A well organized and pantry organization is a game changer to any kitchen. During my round of spring cleaning this year, I changed my pantry organization with canning jars. It was time I revamped my pantry, so why not do it while spring cleaning. Read on to see how and why I did it.
As you know, it’s all too easy for our pantry to collect clutter with forgotten and expired groceries. Therefore, the key to zero food waste and well planned cooking is an effective pantry organization. My older post on pantry organization with Tupperware is one of the most read posts. In that post, I share my reasons for switching to Tupperware containers. Make sure to read that post too.
You may want to know, why am I revamping my pantry organization with canning jars from such an effective existing organization. Well, for no particular reason other than a change and see how it works out.
WHY I CHOSE CANNING JARS FOR MY KITCHEN PANTRY ?
Since, I already had experience of using canning jars from Arc for my pantry for a decade, therefore, it was the ideal choice. Here are some of the key reasons of why I went back to it. I got the jars this time from Amazon for a competent price from a German manufacturer. I preferred these kind than the ones available in IKEA.
EASY FOR DAILY USE
You can easily see what is in the glass jars because they are clear. I was considering to buy Weck canning jars too. But Weck canning jars are complicated for daily use with their 2 clips. And I have broken a few lids in the past. I do possess a few Weck jars which I use for making Syrups, jams and storing small things in the fridge. you can see from the below picture how complicated it would be to open a Weck jar few times during the day.
AIR TIGHT SEALING
These canning jars with the wired clip and gasket is perfect. The tight seal makes it perfect to store wet or dry ingredients easily. These jars also keep the bugs and unwanted creepy crawlies out of your food. Replacement gaskets are easily available because most of the brands do sell the gaskets and it is a pretty much a standard size.
DISHWASHER SAFE
If you know me, I am a big dishwasher fan. I hate washing pots and pans by hand. Other than washing the usual cast iron pots and wooden utensils by hand, I load all of my kitchen stuff in the dishwasher. Glass is dishwasher safe. A small downside to these jars, is that you will have to remove the gasket and the wire seal before loading it in the dishwasher.
I washed the Tupperware storage containers by hand, to avoid heat destroying the plastic and leeching chemicals to it. Although Tupperware is dishwasher safe and BPA Free, I avoided using the dishwasher for them.
CANNING JARS FOR THE PANTRY ARE BUDGET FRIENDLY
The glass canning jars are 1/5th the price of a regular Tupperware container. Tupperware is expensive, and moreover I was constantly replacing them from time to time in case of scratches. This was not budget friendly. So I thought why not change all to glass. But I kept a few for storing overflows.
ECOLOGICAL & EASY TO RECYCLE
Glass can be recycled easily and it is ecological. Doesn’t leech chemicals into your food. Make sure to get non-leaded glass for food storage.
MULTI-PURPOSE USE
Canning jars can be used to store wet and dry ingredients. I use them for pickling, liquids and dry food storage. You can also use for DIY.
PANTRY ORGANIZATION WITH CANNING JARS VIDEO
DOWNSIDE OF GLASS JARS
- Bulky and easily breakable.
- Need more jars to fill same quantity of food compared to Tupperware.
- Takes up more of your pantry space.
- Cannot be stacked.
Other than these negatives, canning jars do tick a lot of boxes. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my Tupperware. I haven’t gotten rid of all for practical reasons.
ORGANIZING MY PANTRY WITH CANNING JARS
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While organizing my pantry with Tupperware, I gave away all of my canning jars. So I needed to source them anew in different sizes again. The smaller jars in the above photo are upcycled honey jars, so I didn’t need to buy them again. As for the the remaining sizes, I ordered about 50 canning jars in 2 different sizes. My kitchen is not minimalist, because I cook all our food from scratch. I used almost all of them in the kitchen. Except for a couple that, I now use in the cellar for long term storage.
TIPS FOR PANTRY ORGANIZATION WITH CANNING JARS
GROUP FOOD ITEMS TOGETHER
To make your pantry to work for you, group the food items together as per your need. Remember, it is you who has to work in it. It may not be practical to copy everyone’s ideas from the internet. I don’t dedicate any particular cupboard for baking or anything like that. I keep what I cook the most within easy reach.
MAINTAIN A SYSTEM
Since, glass jars are bulky and cannot be stacked, I store the food occasionally used at the back and the ones often used in the front. Previously, with the Tupperware, I could easily stack them but not anymore. This system works well. I stored the bigger jars at the back and smaller ones towards the front. You can fill the same food item one behind the other. For example, you can store the overflow at the back.
In my case, I had the option of storing overflows in the Tupperware containers which I keep in a different shelving unit.
Schedule a cleaning routine for once in 3 months, just to keep up with the organization. Foods may expire, so need to be checked.
LABEL IF NECESSARY
Labeling helps, especially if you have a few different varieties of flours. For most of the dry food, it is not necessary. You can easily see them because glass is clear. I labeled them anyway because I wanted uniformity in my pantry. Cut out a piece of the expiry date and drop it in the jars to know if it is still good. Or you can use a sharpie to write the expiry date on the jar.
Now that you have re-organized your pantry with canning jars enjoy it.
PIN IT FOR LATER
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