Your Pantry

[heidih]

Some members post meals with an amazing array of ingredients. Recently @shain and @BKEats spring to mind, There was a Canadian chef (Michael Smith) who hosted a show and displayed his organized pantry which fascinated me. I think clear glass storage jars and well labeled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef_at_Home I would love to see your pantries. Mine is miserable; no light) Gotta wear a head lamp to find anything. I know we've discussed spice storage ideas but I am thinking broader. 

[chromedome]

LOL He has young children...I'm pretty sure when they're not filming the show, his pantry looks a lot more "lived in."

 

He's a good egg, very generous with his time. I split my culinary training between schools in my native NS and my ex's native Alberta, and he came to both schools to speak to the students and participate in judging student competitions and/or fundraisers held at the schools for various community organizations.

[robirdstx]

19 minutes ago, heidih said:

Some members post meals with an amazing array of ingredients. Recently @shain and @BKEats spring to mind, There was a Canadian chef (Michael Smith) who hosted a show and displayed his organized pantry which fascinated me. I think clear glass storage jars and well labeled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef_at_Home I would love to see your pantries. Mine is miserable; no light) Gotta wear a head lamp to find anything. I know we've discussed spice storage ideas but I am thinking broader. 

 

I think you need to show us yours first.

[kayb]

I'll jump out, since mine are just a year from move-in and thus not TOO bad.

 

I have two pantries with pull out shelves in the kitchen. This one is near the stove and holds spices, dried beans, fruits and mushrooms, my cookware I use the most often, and chips and snacky stuff up top.

 

The second, across the kitchen and opposite the side of the fridge, holds cans, condiments, crackers, cereal and other snacky things.

 

An upper cabinet above the mixer holds baking stuff.

 

Finally, wire shelves in the garage hold home-canned stuff. With junk stacked in front that needs to be pitched.

 

[heidih]

25 minutes ago, robirdstx said:

 

I think you need to show us yours first.

 

2 problems. 1 - it is not mine cuz dad's wife has most of the real estate while they spend 5 months here, add 2- as stated it is DARK> But good egg that I am - I will try. Very foggy today so ambient light is also minimal. 

[liamsaunt]

Here's mine.  I'd say it is somewhat organized, but could use some work.  This is my main storage cabinet.  Top shelf is less used and/or overflow items because I cannot reach that shelf.  The next shelf holds bread crumbs and various teas.  Below that, there are oils and vinegars.  The next shelf is condiments, jarred and pickled things, and dried and canned beans.  Then a shelf of Mexican ingredients.  The next shelf is Asian ingredients, and the final shelf is pasta (the mac and cheese is my nephew's).

 

 

This is the snack cabinet.  Normally this would only have pretzels, nuts, and tortilla chips, but with my niece and nephew living here, there is more junk food than usual.

 

 

Spice cabinet.  Overflow is in the top cabinet, and then everything below is arranged alphabetically with labels on the jar tops.  The shelves pull out for browsing.

 

 

This is an unused hall cabinet that I converted to pantry space.  The left side (not pictured) holds less used cooking equipment like cake pans and my vacuum sealer.  The right has the food, mostly flours, sugars, various kinds of rice, cereals, and tomato products

 

 

The top of this pantry has additional grains, flours, sugars etc.  And of course you can see my random reusable jar collection.  

 

 

Overflow pantry cabinet.  This is mostly flour and cereals (my niece and nephew eat a lot of cereal and Ritz crackers.)  The bottom shelf has the spices I take with me when traveling.

 

[heidih]

@kayb  Now this is gorgeous. The SKIL saw -  cutting up bulk sides of something r?

 

[heidih]

@liamsaunt Well that is a decent level of organization. I do the "same place/shelf thing so I can reach in and grab in the darkness.

[kayb]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

@kayb  Now this is gorgeous. The SKIL saw -  cutting up bulk sides of something r?

 

 

No...it struck me that there were a number of things I wanted that I could build, if I had a saw to cut the lumber. So I bought a Skil saw. I'm familiar with using one, having been blessed with a father who, when he figured out he wasn't going to have a boy, decided he'd teach me all the "boy things." So I can change the oil in a tractor, lay out and cultivate a garden, and build things as long as they aren't tremendously complex. He also taught me to weld, a skill I have never attempted to pick back up.

[lindag]

Mine is being crafted as we speak.  It will be very, very large and will house everything from canned goods to small appliances.  It will take up an entire 12 foot wall of my new kitchen and will be 32" deep with a cut-out in the center for the fridge.  Shelves will go to the ceiling, those below the waist will all be pull-outs.  The 6-foot island will hold most of my cookware on pull=out helves.

 

 

[robirdstx]

Our pantry is basically a kitchen closet. When we bought the house, it had fixed shelves and no light and was painted green.

 

 

Nine years ago, we painted the walls white, changed out the shelving to adjustable ones from the Container Store and added a light with a motion detector.
 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by robirdstx (log)

[heidih]

The larger bit is maybe 5% my stuff. As others have shared - there is some stuff in my bedroom dresser and closet! Tht s also kinda dark but I know where everything is. All vermin proofed. 

[demiglace]

1 hour ago, chromedome said:

LOL He has young children...I'm pretty sure when they're not filming the show, his pantry looks a lot more "lived in."

 

He's a good egg, very generous with his time. I split my culinary training between schools in my native NS and my ex's native Alberta, and he came to both schools to speak to the students and participate in judging student competitions and/or fundraisers held at the schools for various community organizations.

He spoke at our school too. He was very honest and straightforward.  A really nice man.

[shain]

With the hot and humid weather we got here, much of our pantry is stored in our two fridges, otherwise things can spoil or stale quickly.

 

Spice drawer, below it vinegars and oils.

 

Various types of rice, flours, starches, canned tomato products, salt and sugar, breadcrumbs, couscous.

 

Coffee, tea, sugars, honey, a few sweet spreads, and for some reason also oatmeal.

 

Pastas, various noodles, crackers, snacks, chocolates a few cans.Unopened mayo, tahini etc.

 

Kitchen fridge.

 

Top shelf. Less used spices, various cooking seeds, nuts (those that we like to snack on are on the front). Behind them are a few more rarely used spices and dried things (e.g. dried shrimps, licorice root, dried lime etc.). Some more random stuff, e.g. pomegranate molasses, orange blossom extract.

Olives, brined cheeses, cat food (we usually give them dried food, but one is on meds, and this helps to get her to eat them).  A few more dried ingredients in the back. A few fruits (market day is tomorrow, so it will fill up). Limoncello. Leftovers.

Dairy. More leftovers. A few more pickles (cucumbers, slated lemons), preserves (orange, melon). In the background are some pastes (e.g. fermented bean curd, miso, Korean chili paste).

 

Eggs + one last century eggs. Wholemeal tahini, maple, chili oil, hot sauces and spreads, preserves, hoisin, silan, orangecello.

Milk, Asian sauces, ouzo.

Tamarind, more hot sauce, coconut oil, sun dried tomatoes, capers, mustard, mayo.

 

Cheeses and butter, various dried fruits, flavor extract, vanilla, etc.

 

Vegetables, fruits, herbs, an out of place package of ravioli.

 

Small fridge:

Grains, juice, dried chilies, a few lesser used and whole meal flours. Chilies being cold-dried.

Various lentils, eggs, beer.

Various types of chickpeas, lemons, kimchi, celery.

 

More grains on the left, various beans on the right.

 

Freezers have some vegetables and fruits, a few liquids and pastes (coconut milk, curry pastes, e.g.), breads (pitas, laffahs, lachuch, bread that I baked, buns, and a some random bread slices), ice cream, a few frozen herbs, various citrus, zests (of out-of season fruits), some odd and ends of baking cheeses. And a whole bunch of random things.

Edited June 16, 2020 by shain (log)

[heidih]

@shain Aahh forgot about humidity. Our @nakji mentioned the humidity in her part of China when she blogged. Screened open face cabinet doors I think and still - sometimes not good. When my sister moved to Sydney she learned about "green clothes issues". 

[kayb]

Forgot this one. Upper cabinet by stove, holds vinegars, oils, hot sauces, Asian condiments.

 

[Kim Shook]

I'll play.  But I am seriously embarrassed.  When I watch one of those House Hunters shows, the women always thrill at the walk-in clothes closets.  Those are fine, but my swooning is saved for the big walk-in pantries.  Sometimes the older houses even have butler's pantries where you can store serving pieces and sterling.  I store kitchen/food prep related crap all over my house, but (except for the recent emergency food stored in the guest room) the things you can actually eat are in the kitchen.  What the realtor called a pantry is really some shelves over the washer and dryer in the kitchen:

A little of everything.  The hanging bags hold small giveaway plastic containers, marshmallows (???), and stray socks (remember this is also the "laundry room").  The BBQ tongs are to help me reach stuff high up.  Behind the bags:

Upper shelf is most of the baking stuff.  And I think that half of the things on the lower shelf turntables are weird jams and jellies that people have given us.  Why do folks do that?  ON the washer and dryer:

All the giant sized stuff, apparently plus laundry supplies.  The bin and other containers on the right are mostly crackers, chips, etc.  Top shelf of the cabinet that holds all the plates/soup and pasta bowls/etc.:

Pasta, rice, ramen, noodles, and a couple of big bags of spices from Penzey's that would NOT fit next door:

Seasonings, spices, flavorings, some canned stuff.  (I also have a spice rack on the wall for herbs).  The "take one out and the rest will follow" cabinet of oils and vinegars:

[heidih]

@Kim Shook when I think of walk in closet I think "OverBoard" with the adorables - Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell!

[robirdstx]

3 hours ago, robirdstx said:

Our pantry is basically a kitchen closet. When we bought the house, it had fixed shelves and no light and was painted green.

 

 

Nine years ago, we painted the walls white, changed out the shelving to adjustable ones from the Container Store and added a light with a motion detector.
 

 

 

Our Pantry today:

 

 

Our Spices, etc. are in a cabinet/separate space above the counter where I do most of my prep work:

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by robirdstx (log)

[kayb]

3 hours ago, lindag said:

Mine is being crafted as we speak.  It will be very, very large and will house everything from canned goods to small appliances.  It will take up an entire 12 foot wall of my new kitchen and will be 32" deep with a cut-out in the center for the fridge.  Shelves will go to the ceiling, those below the waist will all be pull-outs.  The 6-foot island will hold most of my cookware on pull=out helves.

 

 

 

I would think I had died and gone to heaven. Please send lots of pix when the new kitchen is done.

 

[Porthos]

Warning, you're gong to see a dirty kitchen. My Sweetie is napping so she doesn't know I've taken these pictures.

 

At the end of our large counter we have those large wire cubes, some for food some for other kitchen stuff.

the right side is for pasta, rice, and odd bits. The bottom left is for my beloved Cheerios and the cat food.

 

 

This is the lower pantry for canned goods and other misc dry goods. There is a bit a shelving at the top rear to help make these deep cabinets a little more user-friendly.

 

 

The upper pantry, save for the the top shelf, is for backing supplies.

 

 

There is extra shelving at the back of the upper pantry shelves to hold infrequently-used supplies.

 

 

The bottom shelf over the microwave is spice shelf 1. The upper shelves are for alcohol-related glassware.

 

 

The second spice shelf is next to the stove, and above the spices are various vinegars, oils, and other "liquid" stuff.

 

 

Snackage and other overflow stuff are on chrome shelving in our family room.

 

 

 

We bought this house, the only one we've owned,  36 years ago. We bought it for the kitchen, lots and lots of storage and generous counter space.

 

When my younger daughter was a teenager and started cooking at a friend's house to help them out she was she was incredibly surprised that not every family has a serious array of pots, pans, bowls and gadgets to cook  with.

 

 

 

 

 

[heidih]

Let sweetie rest. Clearly you do have organizational skills. Bit of mess just shows creativity

Edited June 16, 2020 by heidih (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

To see ourselves as others see us...

Honey, your Velveeta is showing...

[BKEats]

Fridge:

 

 

Pretty tame, nothing too special.. I have a few beers I am saving on the door below.. I purchased them over 5 years ago.  I clean out my fridge regularly.. I try to use everything in it.. If there is no use, it gets tossed... I receive a lot of samples from work so, things can get out of hand rather quickly. Lots of lettuces right now, lots of Chinese jars and sauces. Containers are leftovers for lunches, a few sauces I made that I am keeping.  I have been throwing away so little, it's been great. Outside of the beers, the wine from my save the date invitation and that old jar of unopened horseradish, there isn't anything older than a few months in this fridge. Maybe some old jam my sister in law gave me last year for xmas.. 

 

We had a local artist design the exterior of our fridge.. Some folk art, some abstract, some conceptual.. It's a lovely mix and we find completely transforms the piece. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freezer.. I managed to move most of the meat.. Now I just have stocks and vegan ice cream.. a few frozen pizzas, a big thing of chicken livers and thats about it. 

 

But yeh, ice cream is a thing here.  The three of them can eat ice cream everyday.. 

 

 

 

10 foot door spice rack and a closet... I don't have a lot of things anymore.. A few spaghetti packs, a few tins of tomatoes, some tea, some starch and flours a few grain, sugar, salt, peanut butter.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by BKEats (log)

[heidih]

3 minutes ago, BKEats said:

Fridge:

 

A clever joke or an oops?