9 Tips for Choosing the Right Containers for your Pantry …

 

Organising your pantry can seem like a hugely overwhelming task. You open the doors, it’s a jumbled mess and before long you’ve slammed the doors shut with a promise to tackle the job another day (except “another day” never comes) … sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone and a lot of you have asked what are the best containers to use in the pantry. So today I thought I would share my tips on some things to consider when choosing the right containers to organise your pantry.

 

The ultimate goal is to store everything so that it’s accessible, visible and practical and the good news is, that these days, there are so many wonderful products available that you don’t need to spend a fortune.

 

• How much do you want to spend? Probably the single biggest consideration will be budget, in other words, how much do you want to spend. Once upon a time, most people dreamed of a pantry full of Tupperware, and there is no denying it’s a fantastic product … I can vouch for that because I own truckloads of it … but it also comes at a price. It’s still possible, however, to achieve a similar result for much less. For example, Decor is a product I’ve used for years which offers a wide variety of sizes and shapes to store almost anything. It also comes with the same lifetime replacement warranty that is still a huge selling feature for Tupperware. Like any other product, keep your receipts and send off any pieces that don’t go the distance. I love brands like Decor that keep a fairly consistent product range because it means that if I break or lose one container, I can buy a replacement that will still fit with what I already have. Alternatively head to your local discount store where you’ll also find great containers for a bargain price. One of my favourites is the Japanese store Daiso where nothing is over $2.80 … bargain!

 

• Pantry size … this will have an impact on the type and size of containers you choose. If you have a small pantry and not much space in the kitchen, you will probably need to buy products and containers in smaller quantities and sizes.

 

• Size matters. Make sure containers match the size of what you’re storing. No point storing 1kg of flour in a 2 kg container. Match your container sizes to the quantities you need to store.

 

• Glass or Plastic? I’m a huge fan of storing food items in glass but if you have a lot of little people (code for kids) running around, this may not be a practical option. If your concerned about kids dropping containers, plastic might be the way to go until they’re older … mind you, I know a lot of adults who have slippery fingers and drop everything they touch … go figure! Here you can read about how I store my baking ingredients … all in glass!

 

• Stack and Pack … another feature that I think is key in organising the pantry, is the “stackability” factor. I generally only buy containers that will stack on top of each other so I can maximize the height on shelves. I’m a huge fan … I mean bigger than huge fan … of utilising every ounce of space on a shelf. The other feature I look for are containers that will stack inside each other when empty, as that too is a great space saver.

 

• Easy care … very high on my list of priorities. If I can’t wash it quickly and easily in the sink or it won’t go in the dishwasher without warping, splitting or breaking … I don’t want to know about it.

 

• Clear versus Colour … okay, I will agree colour is pretty but I prefer a clear container that I can see through. I do label everything but I still think it saves loads of time if you can open your pantry and see at a glance what’s inside all your containers. I love containers that are completely clear or containers that have a “window” that allows you to peak inside.

 

• Functionality … this is very high on my list of tips. It’s important that lids come on and off quickly and easily but still seals well at the same time to keep everything fresh. It’s also important that a container has no sharp edges and that it’s sturdy enough to survive the “rough and tumble” of the kitchen.

 

• Shape … I prefer square or rectangle containers to round ones. Square or rectangle containers can be stacked similar to a brick wall whereas round containers create gaps and spaces that can’t be filled with anything else.

 

So tell me, can you think of any other features or ideas that would help you when choosing the right containers for your pantry and, if so, what are they?