Are you one of those who loves to have a clean pantry but just can’t figure out a way to maintain one? The one thing that never seems to stop is adding the items to the pantry inventory. But don’t worry, it is indeed the same story in every kitchen. But there are ways you can make it efficient and less tedious. Read more to know how!
Although the kitchen is the smallest portion of your home, however, when it comes to the pantry inventory list and the management, it needs is the utmost attention. Being meticulous with the pantry inventory list seems to be a hard work and a tough job for sure. But there are plenty of ways to tackle and organize pantry with the checklist that we have spoken about to make your life simpler.
Kitchen Inventory Lists And Pantry Checklist:
Before we jump directly to the printable pantry inventory sheet, let us take a moment to see which method suits you the best. The kitchen inventory lists are great example of this. You can surely keep a track of what you have, what you need and what you might to keep the kitchen more organized. But honestly, don’t you think, this might work out for a few weeks? And on a longer run, this might be frustrating with the number of items we have or use. Face it, you just cannot be sure all time as to what is stocked at home or what you might need in future. Consider these below pointers to understand more.
Whether to buy or not to buy?
This question only looks simple but the toughest one is to answer to this when you are in a grocery store full of items around you and you have no idea if you really need it. This happens especially when you do not have a list of grocery to buy readily with you. You might end up buying either too much or too less. Both of it results in wastage because when you forget to include something important, you might just not be able to cook what you planned (of course until you visit the store all the way again for that little thing!) It is very likely that the ingredients that you might have bought extra could go waste because you cannot put everything into as it is too much! So yeah – wastage again! For example extra bags of frozen berries or anything that does not have enough shelf life is bound to go bad.
Are you Ready to Learn From the Restaurant Professionals?
If we are to learn from someone on making a kitchen pantry inventory list, it must be the restaurant professionals. First this is their job and for their efficient business (which obviously they get paid for) they want to be perfectly efficient. Thus, as we have already spoken about that we are much more negligent. Although we are allowed to make last minute changes to our menu and food plan, but they aren’t allowed to do so! They do not have a choice like any of us do. And hence they have their own custom-made systems to keep their pantry food list inventory. Not only is that an expensive database solution but also complex and huge which does not suit our home and household requirements.
How about a Butler?
So there was a time when we had butlers and live-in maids to do the household work. That was a great solution to have a master pantry inventory list. Their jobs were full time and they could manage everything in the house right from popcorn to ice-creams. But since the 21st century, we do not have out personal butlers to help and had to find our own ways of getting things done. Be it in the fridge or the shelves, it is our duty to check everything now. And then the expiry dates? Isn’t that the most annoying thing, when you are about to cook something and realize the item has passed its expiry? Well we all face that. Constantly looking into the list to add and subtract is doable but is it efficient enough?
What should you do then?
Technology has shows its power and has blessed us with a lot of things to make our lives as simple as possible (or call it as dependent). We can surely rely on the digital list for everything right from the shelves to the fridge. There are plenty of such applications which are freely available in Android and iOS for your use. That is indeed a relief. But there are many smart and healthy grocery list makers that we have already published an article weeks ago. Try reading it and see which app suits you the best.
Once you have an inventory, it is simpler. There is no magic wand for it but you can do it one by one. We know you do not have the time of the world with you, but once you are done with the inventory, it is more or less updating it every time which consumes comparatively lesser time.
Printable Pantry Inventory Sheet is another brilliant idea to ease your life!
Take a look at the planning tips where it lets you create meals from what you already have in hand and what you want to buy to stock up. The sections “Canned Goods, Beans/ Grains/ Pasta, Baking/ Spices and condiments” make it easier. This not only removes the guilt of having something stored in the back of the racks hidden and wasted but also helps you keep a check on the expiry dates every time you make a list. Make sure to keep your pantry organized always, in that way, you keep things neat and plan it better.
Few more important points to note would be:
- To monitor the deep freezer such that items do not go bad.
- Keep the leftovers aside together and take a look before you decide to stock up any more food and keep the old one refrigerated.
- Good practices includes to make a note of what has been consumed by striking it off and keeping a track of the date when the fruits and vegetables were bought.
You can always modify and have few more sections to simplify like “Deserts, Meat, Fruits and Vegetables, etc.” Print it and make your pantry inventory in no time!
