Baking Cupboard Storage & Organization
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ME TO HAVE A WELL-STOCKED AND ORGANIZED BAKING CUPBOARD AND HERE’S HOW TO GET THE LOOK !
CONVENIENCE
Living in the country over an hour away from anything that resembles a health food store is one reason I need to keep the pantry stocked. I do most of my ordering online the things I need just can’t be found in my neck of the woods.
MENU PLANNING
There’s nothing I hate worse than to be thumbing through one of my favorite cookbooks and find something that I’m wanting to bake only to find out I don’t have all the ingredients. Around here our meals are planned a week in advance. Ingredients are gathered and ready for baking for that one day of the week that I fire up the oven and get it all done. Bagels and pumpkin bread seem to be on my to bake list every week right now. We tend to go through phases with baked goods, as I’m sure your family does as well.
STORAGE
Airtight glass jars is what works best for me. I’ve tried using mason jars with rings and lids but things didn’t remain fresh. Plastic is a no-no for me but I’m still trying to break hubby of his plastic storage bowl thing. Food tastes like plastic to me if it’s stored or nuked in it. Hubby on the other hand hates glass. Since I do the shopping and meal prep I keep everything in glass and let hubby have his plastic bowl to eat from.
COST
Redoing a pantry or starting one from scratch can get costly with all the storage jars. Price wise the best buy I’ve found has been at Menards. Three glass airtight jars, a large, medium, and small all come in a box for $6.99. You can see those sizes in my baking cupboard. As for the quality, they’re thicker and heavier than a standard mason jar. My hopes are for them to last a lifetime with only having to replace the seals from time to time. Hand washing them will be the key to keeping them in the best shape. Dishwashers are great for getting the job done but hand washing will keep that metal latch in better shape.
BAKING FROM SCRATCH
To avoid any grain or sugar in my diet I’m on a mission to bake and cook most things from scratch. For some reason grain bothers my breathing. Many say it gives them stomach issues but for me I constantly have a stuffy nose if grain is in my diet. Since going grain and sugar free I’ve also noticed a food sensitivity to tomatoes that I never knew I had before. That bright, shiny, red fruit gives me heartburn. Cleaning up my diet really makes me aware of things that don’t agree with me. More time is needed with meal prep when baking from scratch but the benefits out way the time it takes.
APPERANCE
You’ll have to admit having a pretty pantry just screams bake from me! No one wants to open a cupboard and not be able to find what you’re looking for. Baking’s not fun under those circumstances, so why not make what I have be eye candy?
LABELS
Knowing I’d need to label all those jars was just part of the fun I had while getting organized. Originally I thought I’d make pretty labels out of vinyl on my Cricut but I quickly changed course. Hand writing them seemed more appropriate. Using a water based Sharpie I could wash the label off them at any time and rewrite it’s new contents. If I’d used vinyl it would end up being a much bigger job to swap out the labels. Here’s a little trick I use when labeling. I write the content on the front of the jar and on the back I write the brand and store it was purchased from. When I need to repurchase I already know what brand I liked the best, and from what source I got the best price. I’ve found not all ingredients are the same. In many cases when it comes to baking, brands do have different results. Now I know what works for me and as a reminder all I have to do it turn to the back of the jar to reorder the same product.
CLEAR GLASS
Opting for containers that are see through keep me on my toes when it comes to making out my grocery list. When I can see its contents I know when it’s time for a reorder. Before I’d keep flours in their original zip lock bag and fling it back in the cupboard. I’d get to the store and have no idea if I had one bag or twenty of that item. Now I can just glance and see what I do or don’t need.
SOURCES
Here’s a source list for either the same or similar pantry items.
- 4 Jar assorted size
- Large 67 oz glass jar
- Medium 38 oz glass jar
- Small 17 oz glass jar
- Small wooden spoons
- Water based Sharpie
Next on my list to organize is my spices and our food pantry so come back soon and see how that projects going!
The food pantry and spice project is one I would like to read. Wish I had the extra cupboard space to do this one. Love the idea.
Robin this cupboard used to house all my pretty dishes for blogging. I donated them all and now it’s my baking cupboard. I figured keeping dishes that I only use once in a while wasn’t worth wasting the space. I also have a walk in pantry so if I need the space back I can always move things there again.
I keep nothing in the original boxes or bags from the store. The majority of my storage containers are canning jars, though, since I live alone and the quart and pint size is just right for me for most items. That way I can buy in bulk – purchasing only the amount I need to refill the jar. Mine are also labeled and arranged so I can see what I need to replace when I make my shopping list. I don’t have nearly the selection that you do, nor do I have to find health food substitutes, but a neat, shiny, glass-filled pantry is always a joy to see.
Some of this goes out the window when it’s Christmas Cookie baking time for and with my grandchildren – with bags of flour, sugars, nuts and sprinkles everywhere – but on an every day basis, my pantry shelves look very much like yours.
Pat I agree it’s such a pretty sight to see everything lined up in jars with labels. I like to see what I have and only buy what I need also. There’s no need to keep more than I use in a month or so, that way my stock stays fresh.
I see you keep coconut flour in your pantry. My container states that it must be refrigerated after opening.
DeeDee I’ve never stored mine in the frige, and have been using the same brand for years. I had to google it and it said you can store it in the frige but it’s not necessary.
Great ideas for storing your food items, I need help with arranging my spices, so I look forward to your ideas.
Jeanie, mine are all done and photographed I just need to get the post finished.
Dawn, I also use glass jars. It is so pretty & functional to just open the cupboard & see what you need at a glace. We had our kitchen redone 10 years ago and if I could change one thing, it would be have have shallow shelves for my panty. Even though the bulk of my supplies are in jars, I have to move a dozen things to get what I am looking for .
Cheryl, yes shallow shelves are great for pantry storage. We live and we learn and as young homeowners some things just don’t come to mind at that time.
You know I live in a small cottage and we have very little storage. We have 3 shelves in a cupboard and even those shelves are not full. That’s because unlike you, a store is a lovely 10 minute walk away. Steve does all the cooking and shopping. He stops by the meat market, the produce stand and the grocery store about 4 days a week.
I try to not eat flour or sugar so baking is a rarity, but from scratch when it happens. Reading this makes me want to bake something.
Carol nothing is within walking distance for me, I can’t imagine. We put a cow, a pig, and chickens in the freezer once a year and I shop in bulk most of the time. Not only do I hate to grocery shop I must always have on hand what we need since stores are so far away.
This is beautiful!! I love the simple clean look!
Thank you Rosa I go buy and open the cupboard just to see how pretty and organized it is.
I love this idea. When I read a similar article last year, my daughter and I headed across the border to Menards just outside of Detroit. We live outside of Windsor. We looked everywhere in that place for those jars. We asked different people. None to be found and know one was familiar with any of that type jar. Very disappointing trip. So ‘llI stick to my mason jars. Thanks for the pics.
This is an informative post. Got a lot of info and details from here. Thank you for sharing this and looking forward to reading more of your post.
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