Note from the publisher: While time cools in our wooden neck, many of us find us in the kitchen at home with more frequency. This article, initially published in May 2020, is full of organizing advice from the pantry to help you make the most of the ingredients you have at hand.
When I think of the kind of cook I want to be, I imagine myself moving effortlessly in the kitchen, watching what I have at hand, then whipping a kind of original recipe simply because the Greens were about to wither. There is something so satisfactory to use all the foods you bring to your home, and be a cook good enough to make your grocery bill more difficult is not as difficult as it may seem. We may not float in the kitchen as if we were Padma Top chef But we can Prepare for success.
Today, I share exactly the way I keep my pantry stored and organized, including a complete list of articles I have at hand and how I manage the inventory while some items start to decrease.
How to organize your pantry
1. Clean everything and put it where you can see it.
Wipe the drawers, cabinets, everything. A pantry is not a single size in any place at home. It can be a cupboard, a shelf – wherever you keep the items to which you refer to again and again when you cook at home. Throw everything that has exceeded the expiration date.
2. Group the elements together using the list below.
I keep the canned together, the spices together and the cooking of the ingredients in one place. Then I have a designated place for oils and vinegars, beans and rice and pasta.
3. Make it visual.
Half of the battle regarding a well-organized pantry is that you know where everything is and where to put each article when you have finished cooking. Creating a visually attractive pantry is a great motivator for some, but he can only keep you motivated until the novelty wears out.
Think of the organization of articles so that it is as simple as possible to identify what you need, to recover the ingredient and to put it back. Some people seize this as an opportunity to reuse old pots they have saved and start with a fresh loose system, which I recommend. We use Oxo Pop containers To store our pantry items and love how easy they are to build up and to their use. If you store food in separate containers, I would recommend writing the date to which you add ingredients to your pots (and expiration dates if necessary), so that you can know when it is time to launch old ingredients.
How to store your pantry
Below, I share a list of everything we keep in our pantry. Yes, the list also includes items in your refrigerator and freezer. I realize that the “pantry” kitchen is more to keep an inventory of racing items that do not need to be replaced each week as fresh vegetables and meat, but I like to keep track of each ingredient that I use regularly when cooked. The replenishment of the kitchen becomes much less complicated when you know that you already have a reference list of ingredients on which you can count when you are about to be on the budget or that you cannot go to the market.
When you think about how to store your pantry, keep in mind that you don't need (and you may not want) all the ingredients on our list, especially if you start. Think of the ingredients you use the most, start using your newly organized pantry, get into the habit of putting things in which you have found them, slowly add more ingredients when you start to extend your basic knowledge of the kitchen and choose recipes that help you build your pantry as you go.
Exactly what we keep in our pantry
Fridge
- Bacon and / or pancetta
- Amonggiano
- Mozzarella / Cheddar
- Feta
- Butter
- Agrus: lemons, limes, oranges
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Pungent sauce
- Eggs
- Fresh peppers
- Ginger
- Jams and canned
- Maple syrup
- Milk and BABERER
- Miso
- Walnut butter
- Capers
- Olives
- Pickles
- Tahini
- Yogurt and sure cream
Freezer
- Bread, breadcrumbs
- Frozen fruits
- Frozen vegetables
- Remains of red and white wine
- Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts and nuts
Office
- Cosher salt (diamond crystal)
- Salt finish (maldon or fleur de sel)
- Black pepper
- Ghee
- Shortening
- Garlic
- Gypsy paste
- Onions and shallots
- Olive oil (for cooking, kirkland and for finish, your high quality favorite brand)
- I am sauce
- Vinegar: cider, red wine, white wine, rice, sherry
- Canned beans
- High -canned whole tomatoes (San Marzano)
- Blocked or canned fish: tuna, anchovies
- Coconut milk
- Dried beans
- Dried fruits
- Dried peppers
- Rice pasta and noodles
- Polenta and grains
- Whole grains, rice and quinoa
Pastry shop
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Chocolate / bars
- Cocoa powder
- Cooking spray
- Cornflour
- Flour: any use, cake, whole wheat
- Dear
- Molasses
- Sugar: pellet, brown, raw
- Vanilla extract and vanilla pods
Spices
- Bay leaf
- Cardamom
- Cayenne pepper
- Coriander
- Crushed red pepper
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Fennel
- Mustard seeds
- Mixture of Za'atar spices
Download our free Stock The pantry control list (photo below) to keep track of what is in your pantry.
How to manage your inventory
Keeping an inventory of what you have on hand is the secret to reducing your grocery bill and avoiding food waste. Here are some tips to find out what you have, how much you have and what you need when you restore.
1. Keep our practical print on the refrigerator, laminate.
When you run low on an ingredient, check the box next to the said ingredient.
2. Reference your list when coupons and offers enter your reception box or mailbox.
You can cut the coupon directly on the list or keep an envelope on your desk to stuff them so that they are easy to enter when you head to the store.
3. Keep an additional stock of non -perishable items in a different place.
Note the additional stock with a different color marker next to the ingredient. Wipe it when you used the last box, CAN or service so that you know how to buy more.
4. Once a month, clean everything that expired.
It is a relatively easy task when you follow it. It is also an excellent opportunity to take note of the number of items such as meats and frozen vegetables that you have kept hidden in the freezer. Always keep the dates on these items so that you can use them in the freezing window and avoid wasting food.
Do you have any advice to add for me and our colleagues in the pantry? I am all ears.
If you are ready to cook, you will find some of our favorite pantry meals in the items below.
20 classic simple recipes that I like to do again and again
How to make cacio e pepe: the cooking process that I swear every time
This potato salad with French green beans is perfect for any occasion
9 adult laps on your favorite childhood foods
The best pasta dish with 5 ingredients … never
Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning to play tennis and is forever Test the limits of his creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @WitandDeLight_.
