Asked on Aug 13, 2013

No pantry, how to organize kitchen cabinets?

Tate6433
by Tate6433
I don't have a pantry. I need to organize the food in the kitchen cabinets. All ideas are welcome.
  12 answers
  • Becky P Becky P on Aug 13, 2013
    I have two different size pie safes. The small one houses all the snacks and the large one holds cereal and overstock. I don't have a pantry either. I do have enough cabinet space to hold the baking, canned goods and pastas, however, so that helps. I wouldn't put canned goods in an upper cabinet though, they are very heavy.
  • If you don’t have the pantry in your kitchen, try toorganize the items that you keep using often near to your hand on storage unitand keep a lot of things that don’t necessarily need to be refrigerated in thefridge.
  • Carole Carole on Aug 14, 2013
    Is your problem lack of space for pantry items? If you are restricted to using kitchen cabinets for storing your pantry items then you need to maximise your space. Put empty egg boxes at the far back of your cupboards so that you effectively created 2 tiers. Put your large tins or less used stuff on top of the egg boxes so you can see them above the other stuff in front. If you can get a lazy susan and put that in your cupboards if you have enough space, then that is a way that you can bring the stuff at the rear of the cupboards to the fore - just turn it gently to see everything that is on it. Using racks that will hold tins and stuff in the cupboards - utilise the reverse of the cabinet doors for storage if possible. If you have the floor space - buy an old TV entertainment unit or similar, on Craigslist or garage sale, paint it up and use that for storage near the kitchen. If you can hang your saucepans and utensils on a rack from the ceiling or use a corner pan stand for saucepans, that will free up your cupboards to store pantry items instead. Some hardware chains sell those tall free standing narrow cupboards that you put together yourself, quite cheaply. If you have any space near the kitchen (in a hall or dining area?) you can use one of those to maximise pantry items storage space. Good luck with it!
  • Eleanor P Eleanor P on Aug 15, 2013
    I use two tall shelving units as my pantry. They are white and all enclosed so they look nice and blend with the kitchen. I wish they had doors on them but couldn't afford to buy doored cabinets. They were $25.00 each from Big Lots. Walmart sells these also. As long as they are kept neat and organized they look just fine. Hope this helps you find a solution to your problem.
  • Z Z on Aug 15, 2013
    @'s idea of pie safes, or any other tall shelf filled cabinet, is always a great idea if you have the wall space. It would hep to see photos of your kitchen to help with other ideas. Not knowing the only ideas I can think of would be to use the little coated wire racks to give you added space.
  • Valerie Valerie on Aug 15, 2013
    Two of my favorite storage solutions for small (tiny!) spaces are : 'How to utilize 3 inches of space' and 'DIY hidden storage: canned food storage cabinet' - both of these are great solutions!
  • I don't have a pantry, and very little cabinet space. Try using stand alone shelves to corral kitchen items. I use them for food and for plates and such.
  • Check Pinterest for Kitchen Organization tips. Also, The Container Store will probably have everything you need to stay organized. Best of luck!
  • Linda Stone Linda Stone on Aug 15, 2013
    I use shelf organizers which can be extended to make wide or narrow. There are three 'shelves' in each set. Mine were purchased at Walmart. Also, I have used an 'under the shelf' organizer which I believe is Rubbermaid. It slides onto a shelf and gives you extra storage.
  • Carole Carole on Aug 15, 2013
    Jenice, we lived in rented accommodation for years and often there was no pantry and very small kitchen so a complete lack of cupboard space. Another idea is to buy/acquire a buffet to store all your crockery and less used kitchen stuff in (near the dining table is best if you have space, or in the hall). If you clear out the crockery from your cupboards, it frees up space for your pantry items and also keeps your crockery closer to the dinner table (hopefully). If you have a breakfast bar in the kitchen and don't use it - you might be able to fit a buffet or similar unit under the overhang of the breakfast bar - rather than have stools that are rarely used for eating at the breakfast bar.
  • Irene S Irene S on Aug 15, 2013
    I have used plastic shoe boxes easy to get out and easy to see what everything is and easy to write on the ends
  • Lindy Hall Lindy Hall on May 11, 2015
    One big waste of space, is when shelves are spaced too far apart, so add wire shelves (from dollar store / thrift shop) or make some wooden ones. As for organizing, GROUPING is the key. I have five not-very-big shelves: Top shelf (requires a step-stool to reach) = tall items, serving platters (vertical), casserole dishes, and back-ups of food items (extra ketchup, olive oil, salad dressings, etc). 2nd shelf (at eye-level) = basics; coffees, tea, rice, pastas, grains, etc. 3rd shelf (at shoulder-level) = canned goods (soups to the right, fruits to the left, beans grouped, tomato sauces grouped, veggies grouped). 4th shelf (waist level) = condiments, spices & sauces (salad dressings, salsas, etc), boxes of pasta. 5th shelf (thigh level) = baking mixes (& supplies), and desserts (puddings, Jellos, etc), and in the CENTER is a rack holding aluminum foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, etc. On the floor = bottles of juice, sodas, bottled waters, large glass canisters of flours, sugars, etc., and fire extinguisher. There is no room for "space-hogs" like potato chips, Fritos, Triscuits, snacks, etc., in my pantry, so I put that stuff in those fabric-covered cubes in the hallway.