Here’s How I Organized All My Food Storage Containers (for Less than $100)

Heather Bien
Heather Bien
Heather Bien is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer whose work has appeared on MyDomaine, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, HelloGiggles, and more. You'll often find her making pitstops for roadside antique shops, drooling over original hardwood floors, or perfecting her…read more
published Mar 16, 2023
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
Credit: Jordana Longo

Food storage container drawers should come with a warning. One wrong move and containers of all shapes and sizes come tumbling out with a crash. And if you’ve spent too much time around your grandparents, their definition of Tupperware may have rubbed off on you — making your storage cabinet a simultaneous time machine of sorts.

The result is a daily annoyance of mixing, matching, and carefully stacking these items. It’s like a puzzle with no clear answer. And each frustrating minute that it adds to your schedule is an obstacle that leads to another $15 to-go lunch or a perfectly good leftover-meal thrown away.

So when I decided to clean out and upgrade my storage containers to a set of matching glass ones, I knew it was time to get this cabinet under control. To back it up to the big picture, I craved a sense of, “The world may be falling apart, but at least I know where to find the right container for my farro bowl leftovers.” And more casually, I just wanted a neatly organized cabinet that looked like it belonged to an adult — you know, like something off one of those organization TikToks.

Enter the most basic and simple solution: a metal cabinet storage shelf rack. You can find them inexpensively online, like this set of six for $44.

I ordered two and had them on my doorstep the next day. I ripped open the box and, with absolutely no assembly required, I began the Tetris game of figuring out where I might neatly stack the containers I decided to keep. I gathered their matching tops in an extra dish, which made it easy to grab the right container and the right top in one fell swoop.

Here’s one trick I have for making this organizing project even easier: Measure your cabinets carefully and accurately before you place your order, but remember that you can think creatively. I have one placed longways, while another fits horizontally across. These incredibly versatile shelf racks could also be used for glassware and mug organization, or a cabinet with cumbersome skillets and pans. I’ve got it on my to-do list to measure those soon. Why stop at just one organized cabinet, right?

And, hey, if I can have a little sense of organizational delight each time I open my storage container cabinet, then that’s something to write home (or in AT) about.

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Organized My Entire Storage Container Cabinet for Less Than $100