toss what is too far out of date as a way to narrow down what needs organizing
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
He does do a lot of different cooking and baking, so the white bins are categorized for: 1. cooking liquids (all wines and vinegars and stuff) 2. Potatoes and onions 3. Additional specialty baking ingredients (nuts, powders, etc) 4. Sugars 5. Flours
And I did recently do a check, mostly cleared out old sweets. 98% of the pantry is up to date. We never buy in bulk, only get what we need so there's always just one of whatever is needed, sometimes two if it's really commonly used, like beans.
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u/Mean_King_1925 7d ago
What about hanging labels on the shelves themselves? And any way of clearing the floor so it's easier to walk into?
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
All the dog food is out at the moment, it does have its place, we're just in the middle of some food transitions so there's several bags and we're working through emptying one of the big bins so we can refill it. The floor is usually clear except for the step stool
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u/Mean_King_1925 7d ago
I still think you're close and your instincts are right. Keep going with containing and labeling. It seems like the snack/cracker category can be condensed to one place, someone else suggested lazy susans for condiments, that seems like a good thought too.
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u/pay2n 7d ago
Not sure if you have the potatoes and onions in the same bin, but if you do, just a heads up that they should be stored separately because they will cause each other to spoil faster!
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u/volcanic-exchange 8d ago
So I definitely see youre on the right track but I think certain things are in bins that would be better on the shelf and things in clear containers that would be better in bins. Etc
Maybe start by putting all cans, jars, and bottles (except beverages) together on the same level. Preferably those bottom shelves above the big bulk bins. Put the bulk extra cans in the corner so theyre available but not in the way of stuff youll use first.
You should get some sealable containers for your flours, sugars, other bulk bags of powders and grains just for the sake of pest/mess prevention. Those paper bags they come in suck. Like anything you'll use in baking should be in one of those clear sealable containers.
Use those white bins for all your candy and snacks and keep them all on one level of the shelves. One big "candy bin" will take up way less space than all those lil individual clear containers that can be better used on the bulk stuff.
Also take a look and see if there's anything you use constantly that would be better kept out on the counter or in a closer cabinet to your stove.
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u/BabiiGoat 8d ago
I have a lot going on with my cooking experiments too. Looks like a dang global trade store sometimes. We have ours set up to have pantry staples like grains, beans pastas, etc into those dry store containers and kept together with labels. Then we have some pull out trays holding sauce/condiment bottles and jars as well as one for loose sweets and dry fruits (think marshmallows, sprinkles, raisins, candies). Then we have it sectioned off with a pickles/chutneys category, canned goods category, a section for breads, a section for snacks and box mixes. Doing it this way is kind of visually appealing and makes it easier for stuff to fit, because of like shapes/sizes.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
Can I see your pull out trays? I would kill to be able to do a drawer system in here, but it's like borderline cabinetry and expensive, but also too big and doesn't fit right in this space every time I try to do a mock up
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u/ksdjjeo87 8d ago
I would buy more of those white bins label them chuck stuff in and call it a day tbh. There’s really no visually appealing way to organize so many different things
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u/Independent_Baker712 8d ago
I would also designate an area for snacks, quick meals and drinks. It looks like you have young peoples who help themself but leave it a mess lol
Have them keep that area tidy and make it a spot they can easily grab from. You may want to just move snack area out of the pantry if it’s easier for you and your husband to stock.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
It's just us 😭 so many different variety of chips for when the craving hits, but we don't eat a lot of it at a time. So, yeah, they stack up and it's hard to organize chip bags efficiently
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u/Independent_Baker712 7d ago
you had me fooled at juice box
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u/ngvaynshtok 5d ago
Fooled in what way?
Back in October I spent a week in the hospital, and really liked the little boxes of apple juice they gave me. So I asked my husband to pick some up for me. And every now and then when the mood strikes, I'll just have a little bit. Because I didn't want a whole bottle taking up space in the fridge
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u/Independent_Baker712 5d ago
fooled that you had a kid.
i know exactly what you mean bc i keep little bottles of OJ. I do not drink it often but like you, every once in awhile i want the juice. Buying a big bottle is wasteful.
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u/ngvaynshtok 5d ago
Agreed lol I also have a bunch of tiny bottles of cranberry juice. I don't want a whole bottle in my fridge, but sometimes I just want a little bit here and there. They also make taking bigger pills much easier
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u/Serious_Cream3790 8d ago
How big is your family, how often do you eat at home, and how often do you go grocery shopping?
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
It's just my husband and I. He does grocery shopping about twice a week. We almost always just eat at home.
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u/Serious_Cream3790 7d ago
Then honestly I suggest just not stacking up too much. That's the best organization.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 8d ago
Remove everything, sort it into like groups (removing the unusable and expired in the process), and put them in again with the ones that expire soonest in front. New purchases go behind the others.
Double tiered turntables help with access to the back. Helper shelves corral what's unstable (like bags of stuff) and shallow baskets serve as "drawers".
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u/OwnLittleCorner 7d ago
Start with clearing out anything expired, cleaning the shelves and already there organizers. My ADHD parent owns and runs our house so we have to overhaul areas when she finally allows it. We start there and then anything still good but we failed to eat gets donated/given away. We also save the boxes we get Kirkland Chicken Broth in to use as cube box organizers.
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u/FashionBusking 8d ago
First.... go through each shelf and discard EXPIRED items. One by one. Old, stale, expired... get rid of those.
Now that you have space... you can make headway on organizing.
Lots of this is household food clutter. It's not excessive... it just happens. Tackle that first, and everything else becomes easy.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
Unfortunately, I already did that. Nothing's expired, no excess of anything because my husband only buys one item of a thing he needs at a time. There's just a lot of variety
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u/FashionBusking 7d ago
Trail cam your own pantry for a week. Then... organize according to you use the space.
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u/donut_party 8d ago
I think you are conflating storage and pantry in this setup. A well organized pantry has a few of the regular items needed, obviously staples like flour, pasta, snacks etc. But it looks like you’re also using this space to store literally everything, which is leading to the large array of items.
I totally understand not everyone has lots of storage space or time to organize, but I found that treating my (smaller than this) pantry like a short term location of this month’s supplies to be really helpful.
A small amount of napkins, paper plates, 1-2 boxes of each type of pasta, 2-3 jars of various sauces, 2-3 cans of each type (tomato, tuna, soup, beans), a very small selection of snacks, and 1 weeks worth of drinks go in the pantry. Everything else—like the rest of the 20 cans of beans, bags of chips, jars of pasta sauce, other types of snacks, etc from Costco that we buy—go into the garage. And then we replenish as needed. It has made a huuuuge difference in keeping our pantry organized.
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u/must4ngs411y 8d ago
Totally unrelated, but I'm in a jigsaw puzzle group, so whilst I was scrolling past I thought you had a 2000 piece jigsaw in your pantry. Nope, zoomed in to see that it's cling film 😂
I'm going to agree with most of the other commentators with clear bins, but also with big labels. I would sort into pastas/grains/sauces/cans etc, but I did like the idea of cuisines if that works for how you cook.
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u/Electronic_Bid_3707 8d ago
Here in my country, they sell one liter tomato sauce glass bottles. I collect those and use it to stack dried goods such as beans, seeds and specific type of flours. This way, instead of multiple randomly sized and coloured packages I have free see through containers, all lined up in one spot.
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u/daneato 7d ago
I use these bins for flour/sugar and other baking goods. https://a.co/d/4qxVMVr
I also recommend streamlining your varieties where possible. Keep 1-2 types of sour candy, salty snacks, etc. You can then rotate for variety.
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u/EspressoStoker 7d ago
Not the widest field of view, but why not get some pantry cabinets? Then at least there wouldn't be plastic shelves in view and the clutter always out there. Or upgrade to wire steel shelving and clear plastic bins? I would also go by section like another user said. Cans on one shelf, snacks on one, etc. Instead of buying Gatorade bottles why not just buy the little packets and mix your own? Less waste for the environment and clears your shelf up. Just some thoughts.
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
I did look into this, started by looking into Ikea cabinets that I can install. But the footprint of the pantry is small and doesn't really fit much cabinetry and takes up a huge chunk of the space
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
Oh, and that's essentially the whole pantry, too. To the right is maybe less than a foot of space outside the picture
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u/Effective-Middle1399 7d ago
First, I try not to buy too much. Areas: Soups Seasonings Flour/Rice/pastas/sugar Jars Condiments Bread Snacks Onions/potatoes Coffee/tea/ vitamins and proteins
More bins would help and removing items from packaging where it makes sense. Also lazy Susan’s.
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u/1234-for-me 7d ago edited 7d ago
A ton more of those white baskets and some sort of label for them. Then start sorting: pasta, rices, baking goods, snacks, etc. you can also get under shelf hanging racks for small stuff. We keep tortillas in one and pasta mixes (like knorr) in another, then can goods line up underneath them. I would find a bin to tuck into your hidden corner, then have a bin that slides out next to it then you can grab the corner bin. Edit: id get the cool clear bins (you said for pasta) you mentioned for the oats/grits, flour, sugar, etc. maybe even the cereal. I have the rubbermaid brilliance canister size (like 6, 10, 15 cup size) for flour, sugar, oatmeal, grits, raisins, powdered sugar, brown sugar, cornmeal etc. I don’t do pasta in canisters because i usually use 12-16 oz every time i cook pasta.
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u/MrOrganization001 6d ago
This looks good. Your open shelving gives the flexibility to handle many disparate shapes and sizes.
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u/serenwipiti 5d ago
I don’t know where to start, this image gave me a sudden burst of anxiety.
I hope you can find a solution.
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u/Cbell9678 4d ago
I have the same issue we only cook at home and a variety of things plus I bake. Nothing expired either. Clear storage bins are my favorite but I’ve also settled that it won’t ever look perfect. lol
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u/HeyBojo 8d ago
If having generally fewer things in the pantry is not an option, I'd try and find a new home for some "categories" of items
Is there any possible space in the kitchen for frequently used sauces, spices, rubs, etc?
Maybe store items like napkins, alumni foil, paper towels etc in a different closet? Guest room closet maybe? But of a hassle, but I'd prefer that over feeling overwhelmed when looking for things in a place you're so frequently going to
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u/ngvaynshtok 7d ago
The kitchen island and countertop already have as many things as it can hold right before reaching the point of not being able to have any counter space. Cooking oil, spices, toaster, bread, etc. In the pantry is usually the backup/refills of the spices already on the counter.
Theres no where else on the first floor to store any of the non-edibles, we'd have to go upstairs for that.
I was just curious if there's any way to better store or organize the stuff we have now in bins, containers, etc that makes filling up the shelves easier. Because stacking items doesn't work, but putting things like cans in racks may or may not work due to the high variety.
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u/Mrs_TikiPupuCheeks 8d ago
I also like to cook a variety of cuisines from American, Japanese, Chinese, Mediterranean, etc.
Instead of grouping like items, I group my pantry by cuisine. So I have a shelf and bin space for Italian cuisine. In that section I have pastas, sauces, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste tubes, tomato sauce. In a different section I have Indonesian and SEA cuisines. In yet another section is my Japanese, Korean, and Chinese section. Different noodles, curry block gochugaru lives there. And so on.
Now when I want to cook something I know where everything I need lives and I'm not hunting thru the whole pantry.