Help me sort my pantry!

[Cass72]

We have moved from a fabulous walk-in pantry to something half the size. Mind you the larger pantry was mainly filled with crap.

Is it worth handing over the dollars for ridgy-didge tupperware or, will one of the cheaper brands do the job just as well?

Also, any ideas on other ways of storing things so my pantry is neat, effectual and, I can see what I have/don't have at a glance.

DH loves gadgets, so at the bottom we have stashed a bread maker, a food slicer, a juicer and a bullet....all boxed up but still a pita.

[RhiChiChi]

I'd consider a Tupperware party where they do your pantry over. I have a mix of Tupperware, decor canisters and ceramic canisters and I prefer Tupperware. It really is worth the money IMO as it is airtight, see through and labelled so I know product I put in there will not go off and at a glance I can see how much I have left of things.

[Nelle]

Maybe consider keeping some of your pantry stuff elsewhere? Eg, my inlaws have a breakfast cupboard near their breakfast bar, and we keep our tea and coffee stuff in the same cupboard as our mugs, over the kettle, so it's all in one place (except the milk).
Appliances you use once a month don't need to live in the kitchen really - doesn't kill me to go to the hallway cupboard to get the waffle maker twice a year.
Something I want to do (might need to reinforce the pantry door hinges though) is put racks on the inside of the doors as well, so smaller things like essences, half used small packets, sachets of stuff, matches, whatever can go there.
If you can afford Tupperware I'd consider it (those pantry parties make me jealous lol) because that's my favourite storage too, it just stacks really nice. Even though pretty much every seal colour I choose ends up getting phased out.

I feel your pain though, pantry organisation feels so good when you get it right and a bit manic when it's all wrong. Our pantry is just really deep so yeah. Who knows what's in there…

[~Kim~]

I have tupperware, it's 10 years old and going beautifully. That said, I haven't bought any more for 10 years becasue I can't justify the cost.
I love the way it stacks neatly.
I have (from the top of my very small pantry after a walk-in too);
1. A basket with all the baking needs (essences, colours, gelatin, baking powder, candles, piping bags etc) as well as flour/sugar/buscuits that aren't open yet
2. A shelf for tins/bottles/boxes of stuff I use regularly
3. 3 baskets along the back and one sideways at the front - A basket of herb jars, a basket of meal bases, gravy, crispy noodles etc, a basket of spreads/toppings, honey, a basket of yoghurt sachets, lentils, nuts...small packets (well ecept for the lentils lol), then loose theres bread, a jar of coffee, a jar of supergreens powder
4. All the tupperware stacked at the back of the shelf, a basket with oils, salt/pepper, vinegars, then two baskets of resealable packets of stuff (quinoa/flakes, chia seeds, polenta etc) along the front
5. Breakfast cereals in containers, tupperware container of rice crackers/bicuits and a basket containing the kids snacks/morning tea stuff
6. Huge basket of all my bakeware, white vinegar, basket for onions/garlic/potatoes (it's pretty small as we only rarely eat potatoes)

DH thinks I'm nuts, my fridge is similar. But it makes me feel calmer.

I agree with Nelle about moving stuff you only use rarely to another place.

[briggsy's girl]

We have Tupperware and I wouldn't change it for the world. It's organised. It stacks well. I can find what I need at a glance. We have a corner pantry which, while huge, is quite painful. There are wire shelves which I worry about putting too much weight on. And the corner bit is kinda no mans land.

Anyway, we have all the jars in one spot, all the tins in another. Both at a height where we can see them easily. Everything else is in plastic (Tupperware). We had a serious rodent problem at last house so it's become habit. Everything has its containers. Spices and condiments on breakfast trays that we can pull out of the shelf to get at the stuff up the back. We also keep spare food (unopened flour/sugar/cereal in plastic tubs. In this house we keep it in the bottom of the pantry as it fits. Didn't fit at old house so it went in the linen press. Having it in tubs makes it more rodent safe and also means nothing gets lost in the back/bottom of the pantry as we pull the tubs out frequently.

At the old house the Tupperware was all two deep on the shelves. We organised it so most used stuff was at the front and similar stuff grouped together. Plain flour in front of sr flour. Corn flour stacked in top. Beside that was the sugars with everyday sugar easiest to access etc. make a habit of always dragging older food forward when you restock things. Don't fall for the trap of just putting food away quickly. Always stack older stuff at the front. My mum has a tiny pantry but its like an abyss. Food just seems to get pushed further and further back down the bottom and ends up going to waste. This week she found seven tins of beetroot when I asked her to clean out to donate food to salvos!! Admittedly she has a disability and cant get down there very often but sheesh! With a small amount if space you need to be really on your fame with that stuff or it will make the pantry unworkable very quickly.

[Amy_jellybean]

I swear by the Tupperware modular mates! I spent about $2.5k on Tupperware when we moved into this house! I am Tupperware mad! I have recently found a Tupperware supplier in kuala lumpar and have bought from them. The modular mates are exactly the same and you can get the entire pantry set for about $170! Pm me if you want the details

[Rowellen]

I agree that the tupperware modular mates are well worth it if money's no object! I bought some when my SIL was just starting out as a tupperware demonstrator. Out of all the tupperware I have, these are my favourites. I'm not a fan of most tupperware generally mainly due to the excessive price for a product that doesn't live up to the hype. But the modular mates have proven their worth! I've had mine for about 10 years and I've only had to have one lid replaced on a container I used every single day. And it was replaced for free under warranty. My only gripe is they discontinued my lid colour Having said that, I do think other containers can be just as good (I have decor & systema containers in use here & love both). For the pantry though, I think that having a uniform range is important for stacking neatly to maximise space. I also use baskets for storing similar items. I have one for pasta, one for baking products (muffin cases, choc chips, candles, sprinkles, food colouring etc), one for gravies, packaged meal bases, soups etc, two for canned food. I need to do a big clean out of my pantry. Maybe next time I have holidays. My life is so exciting lol.

[No.5]

I saw on BH&G the other night, they hung one of those shoe storage (the plastic ones that hang on the door) inside the pantry to store small packets (herbs etc) in. Thought it was a pretty cool idea.

[veus]

If ure gonna get Tupperware locally, there are some months when it's really good deal to do so coz they're on special and u get all sorts of extras just coz they want to promote the sales then. I don't know when but worth keeping an eye out for their monthly specials. Hold a party for it even if its just you and a friend attending coz with a party you can use your thank you gift $ and host gift $ as well as the bonuses for the sales in ur party to work out the best deal.

Clearly I'm a Tupperware-holic. I use baskets too to sort out those loose stuff and group things together. The usually used stuff are always in front. We seem to have a lot of variety of teas and they take up literally a whole shelf by themselves.

Good luck! Don't be afraid to keep changing it til it works for u.

[SammyRo]

It might be worth looking on the Tupperware website as its their birthday week soon and modular mates are often on sale. Not sure when, possibly in a week or so.

We did the same going from a large pantry to a small cupboard and the Tupperware makes the most of the space. It may be worth having a pantry session with a demonstrator as they help outwork out the best size of each container for each food item and can help work out how best to fit it all in.n

[Emma09]

On sale now- just got the catalogue today.

[Cass72]

Okay....you've sold me ladies! I'm off to buy Tupperware!! Mind you it wasn't really a hard sell. Yes, it's expensive. But I do love how the modular mates stack up on top of each other. The other brands just don't do the same thing. I've still got some tupperware that I bought when DS1 was first born (he's 18 now) so I guess it does last and is worth it. My mum still has some of those old round green and orange containers (lurve the 70s).

So, I'm thinking I'll have a party for one and I'll bring the book into work to see if I can get up some more sales. Mind you, I'll probably buy enough to get my own hostess gift!