Take Back the Pantry

Don’t let the name fool you – Ridgewood Closets can tackle any room in your house – including the kitchen! This month we’ll be tackling a big problem area for so many – the pantry. Most people spend a lot of time in their kitchen, so there’s nothing better than making sure they have a smile on their face each time they open a pantry, and busy the busy holiday season quickly approaching it is key to have your kitchen in tip-top shape! Ridgewood Closets will be sharing our top tips to make your pantry look amazing.

Before we get started we could all use a little inspiration! Hear from local chefs and culinary experts about what they always keep front and center in their pantry!

Alma Schneider favorite pantry item olive oil

Alma Schneider, At Take Back the Kitchen, is dedicated to help people overcome obstacles to cooking, “One of my favorite pantry items is my flavored olive oils and vinegars from Olive That and More in Montclair. They make every dish taste infinitely better with very little work! My favorite is the chipotle oil and the lemon vinegar.”

Ariane Duarte a chef with a passion and fire in the in the kitchen at Ariane Kitchen & Bar is sharing her favorite pantry item. Ariane’s fave is sea salt because it finishes and enhances any dish perfectly.

These pantry pros are already using one of Ridgewood Closet’s number one tips – keep your favorite front and center! Applying this rule to the pantry makes cooking a breeze. You’ll be able to easily grab your beloved olive oil and salt, while storing seasonal favorites like cookie cutters in hard to reach top pantry shelves. The best part about these tips is that they can be easily customized to fit you!

Ariane Duarte favorite pantry item sea salt

Now it’s time to get to work! After decades in the custom storage industry we have picked up a few tips we think can easily be applied to your kitchen pantry:

Keep your items categorized. It may sound simple put part of making sure everything has a home is to categorize like items together. This will make it much easier for you to place your most used categories – perhaps its school snacks or cooking staples – in the center of your space.
Labeling. Labeling will really take your pantry to the next level. Whether you stick to a traditional label maker or create some DIY stickers for your shelves labels will truly step up your pantry game. Bonus: Labels are great for kids! Not only will they be able to easily find snacks for lunches or after school they will be able to put un eaten food back where it belongs!
Double duty! You’ve always held on to your favorite cake stand – even if it doesn’t get everyday use. Put it to work in the pantry by using it to create two tiered storage for your smallest items.
Go low. Decorative crates are the perfect way to make use of the space underneath your shelves. These boxes are perfect for organizing miscellaneous kitchen items like reusable grocery bags or extra kitchen tools you don’t use everyday! Bonus: Dedicate a crate to storing instructions for your most unique kitchen tools and appliances – this way you can throw away the ugly cardboard boxes and easily find the instructions in a hurry!
Not all storage solutions are created equal. While these tips are sure to improve your pantry there is no substitute for a professional upgrade! These tips are just a small portion of what Ridgewood Closets can offer your home! Our final tip is to head to our website to learn more about our custom storage solutions!