From Kelly (Sass & Veracity), in San Diego, California:
My pantry is made up of two long cupboards on either side of my fridge with drawers that slide out. I recently reorganized this space because I couldn't find the ingredients I knew I had on hand when I wanted to cook.
The biggest problem area was for items that didn't come in containers that could be stacked. I'm all over the place when I cook, so I had a lot of odds and ends that I depend upon. So it's fairly frustrating when I can't find them. These boxes (on the right) from IKEA have helped somewhat, but I'm still searching since I have to stack and unstack whenever I want a particular ingredient.
This drawer used to be a tumble of items, but I've condensed it all to be in one place. It's all at waist level now, so I can easily find the chili oil, or flavored vinegar I want.
This is my overflow drawer for baking ingredients. I used to stuff two drawers of flour and sugar into a small cupboard over the microwave, and had quite a few flour avalanches to clean up. This is so much better now. The small labeled bags for small quantities are perfect. It sort of reminds me of a filing system -- obsessive but functional.
On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.
Come on -- show us your pantry.
I think I share your 'all over the place' collection, so it's inspiring to see how you've tamed such diversity! The pull outs are wonderful!
Posted by: Susan G | October 11, 2008 at 12:20 AM
Thanks Susan -- It feels like I have quite a bit of space, but I've learned the more there is, the more I need. The pull outs are only as good as your being able to pull them out!
Posted by: kellypea | October 11, 2008 at 01:07 AM
Ahhh, nice to see where Kellypea pulls out her ingredients for her delights...well organized.
Posted by: Peter | October 11, 2008 at 04:40 AM
Very nice!
Paz
Posted by: Paz | October 11, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Kellypea, I love that the shelves pull out. How handy! I have been known to take a flashlight to the deep corners - pull out shelves would be a great help.
Everything looks so tidy and organized, how wonderful.
Posted by: Natashya | October 12, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Oh how true: the more there is, the more I need or at least the more I'd like more!
Posted by: MyKitchenInHalfCups | October 13, 2008 at 01:00 AM
I love seeing other peoples pantries (so to speak). I'll get round to posting mine some day, I'm sure.
Posted by: Scott at Realepicurean | October 13, 2008 at 04:00 PM