Tips For An Organized Kitchen: Part 2 – Pantry Organizational Types

Part 1 of our Tips For An Organized Kitchen series, focused on finding a system for your Pots & Pans that compliments your personality type. In Part 2 of our series, we will be raiding the pantry and discussing organizational structures that are effective and achievable based on your personality type. 

The pantry is arguably one of the most utilized spaces in the kitchen. We’d venture to guess that everyone in the family has some level of interaction with the pantry – whether authorized or not. This means you have to combat lots of hands (and personalities) causing disruption to the space! 

Even a Fun Pixie, who doesn’t mind a level of organizational chaos, can find that an unorganized pantry makes meal preparation a daunting task. In this article, we explore different pantry organizational types to help you create a more efficient kitchen.

1. The Zone-Based Pantry

In a zone-based pantry, items are grouped based on their type. For instance, all the baking ingredients might be on one shelf, while canned vegetables are on another. This method makes it easy to find exactly what you need when you’re mid-recipe and ensures similar items are stored together. We love these storage baskets for keeping types of pantry items grouped together nice and tidy. Clear bins are always a great compromise for households with different organizing types.

2. The Frequency-Based Pantry

This type of pantry is organized based on how often you use items. Items that are used daily, such as cereals or tea, are placed at eye level for easy access. Only use these if you’re a Classic obsessed with matching stuff or you’re trying to get rid of mice or moths in your cabinets.

Less frequently used items, like holiday cookware or specialty spices, are stored in harder-to-reach areas using Lazy Susans for easy storage and access. Avoid ones with sides on high shelves b/c that defeats the point of easily being able to grab stuff from up high using the Lazy Susan’s spin. The Smart Pixie would best appreciate this approach to pantry organization!

3. The Container-Based Pantry

In a container-based pantry, everything is stored in matching or coordinating containers. This not only gives your pantry a uniform, organized appearance but also makes it easy to see what you have and when you’re running low. This uniformity creates a sort of visual calm that without it can be visually chaotic to Classics. Coordinating containers also are aesthetically pleasing which will make your pantry “look good” at the same time – Classic Pixies will definitely love this!

4. The FIFO Pantry

FIFO stands for First In, First Out – a method borrowed from retail inventory management. In a FIFO pantry, newer items are placed behind older ones to ensure items are used before their expiration dates to minimize waste. This method likely resonates best with Classic Structures or Fun Structures. But Classics, Funs and Organic Pixies can like the practicality of this method too since it lends itself to organically not wasting as much food since you don’t miss expirations dates as often.

All these pantry organization methods have their unique strengths and can be combined to create a customized solution that works perfectly for your needs – and best fits your organizational personality.