After my spring cleaning, I wanted to share with you some of the basics of the kitchen.
I believe that every home needs a well-organized storeroom. If you do not have the luxury of walking in the pantry, do not despair! You should be able to design and organize the area in your home to serve as a storeroom. Even if you put shelves in your basement.
The benefits of maintaining a well-stocked and neatly organized pantry are numerous. The bonus is that you do not have to do so many trips to the store. If you follow these easy steps that I set out in this article for you, - starting with storing inventory and making a complete list of what you need to buy, it will not only save you a lot of aggravation, but allow you to use the coupons you cut off, and buy goods on sale and even in bulk, saving you: gas, time and money! Like your sanity!
Function - first in the pantry
No matter how big or small your pantry is, FUNCTION should be your first consideration. Here are some functional tips for organizing your pantry:
* As with the organization of any room in your home, a pantry should be planned to save time, energy, efficiency; and therefore money!
* Your pantry should be well lit so you can see all areas.
* Make your pantry efficient for you. It should be located centrally in your home. Either in the kitchen or in the closet for the hallway, which is relatively close to your work area. If necessary, it is great to create several storerooms. If you do this, just remember to organize each space so that the items needed in the kitchen are in the kitchen, cleaning supplies are separate from the food, and you have bedding and towels next to your bedrooms and bathrooms, etc.
* Take into account the humidity and temperature of your pantry; you do not want to store dry food in a damp place and storeroom with reliable coolness, a constant temperature is ideal.
* If space is limited, buy plastic storage containers that you can put in the wardrobe, on top of the cabinet shelf and / or even under the bed. In these containers, I would save items that you access less frequently in these storage areas. If you buy in bulk to save money and keep excess stock in these less accessible areas, you can always replenish smaller stock in your most convenient storage area for your pantry.
* Maintaining a “good inventory” of items that you use regularly will help you avoid the temptation to sell prices on items that you don’t use and / or don’t need.
Getting Started - Storeroom Cleaning
Now that you have planned your storage room for work, it's time to start work on the reorganization!
Once you have installed your closet, you can start by removing everything — I know, I know — not a freak, - by removing everything, you can help you get started and organize.
1. Empty your pantry - move everything to the boxes, countertops and / or tabletops. Drop or recycle everything you find is broken, expired, outdated, or unusable.
2. Before you begin to streamline - you will have fun, having disassembled all the kitchen cabinets that you currently use. Look at everything as you take it out, and think about the following: how long have you been doing this? For example, herbs - lose a lot of taste after 6 months, even in a dark, cool place. While you are on it, check the expiration date and throw it away accordingly. Remember the rule: when in doubt, throw it away!
3. Remove dust or dirt from each object while moving.
4. If something has lost its label, but you know exactly what it is, make a label for manual work (or created with numbers) for easy recognition and place it in your container.
5. The best part of this process, even if it takes a lot of time, is that it needs to be done only twice a year. Plan to do this in spring and autumn.
6. Thoroughly clean the racks and walls with a solution of warm water and mild soap, dry them with a towel and carefully wipe the surface of the shelf.
Preparation - storage space
Once you have removed everything, cleaned and prepared the storage room, you are ready to begin reorganization. This is the fun part!
Here are my suggested steps to ensure that your pantry is ready for efficiency, order, and money!
1. When you start organizing your “well-packed storage room” ... look for any free space you can use to store items; The back of the pantry door can be used to store spices and other small items if you hang the rack above the door. You can purchase these racks either at: Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, Lowes, Target and other similar stores.
2. If necessary, it is time to repaint the walls and shelves of your pantry. I believe that white or off-white color is usually the best color for a pantry. It shows purity!
3. At this point, you can fold up some comfortable wiping paper on the shelves. This will protect your shelf surfaces from stains.
4. Your next step is to organize the shelves according to the content you want to keep in your “well-packed storeroom”.
5. I suggest getting some Tupperware & Modular Mate containers. They are great for storing dry foods such as flour, sugar, pasta, tea bags, coffee beans, and grains. I believe that using rectangular or square containers will take less space and flow more carefully than round or oval containers.
Pantry reorganization
Now that you have cleaned your pantry, you can start organizing things using the following steps:
1. Start by sorting your pantry items into categories: Examples include: fruits, vegetables, soups, spices, dinners / lunches, canned meats, sauces, baked goods, and rice / pasta / dried beans. While you are doing this first round of categorization, do not forget to put the items in order by their expiration dates, putting the fastest expiration being the last item to return to the storeroom (that is, it will be ahead, thereby reducing waste).
2. The heaviest items should go to the lower shelves. Especially if you have a lazy Susan installed. For example, you have a large pot of tomato sauce, put it on the lowest shelf with canisters for your baking products. In the meantime, leave the top shelves open for items you use often and lighter items, such as beans, pasta and / or rice.
3. Using cans, you can store dry goods and bakery items, such as flour and sugar, fresh and free from errors. You can store small items such as tea and coffee, dried fruit and broth in small baskets and / or plastic bins, which also helps keep them fresh.
4. Group items that are identical together: breakfast items, snacks, bakery products, detergents, dishes for clothes, etc. It is important if you spend a little time to consider how things are located in the grocery store where you usually a shop, you can group the pantry items similarly. Using subgroups will help keep things more accurately stored and easily accessible. For example, all canned goods go to the same shelf, organized in subgroups, such as: fruits, vegetables, soups, crackers and cookies, etc.
5. Marking the shelf will help you keep your groups in order.
Pantry inventory list and restocking
Now that you have cleared our “well-packed storage room”, discarded obsolete items, added shelving (if necessary), you will want to take inventory. By doing this, you will help you determine what is missing and what needs to be rearranged regularly.
For your convenience, I have created a starter list of common items you may want to keep in your pantry, and add to your pantry inventory list:
* Canned goods - soup, broth, vegetables, fruits, beans, tomatoes, etc .; * Jar Foods - tomato paste and sauce, olives, pickles, peanut butter, jams and jellies * baking - baking, baking soda, flour, sugar, extracts and much more! * Spices - salt, pepper, basil, Italian season, tarragon, paprika, crushed red pepper and more! * Starches - pasta, potatoes, rice * Seasonings - soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise * Sweeteners - syrup, honey, artificial sweetener * Dry goods - cereals, oatmeal, pancakes, raisins and dried fruits, nuts and seeds * Oils - Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, etc.
Storeroom storage is well organized.
Now that you have your storeroom, cleaned and organized, you will want to follow these simple tips to save it this way:
1. Do not buy things that will not be used; it will save money! 2. Buy only according to your tastes, budget and needs. 3. Look for coupons and sales items to keep them in your pantry. 4. Use your pantry regularly, checking your inventory to make sure you are not crowded. 5. If possible, items such as paper towels, paper plates, napkins, etc., which do not expire or become obsolete, acquire in large quantities.
Completion
If possible, try to buy spare quantities of the main products that you use the most. This will avoid the "extra" items. Having an extra can of mayonnaise or some cans of chicken meat and / or tuna salad can come in handy if you visit a friend unexpectedly. Be sure to add these items to your shopping list when you burst into your reserves. With children in the house, you can think about creating a special area and / or a basket where you can have a quick and quick snack. This will help keep children in the pantry! Homemade combination of trails - a great snack and easy to store!
I found it best to try to reorganize your closet when you are alone, or you have a block of time so you can concentrate and complete the project quickly!
Remember to keep cleaners and chemicals away from food!
Keep items that you use most often in front and are easily visible!
Stack jars, cans and other items so that tags can be easily read.
Always be on the lookout for new organizational aids, such as: baskets, wire baskets, adjustable racks, stacking containers, and more that will improve the organization of your pantry.
Make a “guest” or “refreshing” shelf to keep crackers, dipping, chips, beverage mixes, and other items handy so that you are ready for an improvised party or friends of your children.
Keep a paper / pencil and / or a small board in your pantry. You might as well draw a blackboard on the back of your pantry. You will be surprised at how this will induce family members to add what they would like to do in their inventory, or what they have noticed, does not have a margin.
If you can’t gently get everything into the panties, you can store items that are not significant in a more “distant” storage place, such as a garage or basement.
Basic pantry clips:
Baking soda baking Powder Cornstarch Flour Sugar (powder, granulated and brown) Yeast (chicken, beef, vegetables) Maple syrup Wine preparation Milk and butter Eggs Mustard Lemons (or lemon juice) Mayonnaise garlic Hot sauce Onion Parmesan cheese
Other convenient pantry items:
Dried beans Pasta Spaghetti Sauce Canned soup (cream of chicken or mushrooms) Various cheeses Cream Butter Cream cheese Frozen vegetables (usually frozen) Potato Celery Carrots
Happy pantry!
-Karyna-sad-grace-
(http://karinastruven.blogspot.com)
