There are many reasons to keep your pantry well-stocked, such as the fact that an extra bag of flour or bottle of olive oil can come in quite handy when you don’t feel like rushing to the store, that you can pull out staples like pasta sauce or spices from your recipe box to use with whatever you have in the fridge on busy weeknights, or that having an extra can of soup or beans on hand in case of an emergency. However, there is a limit to being prepared, and overstocking your pantry can result in significant expenses for both wasted food and grocery bills.
Read also: Things You Should Never Keep on Your Kitchen Counter
Why Overstocking Your Pantry Could Be Costing Too Much
Ineffective Preparation of Meals
Have you ever been cooking and discovered you needed a little oregano at a crucial moment? When your shelves are full, it gets incredibly hard to find what you need. You can miss an element that would make your cuisine shine or spend fifteen minutes looking for it.
Shelves Overloaded
There is a limit to how much weight shelves can support. They start to sag or even fall when overworked. Avoid piling your shelves as high as possible, and make sure they are securely fastened to support any additional weight.
Waste and Excessive Spending
Have you ever misplaced an item in your pantry’s back? Of course we have. You’re more likely to purchase a fourth packet of food coloring or another bag of pancake mix if you can’t see what you have on those shelves. In the meantime, you have to discard your old pantry items because they become rancid, stale, or dry out. What a waste.
Food Safety And Quality
Yes, even shelf-stable food can go bad or lose quality to the point where you need to throw it out. Spices become less spicy. The flavor of your handmade bread will be impacted by the oxidation or staleness of the flour bags. The ability of self-rising flour to rise will be lost.
Avoid keeping three years’ worth of supplies in your pantry because canned goods change color, texture, and flavor after a year or two, other staples like peanut butter can go unpleasantly rancid in six months, and all cereals, grains, nuts, and crackers can attract weevils or pantry moths once packages are opened. Additionally, an overcrowded pantry will give those creatures plenty of hiding places.
Ways to Avoid Having Too Much in Your Pantry
Keep extras of the items you use regularly on hand
Pay more attention to the flours, oils, snacks, condiments, and canned products you use every week as opposed to those you use sometimes. Purchase one or two excess of often used ingredients rather than ten or five.
Put your pantry in order
Sort your materials into categories and arrange them so that you can discover items more quickly. For instance, you may have sections for oils and vinegars, lunch ingredients, and baking supplies. To store similar ingredients together, use containers or shelf dividers. To ensure that it is used first, place the oldest item at the front.
Make sure everything is securely sealed, clean up spills and crumbs, and discard items that are past their “best by” date. You should also clean out your pantry at least twice or three times a year.
Read also: Things You Need to Discard From Your Kitchen Cabinet