I absolutely hate wasting food. The worst thing is when someone opens a packet of crackers or biscuits and doesn't store them properly. The stale remains get thrown in the bin because no ones wants to eat stale crackers. Such a waste.
I've been hoarding a mismatched collection of glass jars to store my packaged foods in. I dislike opened packets of food like pasta and flour in my pantry. I grab things too enthusiastically and end up sprinkling grains and rice all over the floor. I've starting storing all my dry goods in labelled glass jars on a shelf, as my kitchen has very few built in cupboards.
Tips For Glass Jar Labelling and Storage
* Use an old school Dymo label maker if you can get your hands on one, because the labels are really sturdy, it's cheaper to use than new label makers and it looks ghetto fabulous.
* Try to recycle as many jars as you can. I find that the ones that work best are pasta sauce jars. They're a good size for things like lentils and they clean up well. A lot of things like jam and pesto continue to smell like jam and pesto. Pasta sauce jars lose their pasta sauce smell quite easily.
* You can put all glass jars in a dishwasher and most lids too.
* To remove labels from jars soak them in boiling water in the sink. When the water has cooled enough start scrubbing the labels with a scourer.
* If there's any residue left, remove it with eucalyptus oil or orange oil.
* Make sure you thoroughly wash your jars again after the label removal process.
* Keep the Dymo or label maker and spare tape in one of your kitchen drawers. That way it will always be on hand when you need to label a jar.
* Wash your jars regularly.
* Keep an eye out for cheap jars when doing your shopping. An eclectic mix of different jars looks great.
What are your kitchen storage solutions? How do you store your dry goods in your pantry?
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