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Digging out the foodstuffs to send out on a camping trip (supplying but not going), a local trip so I am not sending the Bisquick & eggs but brisket & bread, and it was like digging out from storage on a submarine. Some of the things you know are down there.....and some of the things you are surprised to find. I was even getting slightly light headed, bending over like that.
Items I am sending out for our interested cooks at home are the unopened jars of jam, syrup, ketchups, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, Parmesan cheese, marshmellows. Then spices (salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, cajun seasoning, paparika, basil, oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning), instant coffee, peanut butter, butter, cocoa, sugar, a cooked brisket, and tea bags. A light local camping trip and the leader is suppose to be supplying other things like plates, cups, & cutlery.
The question is how do we avoid having the bottom of our pantry surprise us especially if we have no say in the design. Ie, those which are a closet under the stairs?
I put my large stuff (paper towels, kleenex, potatoes, large tupperware on the bottom and the often used or smaller items up higher.
If need be, lump things together in bins (all the spices), all the canned soups, canned spaghetti sauce ingredients, crackers, baking goods, etc. Mark the bins of contents on a sticky paper at the front so you don't have to pull them all out if they are up higher.
We do not store food on the floor. We store papertowels, napkins, and boxed kitchen appliances that we only use occasionally (i.e., ice cream maker or chocolate fountain).
Items I am sending out for our interested cooks at home are the unopened jars of jam, syrup, ketchups, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, Parmesan cheese, marshmellows. Then spices (salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, cajun seasoning, paparika, basil, oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning), instant coffee, peanut butter, butter, cocoa, sugar, a cooked brisket, and tea bags. A light local camping trip and the leader is suppose to be supplying other things like plates, cups, & cutlery.
You're sending all that stuff to a camping trip???
Quote:
Originally Posted by TamaraSavannah
The question is how do we avoid having the bottom of our pantry surprise us especially if we have no say in the design. Ie, those which are a closet under the stairs?
I keep all my seasonings in a large rectangular plastic food storage container. Things like flour, sugar, bisquick, cornmeal, etc go in stackable locking airtight containers that are well marked. Cans get the date purchased (mm/yy) marked on the top with a Sharpie so it's easy to identify what's oldest. New cans get put behind older cans (unless they're intended for immediate use, like if I'm making chili). And I have adjustable can organizers like this (except mine expand) so that I can easily see all the cans.
If I had a pantry under stairs, I would block off the area under the lowest stairs (the area where most things would get hidden and lost). There's no use in using that space if it only serves for things to get lost in there.
My pantry is a closet with shelves, not a walk-in closet. On the pantry floor I store a crock-pot, a bucket of onions and bottled water. I bought a rack for the door that holds all of my spices. I have a lot of spices. Other than that, I have a shelf for baking ingredients, one for pasta, potato flakes, bread crumbs, etc., one for canned goods, one for condiments that haven't been opened yet or don't have to be refrigerated. I store liquor on the top shelf...used to have to hide it in the coat closet because my best bud was an alcoholic, but she moved, so now I can put it back with the rest of the cooking supplies.
My pantry is a closet with shelves, not a walk-in closet. On the pantry floor I store a crock-pot, a bucket of onions and bottled water. I bought a rack for the door that holds all of my spices. I have a lot of spices. Other than that, I have a shelf for baking ingredients, one for pasta, potato flakes, bread crumbs, etc., one for canned goods, one for condiments that haven't been opened yet or don't have to be refrigerated. I store liquor on the top shelf...used to have to hide it in the coat closet because my best bud was an alcoholic, but she moved, so now I can put it back with the rest of the cooking supplies.
Well, in reverse order. I have 2 World Market 44 bottle wine racks and those are against walls in the kitchen. They are the only Class 6 alcohol in the house as I have pretty much turned away from hard liquor.....and those wine racks are pretty well stocked.
Spices are oodles and oodles because they are so cheap, so easy to buy. A lot of them come in small bottles, but others like garlic, cumino, papirika, chili powder, and brisket seasoning come in large jars. I suppose spices will be a difficult one since they come in so many different size jars and containers.
Otherwise, I will have to see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordshire
You're sending all that stuff to a camping trip???
Mmmmmm, yes. As it goes, most of that stuff......fits into a cardboard box that 6 bottles of wine came in. The brisket is wrapped in foil, will be put in food storage bags and will travel in a large cooler mostly filled with sodas, I guess 60-100, and ice. The butter will be in that cooler, too! I'll probably send out a 5 gallon water cooler as well. Add to it day old bread from Wally World, about 6 loaves and two bags of rolls (bought for a total of $7) and left over Starbucks paper coffee cups from the last camp out. Also dispatching a cutting board, a camp kettle, skewers, and spare tin foil. As I said, the leader is suppose to providing other things on this trip.
Quote:
I keep all my seasonings in a large rectangular plastic food storage container. Things like flour, sugar, bisquick, cornmeal, etc go in stackable locking airtight containers that are well marked. Cans get the date purchased (mm/yy) marked on the top with a Sharpie so it's easy to identify what's oldest. New cans get put behind older cans (unless they're intended for immediate use, like if I'm making chili). And I have adjustable can organizers like this (except mine expand) so that I can easily see all the cans.
If I had a pantry under stairs, I would block off the area under the lowest stairs (the area where most things would get hidden and lost). There's no use in using that space if it only serves for things to get lost in there.
Sounds good, especially with putting non food stuff on the bottom shelf....though I may take a different path with that. Right now, things like pinto beans in bins and dry goods in jars are on the floor and I may move them to a table by the window. What may go down there in their place are all the canned spaghetti I bought up when I found out how cheap they were.......before I realized what was in them (corn syrup). Those rather now serve as my out of work supply but if they have reached their "best by" dates, then I suppose I might donate them. Basically, my style of eating has shifted from canned to what I keep in jars on the counters and cook on the stove top.
I just looked at my pantry and it's a mess, especially the bottom. Now that we're empty nesters, we don't keep as much in the pantry, but it can definitely be better than it is. My husband loves to cook (not complaining) and grocery shops a lot by himself, but tends to just throw things in the pantry. Our pantry is a shallow closet and we do keep things on the floor - unopened bags of sugar and flour, large bottles of cranberry juice, lunch bags, foil, wax paper, etc... The canned goods are in the middle shelves. My dream is to some day have a walk-in pantry. I'd love to have a place to keep appliances and seldom-used dishes at eye level. I salivate when I tour new model homes and see the huge pantry area.
You're sending all that stuff to a camping trip???
I keep all my seasonings in a large rectangular plastic food storage container. Things like flour, sugar, bisquick, cornmeal, etc go in stackable locking airtight containers that are well marked. Cans get the date purchased (mm/yy) marked on the top with a Sharpie so it's easy to identify what's oldest. New cans get put behind older cans (unless they're intended for immediate use, like if I'm making chili). And I have adjustable can organizers like this (except mine expand) so that I can easily see all the cans.
If I had a pantry under stairs, I would block off the area under the lowest stairs (the area where most things would get hidden and lost). There's no use in using that space if it only serves for things to get lost in there.
That's pretty similar to what I do - although, I don't mark condiments until I open them and put them in the fridge.
I keep all the food stuffs in the kitchen cabinets and if I had a under the stairs, I couldn't see using it for food unless I had no other choice.
My dream house will have a walk in pantry....
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