When you make a trip to the supermarket, you generally have an idea what you require for the week or month- staples, spices, fresh breads and cakes maybe, sauces and ready to eats.

But what many don’t have an idea of, is what they have in the pantry already, used and unused, hiding in the L-corner of their storage spaces back home.

So here are a few easy tips on organizing your pantry to make it more user-friendly and make your shopping trips a breeze.

1. Zoning in- To reduce your meal-prep time, it is great to divide your pantry into zones and sections based on varied cooking categories as per your lifestyle- perishable or non perishable foods, baking, ready to eat, weekends and weeknight dinners or portable lunches etc. Keep zones as such that the most frequently used section is at easy reach of the hand and the seldom used categories are placed afar.
2. Labels- depending on how many people use the pantry; you can keep minimum detail labels to cooking detail labels. This makes it easier for even the children in the house to use the groceries that are stocked. Eg: Minimum detail- Penne pasta and more detail- Penne pasta (1 cup pasta to 3 cups water). Colour coding categories of foods also helps.
3. Basketing: keep all quick access goods in baskets to give your pantry a neat, organized look, like your party stashes that include wafers, drinks etc.
4. Use see through air tight containers to help you keep track of what needs to be re-stocked. This also helps avoid contamination of spices and other eatables that need to be kept air-tight.
5. Use under-shelf racks and trays to store breads and fresh eatables.
6. Double-decker turntables help creates space in the awkward L-shaped corners of your pantry for sauces and spreads.

Keeping the pantry room or area clean and tidy could save a lot of your time. With these handy tips your will surely benefit and make cooking much easier.