Rows in a pantry work well for me. It’s a quick visual snapshot of what’s in there. In my mind, it helps me feel organised and prepared. It gives me a certain satisfaction after I’ve spring cleaned the pantry. When preparing for any unexpected eventualities, food is something you can’t do without. It’s good to have non-perishable foods in the cupboard ready to go.

Categorise

I also like to categorise items: tins are lined up with tins, glass jars with glass jars, sauces with sauces, rice and pastas together, cereals together, biscuits etc., I can assure you I’m relieved I forgot to take a before photo of the jumble in the cupboard.

I like a tidy pantry. If I can see what’s in the pantry, I don’t double up or end up with expired items.

Cyclone Prepared

I also like to stock up in case of cyclones and flooding. My cyclone gear is in coloured baskets which are easy to pull out and use. Being in a rural area, you don’t just pop down to the corner store. Food has to travel about 2hrs from a major city (pop 150,000) in big transport trucks to us supply foods. That is, after it has traveled about 16hrs from Brisbane first. So I like to be prepared with food, lights, torches, batteries etc., After Cyclone Larry hit the Atherton Tablelands 20.03.2006 it was very difficult to get supplies, especially batteries. I vowed I’d never be caught in that position again.

Store it — Fold it Peg it

Storing of opened packets has worked well with folding and pegging. When it stays in its original packet, it’s easier to identify eg., cereals boxes, pasta, cornflour etc.,

Bedroom Cupboard as a Pantry

Ten years ago, I made the best investment ever for my kitchen — a pantry. I purchased a bedroom cupboard with five shelves. I slid it between my fridge and existing bench. It made for a much easier management of the kitchen. I like having a tall pantry cupboard — saves me bending down.