Organizing Your Pantry

[Molly53]

Chef1MOM~Connie wrote:

Molly53 wrote:

One could also expand on Dianegrapegrower's spice rack idea to make a wine or bottled water/soda storage rack using larger PVC pipe (inexpensive) or recycled tin cans (free):

Are the cans screwed together or hot glued? I can do this without Mike's helping hand to suprise him when the shelves are completed.

The cans are glued together with a strong metal cement, such as gorilla glue or Loctite, Connie. Here are the directions: http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wine-rack.pdf

[Chef1MOM~Connie]

Thank you so much. Mike is already asking why I am saving all these cans? LOL I will show him after my project is done. I had to go buy canned goods in order to do this as I freeze most everything possible from our garden. However, with our weather it is good to have cans around just in case.

[ArtemisMA]

I love all the creative pantry posts and pics. I have a problem with a very small kitchen that was not optimally designed. And now since I'm home-canning, I'm finding that my space is even more constricted.

In the past I stored some overflow in the garage but there was a problem with that -- out of sight, out of mind. I just went down last week and cleaned out the shelving there of old cans -- every last one of them was expired. Sad. Couldn't even donate them to a food bank, which is what I'd have liked to have done with some of them (containing items I'd no longer eat).

I've purchased an unfinished wood cabinet and a sideboard, and have stained the one, and will stain the other as soon as it is warm enough to take it outside to do so. They're in the dining nook, and house personally-canned goods, a few bottles of liquor, canning supplies and a couple other kitchen gadgets, and my supply of dried seaweeds etc.

[Molly53]

Hi, Artemis! Welcome to the forum. It's very nice to meet you.

I'm happy you found this thread useful! When you get your storage unit finished, please feel free to post a picture.

Did you happen to notice the COOKING FROM THE PANTRY (link) thread? It's meant to be a companion piece to this thread.

[Mimi in Maine]

Nice thread, Molly. I love a pantry and do have one. It is about 5'x5' with shelves from floor to ceiling on three sides. I can fit a ton of stuff in it and do. They are so convenient. I do rotate everything and it is fun to rearrange things from time to time.

[Molly53]

MIMI!

Long time, no see, my friend! I'm happy to have you here in our little forum.

[Mimi in Maine]

Thanks, Molly. Have a great day.

[Alisa Lea]

I'm so jealous of those who have an actual pantry. I currently only have a floor to ceiling cabinet that I call my pantry. If we ever get to do the kitchen remodel that I dream about I WILL have walk-in storage.

I cleaned mine out this morning, organized and tossed some old, expired items. I'm asking myself where all this stuff came from?! I'm bad about buying sale/clearance items and then forgetting they're in there. Next on my list is sorting out my freezer. Then I need to make myself plan my meals around what I already have instead of buying more every Saturday. Not to mention that if I only purchased dairy and produce for a couple of weeks I'd save $$$$!!!!

[**Tinkerbell**]

I know the, "When did I buy THAT??" feeling all too well, Alisa Lea!

About 6 months ago I ran out of mayonnaise. No biggie, I'll just buy another jar next time I shop, right? Yeah... well, it got lost somewhere in one of the pantries and then the next time after that I bought another jar. That too could not be located the next time I needed mayo, so the next shopping trip we picked up another.

The crazy part is that I'm such a stock-up junkie anyway (usually buying two or more of anything) that I didn't even remember buying the jars each time. So instead of tearing apart the pantries I just kept buying more. The fourth time I needed mayo I HAD to have it right then for an event recipe, so I sent DH to the store to buy it. Later that day I was searching for something else that I knew I had... and found 4 giant sized jars of mayonnaise!
We rarely eat mayo. No sandwiches, so mainly salads and deviled eggs. It's gonna take me years to use these up.
*Tink

[Krislady]

I'm working on clearing out the freezer, too.

I've got a specific "grocery budget" - the idea is to set aside the money we don't spend on meat, etc., then, when the freezers are cleaned (and defrosted!), I'll start stocking up on meat again. That's the plan, anyway.

Tinkerbell, I stopped buying mayonnaise altogether - we don't use much, either, and I find it easier to just make a small batch with my stick blender when I need it - I always have an egg and some vegetable oil around. Now I go to the store and I scoff at Hellmans.

[Molly53]

Krislady wrote:
Now I go to the store and I scoff at Hellmans.

No kidding, at $4/jar.

[**Tinkerbell**]

I would be all over making my own mayo too, krislady, but the one time I tried it no one in my family would eat it! I don't like mayonnaise myself, so I wasn't a good judge, and maybe it was the recipe... I just don't know.

I do a lot of things right... but that definitely wasn't one of them!

[**Tinkerbell**]

Don't even get me started on the status of my freezer storage right now. I have 3 (one stand-up and two fridge/freezer combos), and somehow they've gotten totally out of control and everything is mixed up between them.

[Molly53]

This wouldn't work for canning jars, but I sure like this idea for can storage

[Molly53]

I spotted this neat idea on another site:


Here's the directions: http://learning-to-b-me.blogspot.com/2011/03/cabinet-diy-completed-and-tutorial.html