Happy Easter and Fun with Spring Cleaning

Clean Sweep

• Throw open your cabinets and pull everything out—all the spice jars, all the half-empty sacks of flour, all the old cans of beans: everything. Small packages and little bottles of spices always end up getting pushed to the back of the cabinet or tucked behind a box of crackers. You won’t be able to see what you’re working with until it is all out in front of you; you might even find a few forgotten gems. When everything is pulled out, take a second to wipe down the shelves and replace any torn or stained shelf liners.

Purge

• Purging your cabinets of unused or unnecessary foods can be a tough activity for some people. Steel your nerves and remind yourself you deserve new, fresh kitchen staples.
• Start by tossing all the accumulated half-empty boxes of sugar and bags of flour. Declutter! Declutter!
• Toss or combine any duplicate spices. One home does not need four 2/3rds-full jars of celery salt.
• If you know you’re not going to use it and it’s unopened and unspoiled, consider donating it to a local food pantry or non-profit. If it’s opened, toss it.
• If you’re feeling like you’re in need of a fresh start, toss the high sugar cereal, sodas and snack cookies too!

Package

• Standard flour bags and sugar boxes are just terrible. They let in moisture, tear easily and they keep you from seeing how much product is left inside. Invest in a set of resealable, airtight jars to store your pasta, flour, sugar and salt and other dry goods.
• Switching from the manufacture’s packaging to resealable jars may also encourage you to shop in bulk, saving you money and trips to the grocery store.

Restock

• Now that your pantry has been stripped to its bare essentials, it is time to restock the essentials and fill in the holes with a healthy and indispensable products.
• A well-rounded pantry provides the structure for a range of meals. Make a list of your 10 favorite weeknight dinners. Strip those recipes down to their non-perishable ingredients and—if space allows—make sure your pantry has everything it needs to handle cooking each recipe once.

Organize

• As you put everything back in your fridge take some time to consider when and how you’ll be using everything. Seasonal products (like holiday cookie cutters or pumpkin pie spices) don’t need to be stored in the prime real estate.
• Reserve the front and center shelves for healthy snacks and ingredients. You’re more likely to eat it if you see it!

Once everything is put back in its proper spot, pour yourself a glass of wine. You deserve it!
For more tips on keeping a clean and healthy pantry check out Kelsey Nixon’s Kitchen Confidence and the upcoming Perfect Pantry from Geoffrey Zakarian.