That is my first walk-in pantry, and I’ve had such a good time organizing it. Listed below are some walk-in pantry group concepts rounded up into one nice checklist of how to maintain your pantry neat and tidy.
I’ve had lots of completely different pantries in my time:
- A kitchen cupboard in my first condo
- A full-length kitchen cupboard plus a nook of the storage in my first home (I received some bizarre bugs in that storage pantry!)
- A full-length kitchen cupboard plus a nook of the basement in my second home (the microwave was within the basement too – all these stairs!)
- A small cupboard plus open cabinets in my third home (this was after I embraced decanting into mason jars!)
- A reach-in pantry on this home 1.0 (getting larger! See this submit for pics: Pantry Hacks)
- A walk-in pantry of my goals after our house renovation
- A well-organized walk-in pantry can retailer a myriad of things, from the smallest of kitchen devices to the bulkiest of dry items. However, let’s face it – with out a correct system in place, even probably the most spacious pantry can succumb to chaos and muddle.
With every transfer, my pantry received a tiny bit larger. Till now, 20 years later, I lastly have my dream walk-in pantry!
In relation to having your pantry inside a kitchen cupboard, there are lots of sensible methods to make the most of the space for storing. I’ve written about Kitchen Cupboard Area Saver Concepts and My Favourite Kitchen Group Equipment. Fact be informed, one of the simplest ways to maintain a small pantry organized is to retailer fewer issues.
As we speak’s submit is concentrated on the walk-in pantry
An organized pantry just isn’t solely visually interesting but in addition extremely useful. It saves you worthwhile time and vitality by offering easy accessibility to all of your cooking necessities. From meal planning to grocery purchasing, an organized pantry retains you on prime of your stock.
I’ve shared ours already on this submit specializing in 30 Pantry Group Bins previous to our transfer in and in my Residence Tour. Thomas’s aunt Layton is a skilled organizer and helped us arrange our pantry prime to backside. She introduced containers along with her that I purchased from her, and we returned something we didn’t use. She labored MAGIC and lives in Richmond, VA if any of you locals want some organizing assist!
Listed below are some organizing concepts on how one can unlock your pantry’s full potential, accomodate an array of things, and hold your meals shops as organized, environment friendly, and clutter-free as doable.
26 Stroll-in pantry group concepts
Listed below are 26 walk-in pantry group concepts that can assist you maximize house, scale back muddle, and hold your pantry useful! Not all of those will apply to your pantry (or mine) however contemplate them a option to jog concepts.
1. Clear Containers
These OXO bins I received for our oats and flour are so a lot better than coping with luggage! I’m a midway decanter. I like to decant larger issues (oats, flour, sugar) however go away smaller issues (nuts, chips, cereal) of their unique container, particularly these with a faster turnover like cereal. I’ll say that decanted meals is SO a lot simpler to scoop and pour, so that you’ll have much less mess upon use. These OXO containers have a built-in scoop that lives within the lid! And they’re air tight. I can’t say the identical about when my children attain in a field for a snack…
2. Small Glass Jars
Layton introduced these jars to my group session and they’re good for smaller quantities of meals that you simply need to decant: nuts, candied pecans, chia seeds, flaked salt. Something from the majority bins that you simply would possibly come house with in a bag or that is available in a store-bought bag that isn’t completely resealable. I really like that they’re stackable and the wood prime provides heat. Word they’re exhausting to seek out in shops, so in the event that they’re in inventory on-line purchase them ASAP! These are comparable.
3. Mason Jars
After all the go-to OG meals storage container is the mason jar! Search for huge mouth jars which might be simpler to fill and scoop out of. A silicone funnel is useful to fill them up. I’ve used mason jars for grains, granola, beans, seeds, nuts, and extra.
4. Baskets
Meals that I’m not decanting I favor to cover in baskets. This retains a uniform, cohesive look. I really like hyacinth baskets as a result of they’re light-weight and ethereal. These are nice as a result of they arrive with labels!
5. Acrylic Bins
I really like clear acrylic bins as a result of they’re light-weight and straightforward to convey down to succeed in. They’re additionally supreme for storing both fairly issues OR lots of tiny issues you have to hold collectively, like dietary supplements. We use them out of sight to retailer small dietary supplements and in sight to comprise lovely cans of wine. Use them for storing every kind of individually wrapped or small bundle meals like child pouches, granola bars, luggage of chips, grains in their very own packaging, containers of mac and cheese, and single serving snacks.
6. Divided Baskets + Containers
Whereas clear containers are good for some issues, usually I like opaque containers in a pantry for a extra cohesive look. What you have to arrange will dictate the dimensions of the dividers. This smaller one is nice for issues like tuna cans or tea, or a bigger one like we now have is sweet for baking elements or completely different pastas. I really like a mixture of wooden and hyacinth!
7. Bamboo, Wire or Wood Crates
Wood crates can add a country contact whereas storing fruits, greens, or bigger objects. I exploit classic wood containers on my decrease cabinets for napkins, tablecloths, and wine! I’ve a wire basket in my pantry too to combine up the supplies and hold the farmhouse vibe going sturdy.
8. Shelf Risers
I purchased a few shelf risers to make use of for our peanut butters. We use them continuously sufficient that I needed to have the ability to see which one I used to be reaching for vs. having them hidden inside a basket. You should use these for canned items or oils and vinegars, jams, sauces, and different objects you would possibly solely have one after the other. That is the one we now have that’s expandable.
9. Lazy Susans
Use lazy Susans for nook areas or deep cabinets for straightforward entry. We’ve got an acrylic one that’s deep to maintain issues from spilling over that we use for further condiments and sauces. It’s good within the nook.
10. Canned Meals Organizer
If you’re somebody who has lots of the identical canned good (beans, tomato sauce, pumpkin (!), and so on.) then the self dishing out canned items items are nice!
11. Water Bottle Organizer
When you’ve adopted my Instagram tales, I wrote about buying this cheap water bottle holder and having it in a drawer. However the bottles had been sliding round. Relatively than shopping for extra drawer dividers to comprise them, I ended up shifting it to the pantry. It’s not as fairly as a drawer since water bottles aren’t uniform, however the slots hold our further water bottles neat and tidy. I really like that it might accomodate each giant and small bottles. I made a decision to maintain the 2 cabinets facet by facet as an alternative of stacking them for simpler entry.
12. Wine Rack
I didn’t suppose we’d have room for a wine rack within the pantry, however we did! It’s good to not must go to a different flooring to test the wine stash. Tip: you should use a wine rack to retailer different large bottles, like sodas or further olive oils.
13. Clear Journal Holders
Repurpose clear plastic journal holders for foil, plastic wrap, or parchment paper. All these lengthy tubes that don’t look nice simply lined up taking over shelf house.
14. Shelf Drawers
Contemplate pull-out cabinets or drawers for accessing objects on the again and/or using all the peak of your cabinets. These lovely sliding baskets are fairly and useful, particularly when you’ve got broadly spaced cabinets.
15. Stackable Bins
These are nice when you may have objects you not often use, similar to seasonal objects for baking, picnics, popsicles, and so on. Group objects collectively and use all of the vertical house you may. Clear ones make it simple to see what’s inside as do wire ones, or you should use labels in any other case. I additionally love the stackable bin for objects that you simply at all times hold extras readily available. Say you may have two open luggage of one thing however hold unopened ones so that you by no means run out.
16. Hooks
Set up hooks for hanging aprons, oven mitts, cleansing provides (like a brush), or kitchen instruments.
17. Over-the-Door Rack
We’ve got a barn door for our pantry that stays open, however in case you do have a door that closes, use the again of it for all of the issues! Over-the-door organizers are nice for spices, condiments, packets, or cans. I really like a black wire one.
18. Wall-Mounted Spice Rack
Equally, when you’ve got wall house, you may grasp a spice rack. These are skinny so that they received’t take up a ton of your open walk-in quantity, and sensible for further spices that received’t slot in a spice cupboard or drawer. These black wire ones are gorg.
19. Outlet
When you don’t have an outlet in your pantry, contemplate having an electrician put one in. This could possibly be used for an equipment, vacuum (see under) or the rest electrical. We had our electrician set up a low outlet for our robotic vacuum in order that it might go out and in of the pantry on schedule. Whereas I do want the vacuum was a bit extra hidden, this has labored nice in our new house.
20. Hand Vac
And with regards to electrical energy, a mini hand vac is so helpful to have for crumbs! I don’t learn about you, however in some way my pantry at all times has crumbs from folks strolling in there and snacking on the spot. A fast vac retains them at bay. You probably have an outlet tucked into the cabinets, you may cover the hand vac in a basket.
21. Butler’s Shelf
That is one other a type of issues which may not work in your pantry, however in case you’re planning to construct on, having what I’d name a “butler’s shelf” was a must have for me. Whereas we didn’t have house in our kitchen for a full-on butler’s pantry, I needed a shelf that served as counter house for our galvanized “bread basket” and a placeholder for any issues we wanted to stash for a number of days, like leftover cupcakes. I LOVE this shelf for filling a water bottle with electrolytes or quickly storing issues.
22. Child-Pleasant Zone
Create a decrease shelf or bin for youngsters’s snacks and lunchbox objects. The 4 baskets on our center shelf are nearly all child meals, and so they can run and seize no matter they want.
23. Labels
The place you don’t have clear containers, labels are a should to shortly determine what’s inside. These are the Goal bin labels Layton loves and acquired for us. Use your finest handwriting with a Sharpie.
24. Shelf Liners
Shelf liners could be good to maintain your cabinets simple to wipe clear. Even in case you don’t do them in every single place, a they’re good to have in a number of key spots the place spills or further safety is required. I favor cork liners for a pleasant look over the grippy plastic that tends to shift. (However this marble is fairly too!)
25. Stock Record
Hold a listing on the pantry door to trace what you have to restock and what you may have. That is particularly good in case you embrace expiration dates!
26. Chalkboard or Bulletin Board
Connect a chalkboard or whiteboard for notes, grocery lists, recipes, or menu planning. I wish to have a bulletin board for reminders and notes too, however due to our electrical panel, we weren’t capable of grasp one! We’ve got a spot for small papers in our mudroom as an alternative.
Bonus: A step ladder
Key for shorties like me to succeed in the highest shelf in each the pantry and the kitchen. This step stool is from Amazon and is AWESOME!
How To Manage A Stroll-In Pantry
Purchase containers first
When Layton got here to arrange our pantry, she introduced a automobile stuffed with bins (with the tags on) along with her. We had been capable of begin placing pantry staples into the bins to shortly decide what we wanted and what labored. That is counter intuitive to what you would possibly suppose, however I can’t specific how useful it was to have the supplies we wanted whereas we had been sorting slightly than going to the shop on the finish. We did go to the shop on the finish to return a number of issues that didn’t work and purchase a number of extra of those I cherished probably the most, however the bulk of the group occurred unexpectedly with the bins readily available. So first cease: purchase quite a lot of completely different containers and sizes earlier than you get began!!
Declutter First
Earlier than organizing your pantry, undergo your pantry and take away expired or unused objects. This may make the group course of extra environment friendly.
Categorize
Group comparable objects collectively. Widespread classes embrace canned items, grains, baking provides, snacks, spices, condiments, and cleansing provides. Use the various kinds of containers you bought to maneuver issues round till you discover the right container for the invoice.
Put the prettiest objects within the entrance and middle
When placing the containers again in your pantry, put colourful objects in hidden areas and the prettiest /most cohesive entrance and middle. We selected to place our baskets and classic decor the place you may see it from the kitchen and our “messiest” muddle hidden within the nook out of sight.
Contemplate the burden of things
I usually favor to place the larger, heavier objects on the decrease cabinets. Retailer small home equipment, like blenders, meals processors, and stand mixers, on decrease cabinets and lighter issues like paper towels up excessive.
Label All the things
As soon as every part is in place and also you’re proud of each what’s within the containers and the place they’re, label all of it!
Keep with FIFO
FIFO is an accounting time period which means First In, First Out aka at all times use your oldest product first to maintain the age of product at a minimal. While you restock your pantry, place newer objects behind older ones. This helps make sure that you employ objects earlier than they expire.
Seasonal Rotation
Rotate your pantry objects seasonally. Transfer holiday-specific objects to the entrance throughout their respective seasons so they’re simply accessible. Throughout baking season you may want your sugar and flour on a decrease shelf than in the summertime when smoothie making elements get the prime spot.
