A Clean Pantry
Whew! After playing with the idea of cleaning the pantry for the last couple of weeks, I finally did it!
My pantry has been evolving over the years. In fact, for a very long time it was simply a cupboard stuffed full of canned and dried goods. I knew what was in the front and I had not a clue (nor did I want one) of what lurked in the back. Countless times in my life, including quite recently, I have purchased an ingredient that I already had, because I had forgotten I already had it and couldn't see it.
When we remodeled our home just over a year ago I begged for a proper little pantry. I got it! That tiny closet is my favorite room in the house. It's compact and the shelves are--thankfully!--not too deep. I set it up when we moved in and I haven't really done a proper cleaning or reorganization since.
But today was the re-org and I feel happy and relieved to have it done. I got rid of a lot of things I hadn't used since I first put them away: Pam Cooking Spray (who knew?!), rancid bran, wheat germ (why?), 3 empty bottles of vinegar (I guess at the time I thought I could eek out another TBS?), a very old tin of vegetable shortening. There was also a lot of that kind of stuff you buy for one recipe and never use again. I hate that! Good-bye!
I am a big believer in well stocked pantry, but for that to work you have to be able to find everything and get to it. You also have to regularly use what you have. I have high hopes for the new set up, which now feels a bit more edited. Although, I'm at a loss to explain why there really isn't any more available space than there was before today.
So, what do I keep in my pantry? On the top shelf is all the baking stuff; flours, sugars, all the little bake-y-bake-y stuff, and the just-in-case-I-need-it 50 lbs of chocolate (chips, bittersweet baking chips, bittersweet and unsweetened baking bars, cocoa, white). The second shelf is grains, beans, pulses, and dried stuff like chiles, porcini mushrooms, currants, ginger, and cherries. The third shelf is fresh fruit (in the basket), honey, extra jam, extra fridge supplies like capers, and anchovies; some other overflow items. Fourth shelf is the cookbooks I use most and magazines and recipe clippings. On the floor in baskets are potatoes and squashes, onions, garlic, and shallots, along with a very big cooking pot that doesn't fit anywhere else.
I keep an insane amount of tea on hand--just in case the British army happens to drop in. Even I think it's weird how much tea I have, especially since I only drink one cup per day in the afternoon. Also tucked in above the microwave are rolled oats, granola, and the kids' honey-o's, pasta and canned tomatoes. Finally I keep all my oils, vinegars, salt, and meat curing stuff up high.
I have some of my kitchen equipment and the microwave stashed in pantry and some caning jars. (I do not understand how anyone can live without caning jars.) My very big basket of kitchen towels also lives in there.
I showed you mine. Now you show me yours. What's in your pantry?
Filed under //
odds & ends
pantry
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