How to Organize Food Storage Containers

Jumbled pantries, expired foods and pests are the hallmarks of unorganized food storage in your home. With a little thought, preparation and organization you can have an efficient food storage system that speeds up your meal preparation and extends the shelf life of your food.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Shelf Food Storage

1. Add lazy-Susans to shelves that will hold small items that would usually be stacked one behind the other. Lazy-Susans make accessing small bottles of spices or short boxed food items much easier.
2. Buy shallow organizer shelving to deep shelves. This adds a layered effect so items at the back of the shelf are visible and within reach.
3. Store opened rice, beans and pasta in plastic or glass containers with tight fitting lids. This keeps items fresh and eliminates piles of opened plastic bags that are difficult to manage.
4. Build more shelves into open pantry areas or kitchen cabinets to increase space for organizing food containers. Look around you can usually find a few places to add one more shelf.
5. Increase storage area by adding larger covered storage bins or plastic rolling drawers under cabinets or in kitchen closets.
6. Place similar food items together. Store baking goods together or have a coffee center with coffee beans, grinder, filters and cups.
7. Place the newest food items in storage containers at the back of the storage area. This way you use items first that are closer to their expiration date.

Refrigerator Food Storage

8. Store like items together in the refrigerator. Put sauces on one shelf, dairy on another and meats in a single drawer.
9. Keep leftovers in clear bowls or bags and date the container and its contents by using address labels or masking tape.
10. Straighten items and keep them orderly.

Freezer Food Storage

11. Stack large flat packages of food on the bottom of the freezer shelves.
12. Mark all packages with date and contents.
13. Organize packages into like food items.
14. Use freezer baskets to organize small packages.
15. Place the smallest packages of like items into bigger plastic bags. Small packages of vegetables or ground beef, for instance, can be placed into a larger bag.
16. Add new food to the bottom of the freezer. That way you use the older food first.

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