How to organise your pantry (and fridge)

2 min read

A tidy pantry isn't about nice photos: it's about seeing what you have, so you don't buy twice and nothing expires unnoticed. Here's a six-step method.

1. Empty everything and take stock

Just once, take everything out. Throw away what really has to go (remembering that "best before" doesn't mean expired), group duplicates and note what you have. This is when you discover the four boxes of bicarbonate of soda.

2. Divide it into zones

Group by use, not by packaging shape: breakfast, pasta and rice, tins and sauces, condiments and spices, snacks. Keep cleaning products away from food. That way you know where to look and where things go back.

3. Make everything visible

• What you use most at eye level, back-up stock higher or lower.
• Clear containers for pasta, rice, flour and cereal: you can see at a glance how much is left.
• If you decant, write the expiry date on a label.
• New items at the back, older ones at the front.

4. The fridge has its own zones

• Raw meat and fish on the bottom shelf, in a container, so they can't drip onto anything else.
• Leftovers and ready-to-eat food on the upper shelves, where you can see them.
• Fruit and vegetables in the drawers.
• The door is the warmest part: best for drinks, sauces and condiments.
• The right temperature is between 0 and 5 °C; a fridge thermometer costs very little.

5. Set a minimum stock

For everything you never want to run out of, decide a minimum: two packs of pasta, a litre of oil, one bag of coffee. When you drop below it, it goes on the list. That's the rule that turns your pantry from "hopefully there's some" into "I know there is".

6. Ten minutes a week

Once a week, before shopping: look at what's about to expire (and plan it into the next meals), check what's below its minimum and update the list. Ten minutes that save you emergency trips to the shop and wasted food.