Can Rack System For Your Pantry

Submitted by David Trammel on Sat, 11/20/2021 - 07:12
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The Second Circle: Food and Water

I've seen a few DIY set ups, from just cardboard that's hot glued together to more solid construction. Here's one that I love

Though I would modify that with a simple rod/dowel, across the top layer of the rack levels, so that cans on the top wouldn't roll off. As it is, the person has to set a can vertically to do that.

Here is some other ideas, though they reuse a few ideas. I like number 5, putting it on the back side of a door to save space. If you don't have mad carpentry skills, then number 13, using heavy card board is an option.

"17 Homemade Canned Food Storage & Organizer Ideas You Can DIY Easily"

or this one if you can work in wood.

"DIY Rotating Canned Food System"

Do you have a space saver for your pantry?

Teresa from Hershey

Sat, 11/20/2021 - 10:38

I dunno. All these magic rack systems take up space.
We sort our goods manually. When cans and boxes come home from the store, Bill reads the manufacturer's date and writes it across the front of the package in big letters with a sharpie.
We simplify. We use month and year only.

Our pantry is wire-mesh shelving from Closet-Maid so there's plenty of air flow. Yes, cans have to be manually removed, placed on the laundry table, and then put back to keep the oldest products in front and the newest in back.

One advantage we've found is you have to *LOOK* at various products and ask yourself why you bought it. If something older turns up, it's time to use!

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lathechuck

Sat, 12/11/2021 - 20:59

The walls of my basement laundry room have wood paneling only on the opposite side, so the studs are all visible from the laundry area. I put 3/8" plywood shelves between the 2x4 studs, a little more than 2-3 stacked soup cans apart. Everything, including the purchase-date marking, is visible at a glance. Sometimes the contents of the oldest can determines the menu! It's easy to see when there's room to buy more in any of the usual sections: soup, tuna, canned tomatoes, broth, etc. Glass containers stay low to the floor.

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kma

Sun, 12/12/2021 - 10:51

While I personally would love to have everything visible for organization purposes, I also like to keep our storage a little more hidden. Not like our basement is grand central station or anything but the heater does have to get serviced occasionally and maybe random people don't need to know about my soup collection!

Mr. KMA has developed a shelving system made of 2x4s and plywood that allows us to fit standard sized totes on each shelf. I fill those totes with various categories carbs/cans/household numbered and then keep a list in a notebook, crossing things off when I use them. So my at-a-glance-storage is in the notebook and then yes, I do have to dig occasionally for a can of soup but I like having things not visible.

This doesn't create an easy FIFO system or let me keep a close eye on expiration dates, but every once is a while I rotate and nothing has gone so bad it can't be usable or ultimately, given to the chickens. On another thread, I did write about my trouble with shelf stable milk and have gone to powered/calcium pills for long term. I'm trying to think of anything else I've had trouble with rotating with the system and can't come up with anything off the top of my head.

Also, we use the same 2x4 tote system for garage organization - very handy!

It does also provide an extra layer of rodent protection but I still put in heavy duty containers inside the totes.