Pantry: Sort 整理
Remove everything that doesn't belong.
Most pantries contain several years of expired products and duplicates that accumulated because nothing was visible.
Understand the zones before you sort
Breakfast zone
Cereals · Oats · Granola
Bread · Spreads · Honey
Coffee · Tea · Filters
Cooking staples
Pasta · Rice · Lentils
Oils · Vinegars · Sauces
Stock · Tinned tomatoes
Baking zone
Flour · Sugar · Baking powder
Cocoa · Vanilla · Yeast
Chocolate chips · Nuts
Bulk + snacks
Snacks · Crisps · Bars
Spare stock (new behind old)
Overflow before it's opened
FIFO always: new stock goes behind old stock, every time. Use from the front, restock to the back. No more finding three-year-old pasta behind last week's shop.
Sort tasks for the Pantry
- Remove everything from the pantry completely
- Check every item for expiry — toss anything expired
- Toss anything opened that has been sitting for 6+ months
- Consolidate duplicates: multiple open bags of the same thing get combined
- Remove anything that doesn't belong in the pantry
- Check spice rack: toss spices older than 2 years or that have lost their smell
What is the Sort phase?
Sort (整理, Seiri) is the first phase: remove every item that doesn't belong in the space. Expired products, duplicates, broken items, and things used elsewhere all leave before any organising begins. You cannot set up a good system around things that shouldn't be there.
Common questions about the Pantry
How do I organise my pantry?
Group by how you cook: breakfast zone (cereals, bread, coffee), cooking staples (pasta, rice, oils, sauces), baking (flour, sugar, raising agents), and snacks/bulk at the back. Decant dry staples into clear uniform containers. Use turntables on every shelf so nothing is buried at the back.
How do I stop buying things I already have in the pantry?
FIFO rotation (new behind old, use from the front) and a shopping list on the pantry door. When you open the last of anything, it goes on the list immediately. A visible, organised pantry means you can see your stock at a glance — the problem is almost always a pantry where items are hidden behind other items.
How often should I clean out my pantry?
A quick expiry check monthly (5–10 minutes, just check dates while putting away the weekly shop) and a full pull-everything-out sort quarterly. Most pantry clutter accumulates slowly and invisibly until the quarterly sort.
Common Pantry mistakes
✗ Mistake
Mixed categories across all shelves
✓ Fix
Breakfast items deserve a shelf. Dinner staples deserve a shelf. One category per zone.
✗ Mistake
Tins stacked multiple deep
✓ Fix
A turntable on every shelf means everything is accessible without moving anything