Food organization can be easily obtained when you have a system in place to effectively store your food items. Food organization is a great way to get the most out of your food storage areas including pantries, cabinets, refrigerators and/or freezers. This seems easy enough to do when you have a lot of storage space, but when you’re working with limited space, you have to get a little creative. Use these food organization tips to create a system that works well for you.
10 Stored Food Organization Tips
- Vacuum pack and seal foods to reduce space in your freezer and refrigerator, and to keep foods fresher for longer periods of time.
- Use tools to help with organization, such as over-the-door racks, and wall hangers. Use canisters and Mason Jars to store spices, dried foods and more.
- Create labels. Without them, you may not be able to tell what’s in the packaging, when you’re ready to use it. Always date your stored food items, too, so you’ll be able to enjoy the food before it goes bad, and you’ll know when to toss it.
- Section off your pantry, and keep like foods together. Create a space for everything. For example, keep water at floor level, first tier, right hand side, dehydrated fruits and nuts on second tier, left hand side, and so on.
- Outline your food storage system, and place it inside the pantry. This will help other household members to get into the habit of putting things where they belong.
- Use stackable containers for cereal, cookies, nuts, pastas, beans and more. Containers are great for food organization.
- Keep emergency foods away from everyday foods. If not, you’ll be tempted to go into your emergency food supply.
- Make water, snacks and frequently used items easy to access in both the refrigerator and the pantry. For example, if you have kids, make sure to store cereal where it can easily be reached. The same with milk and water.
- Repackage items purchased in bulk. Use your vacuum sealer to pack foods into smaller, more manageable packages. This also helps preserve the foods for longer periods of time.
- Keep refrigerated items that are in the same category stored near each other. For example, store dairy products such as cheeses, yogurt and milk in one area, fruits in another area and vegetables in another area. Keep meats separate from other foods, too. Reserve a separate shelf for leftovers, a different space for milk cartons, juice and pitchers, and a separate space for storing deli meats and cheeses.
Keeping your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator organized, labeled and up-to-date, will help make your everyday life easier. You’ll find preparing meals and snacks easier and more pleasurable, when you can find items quickly. And when it comes time to throw out food that is outdated or spoiled, you’ll be able to do that easily and on a regular basis.
Get the entire family in a habit of staying organized. Who knows, when food is easy to access, you might even find that your family will chip in with meals and cleaning!
When cabinets and other areas are disorganized and cluttered, it makes it all to easy to waste food, which in turn means wasting money.
Your containers and labels don’t have to be fancy, unless you want them to be. As long as they are practical, that’s all that really matters. You can, however, choose different colored labels for different food categories, if you so desire. Or use similar color containers for certain categories. You can make your food storage as involved or as simple as you want. Whatever pleases you is what you should do.
Using a vacuum sealer with pouches and containers is a great way to keep food organized and preserved for years. Mason Jars are ideal for storing dry foods and more, and they are inexpensive to purchase.
Having an organized household can make everyone’s life easier and less stressful, and it’s not that difficult to achieve.
Get started today, and see what a difference organizing your stored foods can make! You’ll wonder why you waited so long to start.
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