Pantry Organization: Storing Many Half-Empty Bags in One Large Container

Here's the thing with storing rice and grains: We love the look of vintage glass jars or uniform plastic canisters, but we can't fit more than a few in our narrow cabinets. Bags smush down more easily and take up less space, but once we open them and use some of the rice (or farro or quinoa), we're left with a messy pile of rolled-up bags. We came up with a solution that took less than two minutes and made a huge difference. See the full before and after, below.

Here's what it looked like before. We don't tend to keep a lot of grains on hand because of our lack of storage. We buy them when we need them, but then we rarely use up an entire bag. Our issue with having separate storage containers for oats, rice, lentils, etc. is that once you use a big scoop, you're storing a glass or plastic jar that's taking up the same amount of space but is half-filled with air.

So we bought two rectangular Click-Clack containers from The Container Store that could hold all of those little bags and keep the cabinet more organized. Obviously the larger, just-purchased bags won't fit, but we hope to use up the little bits of grains and rice enough that we can rotate things in and out.

This also created more space to slide in a box of crackers or pasta without losing it in the big jumble of bags.

(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)

Comments (14)

this is what i do as well! it started because i had essentially no other option. i have next to no shelving space so all this sort of thing is in a plastic drawer bin on the bottom of my pantry/closet. it ended up working fairly well because i can rummage through it to see what i've got. i must have 20 different types of grains, beans, seeds, dried fruit, etc. it's also great when you buy small amounts of things from the bulk bins that would otherwise get lost!

posted by ellenp1214 on February 27th 2009 at 11:56am
view ellenp1214's profile

I love wheat berries. Also, the basket idea is perfect. We found plastic baskets for $1 at the local thrift store and I use them in our pantry for various items.

posted by wesaturtle on February 27th 2009 at 11:56am
view wesaturtle's profile

wow, a brilliant kitchn.com thing that i already do! i'm so smart! this one has the added benefit of keeping little bugs out of open (even twist-tied) bags of grains, to which they seem to be especially attracted for some reason in my kitchen. after i had to throw out just about everything in my cupboards because of an infestation, i emptied everything into zip-loc bags and put them into plastic and glass containers. never had a problem since!

posted by lynnebee on February 27th 2009 at 12:02pm
view lynnebee's profile

I so want to do this, but then I know I'll forget what I have on hand. Can you write on these with some kind of marker that will wipe off?

posted by TannerAdair on February 27th 2009 at 12:12pm
view TannerAdair's profile

I also do this as well. It made a huge difference in the look and therefore functionality of my pantry.

posted by rosebud on February 27th 2009 at 12:21pm
view rosebud's profile

This is why I love this site--little things like this, and seeing that other people get excited about them too. :)

posted by Brooklynnina on February 27th 2009 at 12:26pm
view Brooklynnina's profile

TannerAdair: I'm not sure a marker would wipe off of these containers. It would probably be permanent. But you could stick a piece of painter's tape or masking tape on them (or use a label maker, if you have one).

posted by Elizabeth P on February 27th 2009 at 12:50pm
view Elizabeth P's profile

This is smart. I actually use left over glass jars (pasta sauce, pickles). I buy in bulk so I just but the exact amount that will fit, but this is really clever.

posted by thill on February 27th 2009 at 1:11pm
view thill's profile

@TannerAdair,
Whiteboard markers can write on just about any hard surface and get wiped off cleanly (though testing on an inconspicuous corner is still essential)

posted by Michelle of Montreal on February 27th 2009 at 1:30pm
view Michelle of Montreal's profile

My grain/bean cabinet is a mess. I will have to try and implement this strategy.

posted by Kalinda on February 27th 2009 at 2:06pm
view Kalinda's profile

I do this as well, although less fancy. I have 2 cardboard boxes reinforced with tape (all those grains can be quite heavy!) of infrequently used or extra bulk grains in the very top of my cabinets where i can barely reach anyway. It helps a lot as you can pile them in there without fear of avalanches of bags coming down when i try to fetch something! I have a mere 2 cabinets to keep food in so its a big help in maximizing the space.

I do keep my commonly used items closer at hand in canisters on my counter top so I don't pull mine out more than once a week. If its something you pull from on a daily basis I would recommend buying nice sturdy containers like Elizabeth did.

This also works great for many other little stray kitchen Items. I have another where I keep envelopes and thin packets neatly filed.

posted by adamwa on February 27th 2009 at 2:16pm
view adamwa's profile

This is one of those slap-the-forehead-DUH things.. Why didn't I think of this?! Time to shop the house for extra containers...

posted by greyrussian on February 27th 2009 at 4:48pm
view greyrussian's profile

Similarly, I use the Ikea SAMLA boxes (the smallest size) to store and separate my meats in the freezer. They're great, and they're like a buck each.

posted by KidMoe on February 27th 2009 at 11:58pm
view KidMoe's profile

That's great. I think I asked about this recently, and I'm thrilled to see it answered! Yay! Now I know what I'm getting on my next trip to Ikea!! :)

posted by Eliza on March 4th 2009 at 5:18pm
view Eliza's profile