With the influx of visitors during the holidays, your pantry is likely to get full. Here are some tips on how to organize your pantry for the holidays:
Before stocking up for the holidays, go through your pantry and remove any expired or unwanted foods. You can donate any non-expired items to a food bank.
Make a list of foods that you know you’ll need to replenish. Consider making space for the following categories to be well-prepared for the uptick in cooking during the holidays:
Baking
Baking is a common activity, particularly around the holidays. You can use clear containers to store dry goods such as flour, sugar, and brown sugar. It’s advisable to get containers that can stack on top of each other, as this will help you save space and keep track of when you’re running low on supplies. Moreover, it’s crucial to label everything to avoid confusion and ensure that you can easily identify the contents of each container.
Produce
Make room for things like potatoes, onions, and garlic in wooden stacking bins or baskets to keep them contained and shelves clean.
Gift Giving
It’s a good idea to keep cupcake cups, cellophane gift bags, food gift boxes, and paper baking pans in a big bin in the pantry for easy access. If you use a plastic bin with an airtight lid, you can simply remove the bin when the holidays are over and store it elsewhere, then bring it back out again next year when the holidays begin anew.
Canning
If you’re planning on doing some canning this holiday season, it’s important to make sure that your pantry has enough space to store all of your jars. You can place them on the top shelf or on the floor temporarily while you’re using them. If you have ventilated shelves, a simple tray will help keep the jars together and stable.
Spices
It’s an ideal time to organize your spices. Transfer them to glass jars to maintain their freshness and ensure they all have containers of the same size. Doing so will help you find what you need more quickly and easily. Remember to label each jar, and for added convenience, mark the bottom with the date of purchase or expiration date using a marker. This way, you can keep track of when it’s time to replace your spices.
Foils and Wraps
As the holiday season approaches, you might need larger sizes of wax paper, parchment paper, and baggies for cooking and storing. Consider gathering these items in a bin or basket to keep everything organized. If you store these items in a large plastic bin with an airtight lid, you can easily keep the unused items ready for next year’s holiday season.
Food Decorating
To keep your sprinkles, icing decorations, cupcake toppers, and silicone molds organized, cookie cutters, etc. it’s best to store them together in a container that’s slightly larger than the size of a shoe box (depending on how much you have). Make sure to label each container according to the holiday or occasion they correspond to. This way, you’ll always know exactly what you need and when you need it.
I offer more tips on how to organize your pantry for the holidays in this article on Homes and Gardens.
