Many people consider the kitchen to be the most important room in their home. That said, while your kitchen might be where all the magic happens, it's difficult to cook up a storm without a neat and tidy, well-stocked pantry.

We understand that pantry organization might not seem like a top priority, but getting your supplies in order can make life a whole lot easier, and can even save you money in the process. Once you organize your pantry, endless searches for ingredients lodged at the back of a cupboard will be a thing of the past. It'll also be less likely that you'll have to throw away expired food you forgot was in there.

Not sure how to organize a pantry? Keep reading to find out more!

Take Inventory

Gather all your pantry items together and write a list of everything you have, making sure to put your items into groups. Doing this will also give you a chance to take stock of what you need to buy, check "best before" dates, and avoid getting duplicates on your next trip to the grocery store.

Plus, grouping your pantry supplies into categories will make following the coming pantry organization ideas even easier.

Designate Zones

Small pantry organization often means limited options when it comes to grouping items together. But in most cases, storing like with like tends to make the most sense.

As well as grouping different kinds of pasta and oil together, consider grouping products related to their use. For example, many people store baking supplies such as flour, baking powder, and sugar together. Or, you might want to place spreads like nut butters, Nutella, and jellies alongside each other.

That said, storing your most-used products within easy reach may make more sense for you. So, instead of lumping all the herbs and spices together on one shelf, you could place your favorites in an easily accessible spot and store your rarely-used cardamom and coriander on a top shelf. Either way, decide on the best pantry organization technique for you and stick to it.

Invest in Storage Containers

Kitchen pantry organizers such as plastic tubs, glass jars, and the like make your pantry look pretty enough for Pinterest, but there are lots of practical reasons to invest in pantry storage too.

Not only do storage containers eliminate the jumbled mess of packets and boxes from your pantry, but they also make it easier to see when you're running low on a certain item. An even more compelling reason is the possibility of spotting flour beetles before a potential infestation takes over your entire home.

Of course, while it's easy to tell the difference between farfalle and macaroni when they're out of their packets, you'll need labels to distinguish all your different flours from each other. Don't worry if you don't have a label maker though. You can write on regular labels or use washi tape and a pen to note down the contents of certain containers.

Use Your Wall Space

A lack of storage space is one of the main motives for a kitchen cabinet remodel. But, whether you have a walk-in pantry or a few shelves at the corner of your kitchen, don't forget to take advantage of your wall space.

Using wall space is a great way to reduce clutter on your shelves and increase your small pantry organization possibilities. What's more, smaller items such as herbs and spices are often more accessible and easier to identify when they're stored vertically. You might also want to install storage baskets or pouches along one of your pantry walls. These are ideal for storing small packets of potato chips, protein bars, and other items you'll need to keep in their original containers.

Rotate Regularly

One of the best ways to ensure you use all your pantry supplies long before their end date is to rotate your food in the same way grocery store workers do. This means placing food with the latest "best before" date behind items due to expire a little sooner. Items that apply here are those which you're more likely to have multiples of, such as beverages, boxes of cereal, onions, and potatoes.

The easiest way to follow this practice is by rotating when you bring new supplies home from the store. As well as cutting down on waste, it saves you time when cooking. After all, you don't want to be rifling through your supplies and checking dates when you're elbow-deep in pastry dough.

Plan for Larger Food Items

The best pantry organization ideas recognize that not all your supplies are the same size. Breakfast cereal boxes, glass jars of spaghetti, bottles of soda, and other oversized items will need taller shelves for neat and tidy storage in their rightful place.

If you’re remodeling your kitchen and pantry or creating storage space from scratch, it's crucial to go over your current supplies and consider how to accommodate them in the future. Or, if limited space for these larger-sized items is one of your reasons for needing a remodel, make sure to include more than enough space for the items you've had to squeeze in elsewhere.

Make Space for Small Appliances

If you're lucky enough to have a spacious pantry, one of the best ways to maximize kitchen storage is to include a pantry shelf for small appliances. This tactic also means you can keep items you don't tend to use every day, such as blenders, mixers, and rice cookers off your countertops, giving you more food prep space in the process.

Some ingenious pantry designs even include an electrical outlet on their small appliance shelf, allowing you to use the appliance right there and then in the pantry.

How to Organize Your Pantry

Decanting flour and rotating jars of jelly might not be the most exciting way to spend a rainy Sunday. But once you organize your pantry, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

A neat and tidy pantry with everything in its place will make both grocery shopping and cooking a lot easier. And, devising a system and sticking to it also means you'll waste less food and a lot less time in the long run.

You deserve to have the kitchen - and pantry - of your dreams. Contact us today to get started with our design team, or to schedule a visit to our showroom in Anaheim, California.