Pantry Storage Cabinet Alternatives

Anywhere you go in the world people all over have the same problems when it comes their pantry storage cabinet. They are usually overstuffed and the only items you can see is what is immediately in front of them. Out of sight and out of mind has never been a truer statement when it comes to your food storage process. Depending on your square footage, an external or ancillary cabinet may be a wise investment to store your food items instead of your usual built in pantry cabinets. Where there is a will there is a way to over this situation.

Vertical pullout cabinets that fit between your refrigerator and already present cabinetry could be a great solution for storing heavy cans and long-term non-perishable groceries. These are stand-alone units on casters that are built somewhat like filing cabinets but for food. These handy units can fit in various places throughout your kitchen, and are reasonably priced between thirty-five and one hundred and fifty dollars depending on quality of materials and construction. They will usually give you about thirty percent more storage space in your kitchen. Choices of colors are usually oak stained or a white painted finish.

Another space saving idea is to use stand alone pantry cabinets near your kitchen for storing cans, boxed goods, and spices. You can usually pick one of these up from a garage sale, flea market, or even ebay.com for a nominal price. Just be sure and line draw bottoms with contact shelving paper to help keep the wood from moisture if something starts leaking. The advantage of using drawers is of course that you can see everything at once, instead of having to rearrange cans to find the one you are trying to locate. You can also affix labels to the top of the cans for easier recognition.

One final thought about alternatives for traditional pantry storage units, is using metal shelving in the garage to store canned or jarred food that doesn’t need refrigeration. This is especially good for large families that purchase canned vegetables in bulk and need room for a case of green beans, or whole corn. You can label the shelves and date when purchased for food safety. You can also store grains like rice, and wheat flour in airtight plastic containers that will keep insects and air out for freshness. This is also a great place to store bulk pasta and dried beans too. Just keep your eyes open for other out of the box possibilities for creative food storage pantries.