Store food when there’s no space

#Middlebury #FoodStorage

During the past two years when I stocked up on grocery staples, I ended up with canned foods and dry goods stored in three different places around the house. I’d have to check all three places to be sure I grabbed the green beans with the nearest expiration date. Pasta was the same. Worse was when I discovered that I wasn’t having spaghetti for dinner after all because I’d used the last of the pasta and only thought I had one more tucked away somewhere.

Enter the internet and the wide selection of kitchen storage products available. I wish I’d known of this two years ago: a metal stacking unit that holds 36 cans. I put it on the buffet in the dining room, all cans in easy reach around the corner from the kitchen. Not having a pantry, I’ve pulled the hall coat closet into service, moving the hangar bar close to the ceiling and opening up the whole bottom half of the space for four rows of wire shelving and baskets for dry goods and envelopes.

When all seems lost, when you have no pantry and no basement and your coat closet can’t be reconfigured, there still are handy places you can store food. A small bookcase will hold cans. Slide a few baskets under an end table. Cereal keepers are smaller than boxes. A row of clear canisters for envelopes will let you see what you have at a glance.

The immediate benefit of having alternate storage places is that it opens up space in your cupboards for currently used items. The box of instant rice and the jar of peanut butter will all be right in front of you.

For more ideas to organize your food, search online (especially Amazon and the big-box hardware store near you) for food storage for small spaces. And remember to get a black marker to write expiration dates in big letters!

© 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.