Avoid This Pantry Mistake And Save Precious Kitchen Space

Everyone knows a well-organized pantry reduces stress in the kitchen and makes life a whole lot easier — at least when it comes to finding the brown sugar. There are plenty of great tips for organizing your pantry, but there's one thing many people overlook that can essentially shrink the amount of space you have. If you're struggling to find more room in your pantry, we have a tip to help you avoid that common mistake.

We've all seen pictures of pantries that use mason jars to store dry goods. Despite their homey aesthetic, they are not the most functional way to store your food. Using any round or even tapered storage container will take up valuable real estate in your pantry and decrease your organizing options. Round containers often don't stack as nicely, nor do they line up as closely together in order to eliminate the empty space around them.

Using rectangular or square food containers will also allow you to easily label your food. In fact, one of Marie Kondo's tips for organizing your pantry is to always store containers upright so the labels can be clearly seen. Rounded containers, like jars, can be more difficult to label, but containers with straight sides give you plenty of space to add a label and easily identify the contents.

There are many ways to free up precious pantry space without throwing anything away, including finding alternative places to store your items, but swapping out round containers for those with straight sides is a good place to start. Basic, air-tight canisters like Chef's Path BPA-Free Plastic Kitchen Storage containers are a great way to organize everything from dry soup to nuts. Clear canisters like these allow you to see the contents — but have the added benefit of being able to nestle snugly against each other to efficiently use the space.

Of course, many people opt for glass jars to avoid using plastic. If you're committed to using glass containers in your pantry, Liuruiyu Glass Storage Jars feature straight sides, allowing for efficient storage and labeling. Reusing old plastic containers may be eco-friendly, but many of them are designed to be single-use, or aren't even really meant to store food at all. Investing in a few high-quality square or rectangular containers will set you up for an organized pantry so your kitchen is a peaceful place to be.