Other People's Pantries #111

From Lorel, in Deerfield, Wisconsin:

Before a kitchen remodel, we had more spices than space, so my husband bent sheet metal into tiny troughs to hold the short bottles on the door and engineered a riser system to make the labels visible on the tall bottles. Now a wide cabinet now keeps everything right over the prep area. (I still miss those little troughs, though).

In addition, pantry items were stored all over the 1970s kitchen in tiny cupboards. We removed and replaced two chimneys with two, double door cupboards with pull-out shelves.

This area now holds everything except bottles of oil, vinegar and other liquid ingredients which are all located in a corner cupboard on an 18" lazy Susan, which contains any drips.

I'm not a good list maker so I made a customized, pre-printed grocery list which I put together in the order of the aisles of my favorite store. It now hangs on a clipboard on the inside of the pantry door. Now I don't hunt for the list.

We use a lot of plastic containers for lunches because we don't eat sandwiches. This pullout holds all of these containers, plus a few larger ones. All the little containers are confined to their own little 'play pen' so they don't wander away.

This pullout contains everything we need to wrap, seal, bag, tape, clip, label or tie. Years ago, I put two rubber bands in the little container and they multiplied. Now I have more than 100!

Unfortunately, our kitchen is still small so the extra serving items and storage containers are kept in a 6-foot plastic cabinet in my laundry room. 

The dream of a butler's pantry where everything is at your fingertips won't happen in my lifetime... unless they have one at our nursing home. Until then, we try to keep it simple and uncomplicated for when the memory starts to go. Thanks for peeking!

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

*There are seven more pantries to share. If you'd like this feature to continue -- if you've been meaning to send your photos but haven't gotten around to it -- please send in your pantry photos. I'll keep featuring them every Saturday as long as you keep sending them. Watch for a new Saturday feature (one you'll all want to participate in) when we close the doors on Other People's Pantries.

Here's how.

Comments

If PP had a vote system for pantry of the year, yours would get my vote.

Very nice set up. I love the slide out drawers. Great idea using turntables for the spices.

Pull out trays are my dream, yours are very well organized. I love your cabinet.

I love your pantry, well planned and organized.

A big hug from Dominican Republic.

Wow! I like your pantry. The grocery list is a great idea

Nice Job, Great kitchen, I live in Mexico and believe it or not very few kitchen have one cubboard, if you want one you build it yourself and when you leave you take it with you. You have organized things so well. I can only dream for cubboards like these. Looks like you have everything you need at your fingertips.

Do you have a photo of the old spice storage your husband made? Sounds ingenious! Maybe other space deprived people could learn how.

So organized; this appeals to my inner organizing demon!

I love the little trays that are shown in photo #1 right side, bottom shelf!
I *adore* butler pantries. I would love to have one someday, until then I just ogle at them on the internet. The Better Homes & Gardens site has lots of them! :) Thanks for sharing!

I love the grocery list idea!
I am going to make one of my own now.
Thank you for the idea!

Love the spice organization, it's priceless!

Thanks so much for the idea of a grocery list on a clipboard inside one of the doors. Currently I have a 4 X 4 foot chalk board that I write stuff on but it's in another room so often I forget. But right on the door is just perfect.

Thanks

What a marvelously organized pantry!

I love your spice cupboard - so very tidy and well-organized! I also really like the wire box ('playpen' as you call it - hee hee) for lids and baby plastic containers. That seems a great solution to keeping those items together. Mine always seem to go astray... I'm always hunting for lids. Thank you for sharing.

i know this pantry.........i love this pantry....i wish i was this organanized!! you have set the bar.

My goodness, what gracious comments! Thank you all. And to comment on some of your comments:
Milton: What a wonderful compliment! And it appears you've seen them all!
Paula, Kim & Heather: I came up with the grocery list idea when I was a manager of a bank within a grocery store. We passed out pads of lists with the grocery items AND advertising on them.
Jan & Melynda: Pull out drawers/trays are worth every penny.
Mari: Muchas Gracias. Voy a compartir tu blog con mi hermana, quien enseña español en una escuela secundaria en Illinois. A ella y a sus estudiantes les encantará.
Sherry: I believe the take-it-with-you-when-you-move concept is popular everywhere but in the U.S. IKEA exemplifies the process.
Susan G.: I'll e-mail you the sheet metal spice container pictures I have. Not hard to do if you have the right tools; tin snips, snap rivets, side cutter and a strong husband with structural visualization!
Kayln: My inner organizing demon is my husband, Mr. Neatsy!
Denise C.: I tried for years to contain drips from various oil dispensers with paper towels and rubberbands around the necks of the bottles - doesn't work; shallow trays contain the oil and pepper that automatically dispenses througout the night.

Wow Great Job! Execellent Spanish. It would be an honor, and I would love to have them visit my blog.

Have a blessed week.

Wow, loved seeing how your mind works....organizing everything in a logical, methodical and functional way! How about coming over to help me with my clothes closet???!!!!!

FANTASTIC pantry - I agree the best is the trays to catch the oil, pepper etc. I need to get something like that.