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I knew it was time to organize my pantry when I kept knocking bags off the shelves with my shoulders when I stepped in. It's funny now, but was so irritating then, haha!
Let's start with what I did first...got rid of all the bags and misfit containers. I researched what to put everything in, trying to find the best air tight lids, materials for the containers, etcetera. I ended up choosing OXO pop containers. Yes, they're made of plastic, but they are BPA free. I really wanted glass, but honestly, I drop things so much, that was more of a safety issue for me than the plastic. Luckily, it's a hard plastic--I've dropped a few already and only had one get a little surface crack, so I'm glad I didn't go with glass.
The hardest part? Waiting for them to dry after I wash them. I wanted them fully dry so no mold grew in the pop top.
My favorite part? It's amusing pressing the pop button and feeling it seal/unseal. They also stack really well. I didn't experience any off-gassing and I was pleasantly surprised.
A drawback? Now I'm addicted and want everything in a matching container, haha! I never thought this would be me.
I went mostly with the square style they offer, but some of the little ones are rectangular (like what I keep my everyday salt (affiliate code: SB10) in, which makes it so easy for everyday use).
Researching on the company's website, it was actually really tricky trying to figure out what foods to put in what container and how much would fit (some of their fine print needs updated, in my opinion). So, I'll share what I put in each size...I wish I had this to refer to before purchasing, because I ended up making a few separate purchases until I figured it out. Note: I titled these by what I call them, they're not official names, but it helps me to think of them in this way.
I love the size of this square. It's perfect for my sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, etc... Does it hold more than a 5# bag? No, not really. I've tried, since I don't want that extra bag hanging around just waiting for me to knock off the shelves, haha. So, I ended up getting a storage tote to put all the partially opened packages until I use enough to top off the OXO containers. It's not really that big of a deal, just sometimes I want to fill up the container before the container is completely empty, ya know?
I use this for my flours and oats. It seems heavier to me, but the pro is that it can fit just a little bit more than five pounds...so filling up before it's entirely empty is much easier to do with this style.
I use this size for baking soda, baking powder, and my salt (see two pictures above). They slide on my pantry shelf nicely on top of the square ones I put my sugars in!
These are perfect for things like nuts & seeds, beans, popcorn (see picture below), hmm...I'm listing lots of high oxalate ingredients, lol...but, you get the idea.
This is one of my favorites; the shape is so cute and it fits perfectly atop the pantry ingredient one listed above. These are actually on my list to get more of for storage of a few new things I have come across, and I think they will be perfect for my bulk fermented white peppercorns. Currently, I have mMagBicarb in one.
I actually really like the spice containers I get (they use glass), so I purchased a lazy susan for those. I'll share more about that later. For me, these very small containers were perfect for my herbs like schizandra, ashwagandha, and mushroom products (like my mTranquil capsules). They would be perfect for spices though, and maybe someday I'll make the switch over to them fully.
This size is advertised for coffee beans, and with good reason! I have one for my standard beans (affiliate code: SATIATEDBLONDE) and for my hubby's ever-changing selection. Note: these look similar to the herbs + others containers, but the latter are much slimmer.
These aren't as long as the coffee containers, but they're perfect for snacks, like pork rinds, crystallized ginger, and the like.
This was perfect for my sprouted rice cereal that I like to add into my homemade granola. I think I'm going to have to develop a low ox version of this, soon!
I know, I know, I said I really preferred the square containers...but these skinny rectangles are so cute and perfect for my bulk tea, elderberries, and bulk herbs (like star anise).
I tell everyone that visits that as tempting as it may be to grab it by the lid, try not to, and support it by the bottom! Most of the time, the suction is strong enough on the smaller ones, but it'd be a shame to lose it all from mishandling.
Anyway, I labeled 'em with an easy to use label maker! That was fun! But the best part is that things aren't jumping off the shelves when I walk in, anymore. Also, it makes baking and even feeding my sourdough starter such a smooth process. I didn't know I had a bag barrier (haha), but I did and it makes baking so much easier, and looks a ton better!
I have some other things I added to my kitchen organization that I am grateful for. I was planning on sharing that here, but this post became pretty long really quickly. Check out The Pantry Project: Part II.
How do you keep your pantry organized? Tell me in the comments and as always, #GetSatiated.
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