The Perfect Pantry

Other People's Pantries #26

From Andrea (Montreal Foodies), in Montreal, Canada:

It's been about a month since we moved into our new MontrealFoodies HQ and the pantry has managed to stay fairly organized. A big difference in the new place is how high the cupboards are; a stepping stool has recently been purchased to help my "short" 5'8" reach get to the all important goodies on the top shelf. Baskets also help prevent random items going astray.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #25

From Ellen, in Austin, Texas:

This is our pantry as it really is. No cleanup before picture-time. I have three children and my spouse and I work full-time. The "pantry" doesn't look all that bad in a picture, but sure seems cluttered and difficult to live with in real life. We live in a 1950s ranch house with a REALLY small kitchen. That is why we have so many storage areas. 

Hope this makes you feel better about your pantry.....  I hope we will be sending AFTER cleanup pictures soon!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #24

From George (Culinary Travels of a Kitchen Goddess), in Staffordshire, UK:

Originally the pantry wasn’t part of the kitchen plan, but as my culinary adventures continued at such a rapid rate I was eager for more space, hence the extension of the kitchen to give a small pantry area (from where I also do all my writing). It was a long and fraught event what with cowboy builders and all but eventually we got it done. I don’t know how I managed without it. The downside? Well that’s obvious, I keep filling it up and running out of space, but I guess no matter how big the pantry I’d find a way to fill it up. (Read more here.)

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #23

From Laurie (Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska), in Anchorage:

Here's a picture of my pantry. As you can see, it's a walk-in. It used to be a back hallway that made a second entry into the kitchen.  We blocked off the hallway, added shelves, and created the pantry. It's so convenient, now I don't know how we managed without it.

The yellow plastic baskets on the right have onions, garlic, shallots, and tomatoes in them. The jars above the baskets hold grains and legumes. The tins on the next shelf hold noodles and pastas. Underneath the yellow baskets are plastic containers with whole herbs and spices. The next bank of shelves over has baking supplies plus company dishes and glassware. The jars on the top right hand side of the shelves on the short end of the pantry contain dried mushrooms from mushrooms gathered off our property. Everything else is pretty obvious.

The best thing about this walk-in pantry is there is an automatic light that comes on when you walk into the pantry and goes out on its own. This allows me to walk in and out of the pantry with my hands full which is the best thing ever.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #22

From Kristine (The Global Kitchen), in Cave Creek, Arizona:

I like to think my pantry reflects my sense of adventure with all the exotic Asian ingredients on the bottom shelf. I pretty much have all the staples to cook a variety of meals from various countries.

One crazy thing I do is keep a spreadsheet of all my pantry items. It prevents me from buying duplicates.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #21

From Meredith (Eat.Drink.Better.), in Toronto:

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #20

From Stevi (Good to Be Home), in Naples, Florida:

When we renovated and remodeled our early '70s ranch this past Fall, we included a butler's pantry off the small galley kitchen. It is a wonderful storage area where I can keep my coffee maker and cups, etc. on the counter. There is a lot of storage above in 9 "cubby" cubes that hold cook books, the covered toaster, the bill basket, etc. On the opposite wall is a large floor-to-ceiling cabinet for dry goods and canned goods. I found the stand-alone "tower" shown in the corner at a local outlet store and it provides even more storage for paper goods. We have so much less clutter now in the kitchen! (Read more here.)

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #19

From Pauline, in Foster, Rhode Island:

Welcome to my kitchen, which is exactly 7 feet wide by 9 feet long. I am never more than 2 steps away from any ingredient or appliance. Small does have its advantages.

Since counter space is at a premium, I have no room to put a “canister set”  which I could use because I love to make bread. If you look above the stove I have bread flour, wheat flour, sugar, regular flour, rye flour and an “extra” container for semolina or oat flour or whatever strikes my fancy.

What makes this kitchen work is the corner cabinet. I have all my herbs and spices in the top cabinet on three lazy Susans. This cabinet is dark (I put a light on for the picture) and cool. The top shelf of the freezer door has temperature-sensitive spices.

The bottom cabinet is a full-size lazy Susan. It’s amazing how many containers this cabinet holds. The top shelf is mostly jars and bottles. The labels are on the lids so that the contents can be identified when looking down at the shelf. The bottom shelf holds boxes, pasta and mostly dry goods.

In the last picture you will notice that I use the wasted space of the corner shelf for small appliance storage and for things that don’t fit elsewhere.

I do like my kitchen -- which is about the size of some pantries.    

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #18

From Annie (Undercover Cook), in Brooklyn, New York:

I somehow manage to cook and bake up a storm in my studio kitchenette. My entire apartment is just 230 square feet; my kitchenette is actually something like 2'x6'. Mini fridge, mini oven, and almost zero storage space. I bought a vintage pantry cabinet thing (in the photo) for extra work surface and storage. And yes, that's the microwave being utilized as a tea/coffee cabinet. Enjoy!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #17

From Annabelle, in London, England:

Here in London we are blessed with a superb range of ingredients on our doorstep... from all corners of the world. My store cupboard reflects this well with (among other things) Azafran Saffron from South Africa, Moderna Balsamic Vinegar from Italy, Le Saunier de Carmarge Fleur de Sel from France, Miso Soup from Japan, Tabasco from USA, etc...

I love cooking -- all done on my marvellous English Aga (seen in part in the photos of the tiny condiment shelves on either side of the hob). This is a particularly English method of cooking -- with the two ovens at peak heat at all times and two large hobs forever ready to boil a kettle for a good English cup of (Harrods English Breakfast) tea!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #16

From Karen (Family Style Food), in St. Louis, Missouri:

I stopped by your blog again recently and became inspired to post about the awful state of my spice cabinet. After seeing your neatly arranged spice rack, I was a little pink in the face.

Anyway, I'm happy to share this photo and link -- maybe I will get the help I need!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #15

From Stef (Cupcake Project), in St. Louis, Missouri:

I organized my pantry 9 months ago and blogged about it. You can read all about it here.

How did my organization withstand the test of time? It’s actually holding up quite nicely. The problem, not surprisingly, is how to organize new products. Sometimes when I get something new, I end up shoving it in the pantry with no regard for my organization system. To keep the pantry organized, I really need to make a home for each new item.

My favorite part of my pantry: my spices. We laid them all flat so I could see every one. Before the pantry reorganization, I couldn’t ever find a spice when I needed it.

My least favorite part of the pantry: all of the large bottles of sauces and oils. I can’t seem to find any good way to store them so that I can see everything.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #14

A special pantry peek, from Diane and Todd, also known as White on Rice Couple, in Southern California:

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #13

From Zoomie (Zoomie Station), in Point Richmond, CA:

This is our pantry closet, very deep as you can see (sometimes, fog forms in the back of it), which used to be such a jumble of stuff that I could never find anything in it... (read more here.)

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #12

From Chris (Mele Cotte), in Atlanta, Georgia:

Here is my pantry. Scary!! This was a hard event because it exposes the inner sanctum!  :)

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #11

From Alanna (A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade), in St. Louis, Missouri:

My kitchen is small but well-organized. Nothing without utility lasts long. I make good use of vertical space and watch especially for things of small size that don't overwhelm a small kitchen. I don't use expensive organizing systems, just a few pieces purchased for few dollars, ones that help me use space well.

This cupboard is just above my main working area which sits between the stove and sink. Can you guess my favorite color?! I'm struck that everything in this cupboard is 10 - 20+ years old. The top shelf has inexpensive Container Store tins for sugar and flour ("red is sugar, green is flour" I chant) along with specialty sugars like super-fine, Swedish crystals and demerara. The second shelf has more flour (whole wheat) and sugar (brown) plus my very favorite four -- yes, four -- colanders. I can't believe how often they're all in use! I paid $1 a piece for them many years ago. The bottom shelf holds vinegars and baking dishes. The stacking Pyrex cups are a relatively new addition (that is 10 years ago), from a Dorie Greenspan recommendation from days when I didn't know who she was!

Okay, NOW do you want to guess my favorite color?! This cupboard holds spices, vanilla and other baking flavorings, all within reach when I'm baking and cooking. The big jar on the top is still-steeping vanilla. The double-tiered lazy Susans are a godsend; so are the tiered shelves on the bottom shelf on the left. The red/green spice boxes are ones from Tones collected when I first started to cook -- yes, they're alphabetized. Empty spice boxes move to the bottom shelf so it's easy to know what's low/out when running out the door to the spice shop at the farmers market. The peanut butter is right in front because it's the one thing that gets used every single day. The little salt cellar on the bottom right came from a trip to the USSR when I was a student.

Another space that uses vertical space too, especially important because the pantry is deep and the shelves quite tall. Absolutely everything in here is either tightly sealed or placed in a zip-lock bag -- even if a bag of flour comes home infested, say, it's sealed from everything else. Even all the pasta boxes on the top shelf are sealed. Grains, rice, beans and dried fruit are in glass jars from my mother. I'm working hard to clean this out, use it less for "storage" and more for easy access. But some things do tend to collect -- if they were clothing, they'd have gone to Goodwill a long time ago. Somehow, I can't bear to throw away food.

As much cooking as I do (9 - 15 dishes a week, on average), I do it all from a small space. In fact, the small space may help me stay organized; it's easy enough to see most everything. I do have the luxury of a basement but it's reserved for large and infrequent things.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #10

From Jason (Jason Cooks), in Portland, Oregon:

To be honest I opened up my pantry and gasped, oh my god, how did it get so messy? Did a tornado come through here and do this? No, it's just that I have too much stuff and not enough shelf space in my tiny kitchen. I have now decided that I need to install more storage somewhere in my kitchen so I can get more organized. When I clean out the pantry I usually have everything separated by grouping, all canned goods together, baking stuff together, spices together, etc…now it's all jumbled, so enjoy the look into my secret cupboard of goodies!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #9

From Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking), in Birmingham, Alabama:

Bill would be the first to tell you that I am not organized. I think I am ~ just in my own way!

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #8

From Tanna (My Kitchen in Half Cups), in Dallas, Texas:

I love being able to go in my pantry and close the door. It's quiet. It keeps noise in or out. I grind my coffee in there and keep the coffee pot in there at the moment. When we first moved into this house, the pantry was spacious. Of late I'm noticing things getting crowded. Time for a general clean out. Wonder what I'll find I've hidden away that's made its way into the deep corners. (For more photos and notes about my pantry, see this post.)

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #7

From Mary (From the Heart of Texas), in Frankton, Texas:

I just recently built a new house and in designing it, started with the pantry. Here are photos of the pantry and my spice rack.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #6

From Kathleen (Kathleen's Vegetarian Kitchen), in northeast Florida:

I wasn't much of a cook until I remodeled and expanded the kitchen of my 1920s-era house.

This first photo was my pantry before the remodel. It was a doorway that had been blocked and lined with very narrow shelves. It was the only food storage of my entire kitchen besides my refrigerator. It had a certain charm, and I sometimes found myself buying canned goods with pretty labels, since they would be on display. I would catch guests staring at my pantry, and that was pretty fun.

After the remodel was complete, I found myself with more storage than I could have dreamed. I love my new pantry (photos below) with the roll-out shelves and all of the other cabinets and nooks available to me. Now most of my pantry items are hidden behind doors, but I decided to keep most of my spices out in the open for people to be able to easily snoop.

Remodeling the kitchen changed my life, because I now love to cook. Please visit the link to my blog for more descriptions of my new pantry.

Every Saturday we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us yours.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #5

From Ximena (Lobstersquad), in Madrid, Spain:

Here are four photos. Two are rather blurry. My kitchen faces south, but has a big wall right in front of it, so I can only get good light around noon.

Still, I think you can see the bookshelf with all (some) of the condiments, bowls, liquor bottles and cookbooks (alas, also some). I almost tidied the cupboard, but in the end decided to go with the whole truth. You can spot dried mushrooms, rice, tomatoes, black beans, cocoa, chocolate and maybe a bit of curry paste at the back. There's also a whole load of other stuff, all piled up somehow. The pic of the whole dresser isn't very good, and technically it's more of a sideboard place, but there's stuff there too. And the spice rack has just the essentials, what I use almost every day.

Thanks so much, I've always wanted to show my kitchen, which I happen to think is too charming for words, but can't, because of the no-photos rule on my blog, so it's a great opportunity.

Every Saturday we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us yours.

Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #4

From Mary (Sweet Mary) in Providence, Rhode Island:

My current apartment is in a house that is almost a hundred years old and has a lot of character. The big old sink and glass cabinets are actually separate from the rest of the kitchen in a small room that feels like a pantry unto itself. Nothing but shelves and drawers in there. So, I have tons of space for all of my stuff, as well as incredible light all day long. It's a funky old kitchen that I really enjoy working in.

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

Come on -- show us your pantry! Here's how.

Other People's Pantries #3

From Rachel (Coconut & Lime), in Baltimore:

I wish I had a perfect pantry! When we were on Take Home Handyman, one of the major goals was to help us with our food storage problem. That didn't happen, but they did install cool magnetic strips to one wall and attached a bunch of containers that we have since filled with easily identifiable spices. The rest of our spices and dozens of varieties of sugars, cocoas, flours, rices and baking supplies is in cabinets, on a shelf above our butcher block or on the counter next to our stove. One day I will have a real pantry!

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

Come on -- show us yours.

Here's how.

 

Other People's Pantries #2

From Nupur (One Hot Stove), in St. Louis:

Here is my main pantry: a cupboard with glass doors that is built into a niche in the kitchen. The little labels in the picture show the main groupings of my pantry basics, although the organization is far from perfect. You can tell I eat a lot of oatmeal and yogurt because of all the reused containers (with the label scrawled on using a sharpie)! My mother was not happy to see all these old yogurt jars squatting around in my pantry and pleaded with me to go and buy some glass jars that would look "more decent". But I'm not ashamed about reusing things -- and they do stack perfectly.

This is my spice box: a round stainless steel container with 7 cups. A container like this one sits near the stove in almost every Indian kitchen I have peeked into. It is filled with the most common spices that the cook uses- and these might be different for different cooks. Mine has red chilli powder, turmeric, a mixture of two lentils, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and a couple of spice mixtures that I commonly use. Most of these are the spices used for "tempering"- a common first step for many Indian dishes, where spices and seeds are tossed into hot oil where they work their magic and flavor the whole dish. It is very convenient to open one box and have all these spices at hand; you have only a few seconds to do the tempering before the spices start burning. I got my spice box during my last trip to India . My grandmother overheard that I was going out to shop for one, and told me she had one stashed away somewhere. It turns out that she received two spice boxes as gifts in her own wedding (well over six decades ago) and had saved one! She gave it to me. It is a wonderful box- and its sturdy construction reflects the way things were made in those days. So here I am, the proud owner of a spice box that was given to my grandmother as a wedding gift! It is the most treasured portion of my pantry.

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

Come on -- show us yours. Here's how.