Food Storage Tips to Save Space in Your Kitchen

Out of all the things you do in your kitchen, eating is probably the most common! It makes sense that food takes up valuable space in this room. Learning how to store food in new and innovative ways can make more room and keep it all fresher longer. At Pottery Barn, we’re here to share food storage tips and show you how making a few tweaks to your cabinets, closets and any unused wall space can make your kitchen a relaxed zone.

 

Use Your Baskets

Baskets of all shapes and sizes, with or without lids, are your kitchen’s best friend when it comes to organized and space-saving food storage. Line them up on pantry shelves. Label them to keep like items together. Baskets are easy to grab, even from high shelves, especially when they have handles. For open shelving or open cabinetry in a kitchen, storage baskets organize and hide a multitude of things right out in the open. Use a shallow square or round basket on your counter near your stove. It can corral spices and cooking utensils into a compact bit of space rather than having them sprawled out across your workspace.

 

Use Your Wall Decor

Kitchen wall space without cabinetry or appliances can easily go to work storing produce that doesn’t need refrigeration. Use every square inch of wall space. Mount small shelves, especially corner shelves, and wire baskets to remove produce from your counters. Wall-mounted display cubes and ledges in the kitchen can hold tall bottles of oils. Hallway hooks installed in the pantry are good for hanging large mesh bags of produce.

 

Use Your Office Supplies

Put your stash of unused durable office supplies to better use in the kitchen. Labeled plastic file totes with handles organize cans or bottles on a pantry shelf. Labeled magazine holders round up onions, potatoes and other vegetables that need a cool, dark storage place. Letter trays hold small spice jars together so they don’t roll away. Pencil holders and caddies organize thinner items, like spaghetti boxes, when mounted on the sides of pantry walls. Hang those unused mail baskets on the kitchen wall to hold fruit and vegetables that don’t need refrigerated storage.

 

Use Your Garden Supplies

Bring galvanized tubs and planters indoors to function as food storage in the kitchen. Line them up on the floor of your kitchen pantry to keep big items, like that bulk bag of basmati rice, neatly together and to keep the floor clean. Do you have huge bags of pet food that need to stand upright? Put a bag in an empty tall planter.

 

Use Your Jugs and Canisters

Learn how to store dry food, such as pet food and grains or snacks, by adapting jugs and canisters. These can create spill-proof storage solutions to keep loose food fresh and organized. Pet treat and pet food canisters are ideal for countertop use. In the pantry or cabinet, pour dry pet food into plastic cereal containers. They’re airtight and won’t spill. The same system can store loose grains, including rice, pastas, beans, popcorn or other bite-sized snack items. Ice-tea drinkers who may have a collection of durable plastic jugs ready for reuse can wash and use them to hold loose foods. Line them up on shelves and label them for ultimate organization. Put lazy Susans on shelves, in cabinets and on your counters as a compact way to access multiple items.

 

Use Your Shoe Racks

One of the most adaptable items in your home is the shoe rack. Do you have little room in the mudroom or entry for a shoe rack? Put it in your kitchen for a variety of uses. If you have a pretty, decorative shoe rack, show it off! Use it as a shelf system to store cereal boxes or other large items that may not fit into cabinets. If you have a utilitarian shoe rack, use it in your pantry on the floor or on the shelf to double your space. Some entryway shoe racks function just like a piece of furniture. If you’re looking for a shallow bookshelf for the kitchen, move an entryway shoe shelf system into the room. Nestle it into a nook beside a cabinet to hold canned goods and other pantry items. To better hide food labels, add small baskets that fit into each shoe cubby. You’ve just created an instant cabinet-side pantry system.

Use these clever tips to revitalize storage in your kitchen. You’ll get even more enjoyment from the space for years to come!