The COVID-19 pandemic spiked grocery sales in the United States. According to March 2020 statistics, grocery sales grew by 83%. While panic buying is partially responsible for this increase, more people started to cook at home in response as a way to save money and stay inside.
Even though takeout is available, people don’t eat out as much. In fact, new evidence suggest that more at-home meals take place. This comes at a price though, and that price is that the kitchen is overstocked and out of sorts. An organized kitchen makes it easier to find ingredients when preparing food. Since people buy more food now, it may be harder to find where to put your newly purchased groceries. Don’t fret because we have great tips to help keep your kitchens healthy and organized, which can help you keep stress levels down while at home.
Clean Out The Pantry
It’s easy to forget about foods that you purchase, especially if they get lost in the depths of the pantry. Rather than burying the old food items in the backs of your shelves, take the time to examine which foods belong in the pantry and which ones need to be thrown out. Once you get rid of expired foods, organize the pantry based on food groups. Store snacks together, store canned goods together, store baking supplies together, and store beverages together. The goal is to make it easy for you to find what you need when you open the pantry.
Create A Pantry
Not everyone has the luxury of having a pantry (we’re talking about all the apartment dwellers out there). When you have limited storage space, you have to get creative. Find a space that is near your kitchen, put in some shelves or stack boxes, and have this be your pantry during stay-at-home orders. This space is for your nonperishables.
Buy Fresh And Freeze
Fresh is best and we strongly endorse that everyone buy fresh produce items. They provide essential nutrients that nourish the body, which is important during these times. Too often do people buy fresh produce items and throw them away before using them because they went bad. Avoid this problem by washing your produce, chopping it up, and placing it in freezer bags or containers. You can prep smoothie bags or prep vegetable combinations for healthy vegetable sides.
Put Leftovers On One Shelf
Leftovers make great lunches, but they can get lost in the chaos that is your fridge. To limit food waste and enjoy all the food you made, keep the containers with leftovers on one shelf. This helps you know where all your leftovers are, and you’ll think of them more often if they are in one place. This is the first step towards mindful eating.
Organize The Fridge
There are lots of groceries going in and out of the refrigerator these days. Keep tabs on what comes in and what goes out by allocating certain shelves, drawers, or door space to specific food items. For instance:
Use Bins
If you want to keep meal preparations together, prep your vegetables for specific meals and add them to containers. This will help you know what to make and you won’t have to think as much about cooking.
Keep Fruits And Vegetables At Eye Level
It’s natural to put fruits and vegetables in produce drawers, but it’s hard to see them in these drawers. Change that by storing produce on shelves that are at eye level. Seeing them more helps to avoid food waste, and it’s a friendly reminder to eat fruits and vegetables every day.
Store Condiments In The Door
Condiments remain the warmest because of the constant opening and closing of the fridge. Organize your condiments by height and move on from there.
