There are so many advantages to buying from the bulk food section at the grocery store. You save money, reduce food and packaging waste, and streamline your shopping experience by acquiring exactly what you need in the exact right amount. Yet, for many families, there is one significant obstacle that prevents them from investing completely in bulk food: storage. How are you supposed to keep your pantry organized when so much of your food comes home in flimsy, unlabeled bags?
For most of human history, homes have organized their food stores without the help of branded packaging. If you are new to the world of buying bulk food, here are some tips you can use to enjoy all the benefits of bulk shopping and keep your pantry prim and proper.
Plan Your Pantry
Unfortunately, not all pantry spaces are created equal. There are a few conditions that make some pantries far superior to others, especially in their suitability for storing different kinds of bulk food. Because bulk food has never been hermetically sealed, it has the potential to lose its freshness faster when not kept in ideal conditions. For each bulk item you bring home, you need to consider its needs in terms of temperature, humidity, and light exposure. In most cases, a cool, dry, and dark environment is best.
If your kitchen pantry is small or open to the rest of your home, you might consider stashing your bulk items in a larger enclosed area. Then, you can maintain more control over the conditions of your bulk food to prolong shelf life and maintain organization. If you don’t have an available cupboard or closet — and if you know you will have a large amount of food to store — you might consider creating a food storage shed to house all your bulk goods, preserves, dried fruits and veggies, and more.
Collect Your Containers
The containers you use to hold your bulk goods serve two purposes: first, to preserve freshness and second, to aid in pantry organization. Thus, most food experts recommend investing in a set of stackable, square food storage containers with tight-sealing lids. Ideally, your containers will come in a wide range of useful sizes and be durable and easy to clean. Sturdy plastic tends to be preferred for its affordability, but you may opt for glass if you aren’t worried about little ones wreaking havoc in your pantry space.
Though most food storage containers are transparent, allowing you to discern with a glance what and how much of each food item you have, you may still want to create labels for your bulk goods. Labels will help you differentiate between food items that look similar — AP flour vs. bread flour, salt vs. sugar, baking powder vs. baking soda, etc. Labels can also contain useful information like purchase date, so you can more easily determine whether certain foods are still safe to eat.
Systematize Your Space
Bulk foods must be arranged in a reasonable system; otherwise, you will never find what you need while you are cooking. There are a few different categorization methods you might use in your pantry, such as:
Each shelf has a different purpose. One shelf might be snacks for kids. Another shelf might be dried beans. Another shelf might be baking ingredients. When you keep your goods separated by shelves, you know where to start looking for the item you need.
Goods used together are close together. Whether or not you separate shelves for different purposes, you should keep like goods close. For example, your dried pastas might be stashed on a shelf close to your canned pasta sauces.
Newer items go in the back. Though it is more convenient to unload your grocery bags by placing your newly acquired goods at the front of your pantry, it is more economical to shuffle them to the back. Then, you will use your oldest goods first, preventing them from going stale or rotten.
You may need to experiment with different locations, types of containers, and organization systems to build the perfect bulk food pantry in your home. With patience and persistence, you should become a pantry master and benefit from buying bulk for years to come.
