Unclutterer

1. Posted by girlfiend - 04/24/2009

   It looks amazing, but where did the rest of the food go? Where are the canned goods, jars, etc.? If I had another place to put the stuff my pantry wouldn’t be such a disaster.

2. Posted by L. - 04/24/2009

   I know that Unclutterer is not an anti-consumerist Web site, and that’s fine, but can’t we draw the line somewhere? All that matchy-matchy plastic is going to be lingering around a trash heap for thousands of years just to make an already-organized pantry look “pantry pornographic?”

3. Posted by chzplz - 04/24/2009

   I’d be happy with the before shot.

   I’m all for repackaging the stuff that is in cellophane bags into something stackable, but repackaging jars and bottles into different containers isn’t working for me.

4. Posted by Barbara Tako - 04/24/2009

   I agree with the comments already posted. The pantry was organized and functional before. The pasta jars and canned goods can’t always get moved somewhere else due to space limitations. As some of the items get used up, I wonder if there will be plastic container clutter…

5. Posted by Laurie - 04/24/2009

   to the other commenters:

   How are these plastic containers “wasteful” if he keeps re-using them to put more food, etc into once he runs out of things????

6. Posted by Sally - 04/24/2009

   Hmm. I thought the “before” picture was the “after” picture. Does that make me hopeless?

7. Posted by Erin Doland - 04/24/2009

   Huh … didn’t notice the cans and jars disappeared … now I’m wondering where they went, too??

8. Posted by ellis - 04/24/2009

   maybe he [mouth open with shock] ate the contents within.
   :0)

9. Posted by Amanda - 04/24/2009

   I love to organization, wonder about disappearing canned goods and must must to L. I could understand the concern about plastic but Tupperware lasts longer than other type of kitchen plastic storage I know of. If you have to organize your kitchen with plastic and want to minimize your effect on the planet, Tupperware would be the way to go, you’ll never have to replace it.

10. Posted by Rue - 04/24/2009

    The cans and jars may have been moved to a different cabinet, or something. It looks like all that’s in this one is spices and dry goods.

    I love the way a pantry looks when everything’s in tupperwares, but I personally would rather have everything in its original packaging. When I’m looking for something in a cabinet, I know what its label looks like, and that’s what I try to find. Trying to remember what it looks like or read a label would make it a big pain for me.

    The only thing I put in tupperwares (besides leftovers) are things like flour, sugar, etc., that go in canisters. I also keep my birdseed in a tupperware, but it’s not in the pantry. ;D

    @Laurie: I don’t think everyone’s thinking that using the containers is wasteful in and of itself (well, other than the original packaging worked fine…). I think they’re more concerned about the fact that in a few years, the tupperwares will become stained/warped/otherwise unuseable and then go to the dump, where they won’t decompose properly and that will be bad for the environment.

11. Posted by Bren - 04/24/2009

    Erin: Here’s a quote from the Flickr page: “The bottles and cans were moved to another shelf under our staircase.”

    Sure, not everyone has extra space, but then again I think it’s not a good idea to have too many cans and jars around, anyway. I like to keep a supply of bulk foods like grains, beans, pulses and of course spices and only buy canned goods or jars when I need them.

    I think the before picture is a disaster.

12. Posted by Erin Doland - 04/24/2009

    @ellis — Brilliant!

    @Bren — Thanks for the answer, too

13. Posted by Emma - 04/24/2009

    I would love to do this, but within 6 months I would drop or break the containers, go to buy new ones, and find out that the line has been discontinued. So then should I buy a whole new set, or have ones that don’t match and won’t stack properly?

14. Posted by Cody Dream-Life-Coaching - 04/24/2009

    I guess the cupboard is just a metaphor for your mind, what is on the outside is the same as what is on the inside, a cluttered head is just not a productive one.

15. Posted by Krisha - 04/24/2009

    I’m definitely not to this level yet, but I have found that having my pantry/cupboard LOOK neat and organized made me want to go in it and use things, and I therefore cooked more at home. When my kitchen is a disaster, I’d really rather eat out.

16. Posted by Springpeeper - 04/24/2009

    Congratulations, Pieter, you’ve done a beautiful job!

    To those who wonder if the plastic containers are worth it, let me add my two cents… I, too, have dry goods stored in bought containers (Rubbermaid) and they have lasted a long time (at least 15 years now) and are still going strong.

    The containers of flour, sugar, etc. also hold measuring cups (open the bin, measure out what’s needed, place the measuring cup back into the bin).

    I often buy dry foods and spices in bulk (in flimsy plastic bags) and then empty them into the storage containers. Even when foods come in sturdier bags, those bags tend to spill once they are opened.

    Since the containers are translucent, you can also see at a glance when you need to buy more of something.

    It’s a system that works… and looks good, too!

17. Posted by Stephanie - 04/24/2009

    Here are my issues with the jump:

    1. When you get rid of the packaging, you ditched all the nutritional info as well as directions and expiration dates.

    2. The containers work for what was already there. Adding more food items is going to prove tricky unless it fits in the containers you happen to own. Do you only buy something if you have an empty container? Where do you store the rest of the product if it won’t all fit in your container? At that point, do you own the containers or do the containers own you?

    3. From a design aesthetic, the Tupperware looks sleek and modern but I personally don’t want to mingle that with eating and food. If we were talking about sleek and modern storage for crafts or something, I might buy into the idea. Eating and food is a different experience for me because it is about enjoyment and good taste, not practicality. I would look in that new cabinet and always think that there is nothing to eat in there. I realize that isn’t the case for everyone but that is the feeling evoked for me when I look at the picture. It is too bland and sterile to associated with food.

18. Posted by Beth - 04/24/2009

    I’ve had Tupperware containers from that same line for over 20 years — they’re extremely durable, the pieces are sized for flexible stacking, and the only thing that’s apparently changed about the line in that time is the colors of the lids. For dry goods/bulk goods, there’s not a better storage solution on the market IMO.

19. Posted by Sheryl - 04/24/2009

    Oooooooh, pretty! I think this looks great! I have a very small built-in pantry in my kitchen, and I just recently moved all the cans and bottles downstairs to “the cave” (two of our three adult children no longer live here, so we use one of the bedrooms for food storage and a computer room for our youngest.)

    We belong to a food co-op and buy dry goods in bulk, so I store some of them in the pantry in quart Mason jars with plastic lids, or plastic Rubbermaid/Tupperware/etc. containers that I find at the thrift store. However, I would LOVE to be able to get all matching containers (except for the spice cans and bottles – I have a “thing” for the colors and designs on those! ) They just look so nice.

20. Posted by Shalin - 04/24/2009

    pantry porn – hehe

    well, that is a rather attractive “after” picture

21. Posted by Jeanne - 04/24/2009

    Wow!! This made my morning. What an inspiration to organize my cupboards this weekend.

22. Posted by Helen - 04/24/2009

    I like the “after” pantry. I store almost all my dry groceries in containers, either Tupperware or Rubbermaid. I remove cereals from their boxes, cookies from their containers, hot chocolate mix goes into a container. Why? Because my mother did. She felt that cardboard containers gave the contents a smell and a flavor.

23. Posted by Dayna - 04/24/2009

    The after picture is so sterile and bland. The before picture doesn’t really look any more cluttered, has character, and still offers all the info on the food.

24. Posted by Sue - 04/24/2009

    Emma, you would have to try very hard to break those Tupperware containers. I’ve been using them for over 12 years, and I haven’t had to replace a single piece. Yes, I’ve dropped them. That style has been around for a long time, and the only change is the color of the lids. Tupperware also has a replacement policy so if something does break they’ll replace it for free.

    I use the Tupperware modular mates for bulk storage – I bake and have many different types of flour, sugar and other ingredients. It’s much cleaner to keep them in these containers than in the bags and boxes they come in. I never have to worry about bugs getting into my food, or the brown sugar drying out.

    You can buy sheets of labels that are removable, and include most common food items and have blank labels for less common items (like many of my flours).

    My only real gripe is that the Tupperware is expensive. But it’s durable and guaranteed, so I suppose that makes it worth it.

25. Posted by Kathryn - 04/24/2009

    For me, the goal of decluttering is twofold: aesthetics, and making life quicker and easier.

    In a cabinet that you look at closed 95% of the time, having your cans and jars neatly arranged is “good enough” for me as far as aesthetics go.

    As far as ease of use–I actually have to use plastic containers for a lot of dry goods because of a never-ending battle with pantry moths, and it is more work to empty everything into containers after purchasing and shuffle stuff around when you add to the dry-goods collection. It doesn’t make anything easier to use or to find.

    I guess the label “pantry porn” is appropriate, though. Kinda overdone and over-the-top, and a standard that most people neither can nor should concern themselves with achieving.

26. Posted by Loren - 04/24/2009

    @Stephanie – I store my bulk stuff in glass jars too, especially half used pasta and grains, but to make sure I remember what everything is/how long to cook my pasta is I cut the nutritional label and instructions off the back of the package and stick in the jar too.

    And not everyone may have this problem but it also helps prevent ants/moths/rodents from getting into and ruining your food. Where I grew up it was virtually impossible to not get ants in the kitchen in the summer.

    I also have open shelves in my kitchen, so it makes it look nicer than having half filled bags of flour and sugar sitting around. If you are blessed enough to have a pantry it can look very cool. However, mine are not nearly this matchy-matchy or this organized.

27. Posted by ns - 04/24/2009

    i use great oxo pop-up containers for the same purpose which seals them to the air. my only complaint is this: my containers don’t *quite* fit all of the contents of the bag of flour, etc., leaving you with a little left over to store in the bag anyway!

28. Posted by Anita - 04/24/2009

    I don’t understand why anyone would go through the trouble of transfering things like pasta and flour from the bags they come in into other containers. Wouldn’t that create more waste than anything, what with the extra containers to maintain, clean, and eventually replace? If you buy those things (pasta, rice, sugar etc) in bulk, I’d understand the need for containers(though by the “before” picture, it doesn’t seem to be the case here); otherwise, I just can’t imagine putting in the extra time, money and effort just to make my pantry look “pretty”.

    The “before” photo seems reasonably functional to me. At most, I would have got a separate spice rack for all the small spice containers. I would’ve also contentrated on distributing heavy items better (put them on the sides of the shelf instead of in the middle, and distribute them among the shelves instead of putting them all on one) to prevent shelves from curving under the excessive weight, such as the one in the picture.

29. Posted by Lily - 04/24/2009

    Anita, there is a good reason to transfer things like sugar and flour and many grains and cereals to sealed containers other than to look nice. Such products are very prone to attracting bugs like moths, weevils, and ants plus it can extend their shelf life. I’m all for repackaging if it makes food last longer.

30. Posted by Anita - 04/24/2009

    Lily — those are good points. I guess it’s easy to overlook potential problems when you haven’t dealt with them. I seem to be blessed with mostly bug-free houses, and I hardly ever buy anything in large enough quantities to worry about how long it’ll last (don’t have a car, and only limited strage space).

31. Posted by Jennifer - 04/24/2009

    If my cupboard looked half as good as the before picture, I would be thrilled. The after picture strikes me as very OCD. It looks nice and of course, very organized, but I imagine the time and effort that would be needed to keep that up would be too much for me.

32. Posted by Beth - 04/24/2009

    The main trick to maintaining this kind of cupboard organization, in my experience, is to make sure your containers match what you actually use, and that the things you use most often are in the most accessible positions.

    This means, of course, that there’s going to be a phase where you have to experiment and move stuff around, and probably reassign/relabel containers till you get the right arrangement for what you need.

    (And you don’t have to commit to a total cupboard makeover like this, there’s nothing wrong with starting with just a few containers for things you think need dealing with first — I started with flour, rice, & sugar — then you can add more later.)

    Tupperware has a handy chart on their site for how much of different pantry goods fit in various size containers: http://order.tupperware.com/co.....nChart.pdf

33. Posted by Kimberly Collins - 04/24/2009

    It looked great before. I don’t really see the need or the environmental responsibility in buying matching plastic containers that will not disintegrate in a landfill. It looks great. But it looked pretty darn nice before too.

34. Posted by Tania - 04/24/2009

    OK….

    Last week I started to post “what am I looking at” because it didn’t look like a workspace, it just looked like a place to pay bills. Then I noticed they had a lot of books and I thought “ok, maybe this person is a writer or something” and I decided not to say anything.

    This week: What am I looking at??? Is this person a chef? Why am I looking at a pantry? Yes, it’s impressive, but it’s a pantry. Where’s my workplace of the week? I want my workplace of the week! (and I know that there’s the disclaimer that ‘a workplace doesn’t necessarily mean a desk or an office’ but if this person is a chef or a caterer or something, let’s see the entire workspace)

35. Posted by Erin Doland - 04/24/2009

    @Tania — If you’re craving some traditional office eye candy, check out all the other workspaces in our pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/unclutterer/pool/

    Just a warning, next week is a little on the non-traditional side again. But, the following week, we’re back to desks and offices!

36. Posted by Kate - 04/24/2009

    Wow… I’m so jealous. I can’t stand unmatching food packets etc (yes, I have mild OCD, and I LIKE IT!!). However, that much Tupperware would bankrupt me!

37. Posted by George - 04/25/2009

    I’m a fan of the after picture as
    A) baking goods need storing properly to keep bugs out. Also I also end up with spilled flour everywhere.
    b) you can cut out info like nutrition and store taped to the top of the box
    c) I would like to but more things in minimal packaging, like a shop that you buy cereal etc bu weight rather than by the box and then you need something other than the flimsy bags they come in (which are great for storing stock or left over wine in the freezer)

    However, I also wonder about when you restock the tupperware – and where do you keep items ready to restock?

38. Posted by Mardi - 04/25/2009

    Wow there are lots of grumpy people here – if Pieter likes his pantry why do you all want to criticise it? No one says yours has to look like this if you don’t want it to!

    Personally I love the after pic – it looks just like my pantry except mine is floor to ceiling and I’ve been collecting the Modular Mates over 20 or so years and have just about every lid colour that has ever been available

    I use clear tape in my Dymo to make labels for my Modular Mates. My cousin was looking in there once and said “do Tupperware include labels for ‘Honey Flavoured Porridge Sachets’ now” in amazement hehehe until I explained I make my own labels.

39. Posted by Wilhelm Scream - 04/25/2009

    The after pic looks beautiful but using and maintaining it would drive me nuts. All that repackaging, not being able to see immediately what everything is.. (after all, plain flour looks just like self-raising flour!) I don’t think I could live with it.

40. Posted by Mary - 04/25/2009

    I’m too lazy to maintain a cabinet full of stackable plastic. It has to be washed occasionally, and you have to put the stuff in it when you get home from the store. Shopping is such an ordeal for me that I barely get stuff put away when I get home from the store. Besides, that’s too much plastic for me and the landfill. I prefer glass containers. However, it does look nice.

41. Posted by JJ - 04/25/2009

    I am enjoying the non-traditional work spaces of late. My sewing “area” in our loft is a work in progress; I’m saving up for wooden cabinets. I don’t sew as my main occupation, but do sew most of my clothing, alter suits, and sometimes make wedding gowns. Seeing what other people have done inspires me to maybe tweak my system.

    I like the pantry. We purchase our staples in bulk and have pantry containers that are large enough that I only need to fill them once a week (or less depending on how much baking there is.) The bulk (heehee) of the goods are stored in food grade 5 gallon buckets, either in the cold storage in the basement for less often filled items like beans, or under the lowest shelf in the pantry (which was built at a height specific for this reason). We had a bug infestation a couple years ago and everything is now stored sealed. I grind my own wheat flour and that is stored in a container in the freezer to maintain freshness.

42. Posted by Donna - 04/25/2009

    Besides the fact that what used to take 1.5 shelves now takes up 3 shelves, the plastic smell would drive me nuts.

43. Posted by Moxie - 04/25/2009

    I just have to chime in and say that I enjoy the “non-traditional” workspaces here and will look forward to next week’s!

44. Posted by knitwych - 04/25/2009

    This pantry is an OCD person’s dream, of course, but I have to wonder how much $$ was spent on all those containers!

45. Posted by Another Deb - 04/25/2009

    The beauty of using the containers is that you can customize it to your needs. When I lived in a southern coastal climate, with palmetto bugs (4 inch long cockroaches). I had to transfer my breakfast cereals into sealed containers. You do NOT want that “toy surprise” falling into your cereal bowl, trust me.

    Also, with 90% humidity, chips and cereal would be soggy within hours after opening even if wrappers were re-sealed. In the tupperware, the seal was complete.

    With a small collection of the same modular containers, I am still using the system 20 years for loose materials such as flour and pasta. The containers make it easier to store the materials and even makes it easier to use them on the counter because I keep the measuring cup right in with many of the baking supplies. Wet counters will not make the bags soggy and I can handle the containers fast and casually as I cook.

    I tear off the prep instructions and place them right inside the container. Inside the powedered sugar container, I keep a little stainless steel tea ball so I can sprinkle powdered sugar on baked goods without getting out the sifter.

    And they STACK!!

46. Posted by Another Deb - 04/25/2009

    To those who have concerns about the expense: You might want to check into recycling commerical cookie/candy tins for some of the tea bag-type items and flavor envelopes.

    You can pick up containers like this in any Goodwill in sizes and designs that will suit your needs. I keep my cookie cutters in one, the packages of nuts in another, and many craft items have been stored in favorite metal containers for years.

47. Posted by Tania - 04/25/2009

    apparently folks didn’t fully read my post.

    I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy non traditional workspaces. (some of the most useful to me have been the ones highlighting musicians studios as that’s the project I’m working on now)

    what I said was – I Like Seeing WORKspaces. If theis person works in a kitchen environment, let’s see the ENTIRE workspace. If this person doesn’t even work from their kitchen at all and they actually go to a job and this is just their home pantry – that’s awesome – but that’s not what *I* personally am looking for in Workplace of the Week posts.

48. Posted by Mary - 04/25/2009

    Another Deb, you’ve definitely got a good point about the humidity and bugs!

    Also, you mentioned reusing cookie tins! I use them for my art supplies, too.

49. Posted by Marie - 04/25/2009

    Even if you’re not buying in bulk, some products come in packaging that doesn’t reseal once it’s opened. Cereal and pet food come to mind first. It takes us months to eat a box of cereal. We don’t have kids eating us out of house and home! :p

50. Posted by David - 04/26/2009

    “Also, moving the shelf heights helped a great deal to organize the space.”

    Based on the shelf height relative to the hinges, there was either no movement or it was infinitesimal.

51. Posted by Leah - 04/26/2009

    I’ve always stored my flour/sugar/other baking goods in tupperware. Growing up, my mom always did it, and it’s so much easier to scoop flour out of a big tupperware than it is to have the flour in a bag. My mom also stored pastas this way, and I intend to do the same once I have settled in a permanent place and aren’t moving every year or so.

52. Posted by Real Fortin - 04/26/2009

    I like the after picture. It might be a little excessive but I am partially organized the same way. The spices make sense, why?
    Buying those little glass bottles is wasteful. They cost 3-5$ for tiny amounts of spices. At our local dollar store you can buy 3 of those Tupperware-like spice containers for a dollar. You fill them with spices from a bulk supplier which are in plastic bags that create very little waste. Overall I think it means less waste in the long run, you save money and it looks nice.

53. Posted by Barbara - 04/27/2009

    Don’t I wish my pantry could look like that! For Rue: When I put anything in plastic containers, clear or not, I cut off a piece of the packaging and magic tape it onto the container, so I can recognize it.

54. Posted by Chicky Mama - 04/30/2009

    I’m another plastic pantry person. I buy out of bulk bins and don’t want all of our food in thin plastic baggies lounging around the pantry. Food stays fresher longer this way, too. I use Lock ‘n Lock containers, which I love, and mason jars (reused from spaghetti sauce, but don’t stack).

    Here’s mine, not nearly as neat as the first one but very usable.
    http://farm4.static.flickr.com.....ab.jpg?v=0

55. Posted by Fonze - 05/01/2009

    What happened to the Barilla sauce in the top left of the first pic?

56. Posted by chaotic kitten - 05/08/2009

    Wow, that looks beautiful! Who’d have thought a kitchen cupboard could look so good?!

57. Posted by Mander - 01/22/2010

    I have always stored stuff like flour, beans, pasta, etc. in jars or cannisters. That way the bags don’t flop or slide around in the cabinet and bugs and moisture don’t get in. It’s also much easier to measure stuff like flour if it is in a rigid container.

    I guess I’m an experienced enough cook that I don’t bother with the instructions to tell me how long to cook pasta or rice or whatever–it’s done when it’s done. I also don’t generally care about the nutritional information when I am in the kitchen–if I want to track that kind of thing I put it in the computer, where I can look up most missing information on the internet.

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