Ina Garten Just Discovered the Magic of Clear Organizing Bins and I’m Overly Excited for Her

While I love the aesthetics of a Pinterest-worthy pantry as much as the next social media scroller, I’ll admit: Most of these dreamy kitchens aren’t very functional. Decanting all of your dried ingredients and snacks into bespoke jars is impractical, and the practice can create more headaches than it solves. But there is one organizational trick I’m all about, and it looks like the Queen of #kitchengoals herself, Ina Garten, also agrees.

In an Instagram post, Ina shared some relatable spring cleaning inspo: She posted a carousel of pictures featuring the “after” pictures of her pantry refresh. In addition to tossing old ingredients, she made one major upgrade — clear plastic storage bins. “This year, I got clear plastic containers for all those messy chocolate chip and dried bean packages,” she wrote in the caption. “It’s easier to see what I already have when I’m making a grocery list!”

The picture shows her pantry staples — like quinoa, dried kidney beans, and farro — tucked into simple clear plastic bins. In a win for home cooks’ sanity, Ina has kept all of the ingredients in their original packages. This is such a great way to arrange a pantry that will actually stay neat and tidy after you organize it. I’m personally a fan of this tactic; all of my dried grains are grouped together in the cabinet, while baking ingredients live in a different section.

Ina didn’t tag a specific bin brand in her post, but you can pretty much find these types of bins anywhere — including Amazon. The best part is that the bins have handles, so you can easily move them around your cupboards and pantry as you reorganize. (The clear plastic that allows for a quick scan is also pretty sweet). 

I’d be remiss not to mention the most inspirational part of Ina’s whole post. In the fourth slide, there’s a picture of her baking ingredients. I have never seen that much chocolate in one person’s pantry, and I am so here for it. Ina’s brands of choice? Lindt and Ghirardelli. I’m already on the plastic bin train, but it looks like I’m due for a visit to the chocolate aisle during my next grocery trip.

How do you use storage bins in your own kitchen?