How to Organize Your Pantry in Times of Covid-19

Covid-19 has changed our shopping habits completely. Now, we make all of our meals at home and in turn, this has increased consumption. Therefore, we want to help you to save space by explaining how to organize your pantry.

In addition, if you want to reduce trips to the store, especially since shopping has become more complicated due to security measures and the risk of contagion that it entails, increasing your storage area becomes imperative.

Organize your pantry: free up space

To achieve more storage space, you need to optimize your storage area. It’s best that you start by emptying all the spaces that you’ve set aside for your pantry. Then, continue by cleaning them, throwing away expired products, and ordering what you have.

If after this process you still lack space, you can relocate any utensils that you use less frequently and leave food products close at hand. In the latter case, you can temporarily “invade” other areas of your home and occupy cabinets in other rooms to store non-perishable products such as milk or juices.

If you have portable trolley storage at home, use it because it presents an excellent storage solution. In addition, as it has wheels, it’s easy to move, which allows you to take it out when you need it and store it comfortably later.

Storing non-perishable foods

In the case of non-perishable foods such as legumes, pasta, rice, sugar, and flour, one way to optimize storage space is to store them in transparent glass or plastic jars.

They can be containers specially designed for this function or you can reuse glass containers from products that you’ve already consumed–just remove the old label. This is an excellent way to recycle and reduce landfills.

The advantage of storing products in this way is that in addition to making better use of your space, it allows you to see how much of the product you have left and plan your purchases. It’s important to put the products that you frequently use at the front and on the upper shelves.

Organize your pantry by functions

A practical idea to optimize your pantry space and have non-perishable products on hand, is to do it by function. It’s about using boxes or baskets to store everything related to a specific function or activity. For example, everything you use for breakfast or as an aperitif, sauces, and condiments for food or the items necessary to make tea or coffee.

This organizational idea will allow you, (in addition to maintaining order) to have things accessible when you need them and to easily store them when you finish using them.

Storing fresh produce

Another point when organizing your pantry is to avoid stockpiling. When you buy items you don’t need, it can cause food waste. It’s also really important to know how and where you should store certain fresh produce.

Keep potatoes and onions in a cool, dark place, often best stored in a cupboard. You can store them in wooden boxes lined with brown paper. By the way, don’t mix them because they’ll spoil sooner.

Also, many fruits and vegetables such as bananas, avocados, and tomatoes keep best when they’re out of the refrigerator. Wire baskets, drawers, or trolleys are a good storage idea for fruits in order to help them to breathe and stay cool.

Food containers to organize your pantry

Storage containers are a key tool in keeping your pantry well organized. In addition, they allow you to preserve food for longer and prevent food waste. There are several options:

• Glass jars with a metal seal: perfect for dry food, sauces or jams. They preserve food with all its aroma for longer.
• Containers with hermetic lids: their closure makes them ideal for storing food in the fridge. They can also serve as serving plates.
• Jars with measuring cap: allow you to easily access portions of dry foods such as cereals.
• Ziplock bags: an excellent solution for freezing food.

Organizing your pantry involves planning and, admittedly, some time, especially if it’s the first time you’re getting down to work with this activity. However, with these keys, you can organize it well and optimize the resources you have.

Lead image: jeanlansing.shopkalo.com