Pantry
Organizations - Stock Up On Staples
Check out all of Lea
Schneider's helpful home and kitchen columns at
Organizing Kitchens, Pantries, Menus and Meals.
There’s
nothing worse than cooking and reaching for something you’re sure you
have and coming up empty handed. No matter if you are a seasoned chef or
starting your first apartment, it’s great to have a checklist for staple
items you should have on hand. You may have some other items you
consider staples, such as salad dressing or barbeque sauce, but those
items can be made if you have these staples.
In the Pantry
Pantry
storage tips:
Get a
turntable for the bottles of oils, vinegars, and such. You can easily
spin it to find what you need. Open bags of flour and sugar invite pests
plus spill and make a mess. Use a gallon zippered plastic bag or a jar
to contain them. Bags of food staples, like rice, beans, and cornmeal are
seldom used up in just one recipe. Use food storage containers, bags, or
even rubber bands to contain them. Have extra staples? Check out our tip
for
Managing Extra Staples.
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Bottles on
Turntable -
It’s easy to find and use these bottle stored
over the stove hood because the turntable spins. |
Contain Flour and
Sugar -
Contain your open flour and sugar to keep them
fresh, free from pests and from spilling in your
pantry. |
Rice in Canister -
Close opened bags with rubber bands. Store like
items, such as these rice bags, together for easy
inventory. |
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Olive oil
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Vegetable oil
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Cooking spray
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Balsamic vinegar
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Apple cider vinegar
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White wine vinegar
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Soy
sauce
-
Honey
-
Hot
sauce
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Worcestershire
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Cooking wine
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Cooking sherry
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Broth or bouillon
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Canned milk (evaporated)
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Peanut butter
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Tomatoes, diced
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Tomato, paste
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Tomato, sauce
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Bread crumbs
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Rice
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Pasta
-
Dry
beans
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Oats
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Cornmeal
-
Sugar
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Brown sugar
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Powdered sugar
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Baking powder
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Baking soda
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Flour
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Cornstarch
In
the Fridge
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Mustard
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Ketchup
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Lemon juice
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Parmesan cheese
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Milk
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Butter
-
Eggs
Spices
Spice
storage tips:
Store
spices so that you can easily find them. Use a stacking turntable, a
stacker-shelf, or drawer organizer to help you find them. Learn more
about storing spices at our
Spicy Ideas article. There are a lot more spices
available than this basic list but this will get you started. You can
add additional spices as recipes call for them.
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Spice Turntable -
Make the most of cabinet space with a
stacking-turntable for your spices. |
Spice Cabinet
-
Most often, spices are
up high. But, choosing a low kitchen cabinet can
work. Since the cook now
looks down on the bottles, adding labels to the tops
makes this situation very workable.
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Basil
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Bay
leaves
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Cayenne
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Chili powder
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Cinnamon
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Cumin
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Dry
onion
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Garlic powder
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Ginger
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Oregano
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Paprika
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Pepper
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Rosemary
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Salt
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Thyme
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Vanilla extract
