KITCHEN FOOD STORAGE
Kitchen food storage has always been a challenge down through history. Dehydrated foods allowed for the longest storage, but in climates that were not hot and dry, the ability to have a good variety of long term storage was limited. There was a huge break through over 100 years ago when ice became more available in the average Western household. The ice box created a revolution particularly with regard to storing meat and other perishables that would normally not keep their freshness very long. The next step was the refrigerator and of course the freezer which create significantly longer term storage for such items as meats and vegetables.
In this article the emphasis will not be on the capacities of refrigeration and various kinds of refrigerators and freezers. Rather it will address what other kinds of containers and storage arrangements are available in kitchens. The nature and condition of foods will be relative to the storage arrangement, but dehydrated and freeze dried foods, which can be stored for long periods of time usually in their own customize wrapping and containers will always be one of the options for long term storage in a kitchen.
Breads, crackers and chips are still best stored in a bread box type of arrangement. It is then also helpful to have some packaging arrangement in the box which allows for longer term storage. For cereal, one of the best storage arrangements if you do not have a well sealed cereal box is to have cereal dispensers.
For bulk storage it is best to have large air tight containers. To optimize such bulk in a kitchen, it is best to have sets of containers that fit snugly together and to have shelves which accommodate large containers. For large bulk it is ideal to have small openings or doors in the sealed container where one can get a scoop or other instrument to take out small quantities, rather than having to open the larger lid of a container.
A kitchen that is well organized for longer term storage is going to have in it or close by a large panty. Within that pantry should be extensive shelving. Part of what is optimally on that shelving are various commercial and home canned good. Home canning will almost always be an important part of such storage. It is helpful to always have a supply of canning bottles lids on hand for when the occasion arises to promptly can foods as they become available.
Seeing the food clearly is important in effective storage. Having at least some clear containers is a key element in readily being able to not only see what food is present, but how much. One can buy accordingly much easier if one can simply glance at the levels of food inside of containers. In any event containers holding food, where the contents are not visible should be labled, so the foods can be readily accessed.
Organizing systems can be extremely helpful for optimizing storage. This is clearly the case for an entire kitchen design including cabinets. Something that often is overlooked are the excellent organizing systems that are available for pantries. Since pantries can be the most important storage center in the kitchen one can revolutionize one’s storage capacity with such a system in place.
OUR LATEST PRODUCTS