Martha Stewart's Decades-Old Glass Storage Tips For An Organized Pantry

Over the years, Martha Stewart has offered up plenty of tips, tricks, and hacks for how to get the most out of people's homes. From organization to storage solutions, Stewart has shared plenty of ideas for what people can try in their own homes to have a more functional setup. Even tips that are decades old are still useful today, including Stewart's suggestions for how to have an organized kitchen pantry, which features the use of glass jars and canisters to keep things tidy. 

In a clip from 1998, Stewart shows off her television show set pantry, which was modeled after one of her own home pantries. It features lots of glass storage, including glass boxes for sugar and vanilla beans, jars for dog treats, and plenty of jams and jellies that have been canned in unique glass jars. Other jars on her shelves feature kitchen staples such as dried beans and spices. Everything is clearly visible inside the jars, making it easy to see what you have and even what you may need. In the clip, it looks like most items are clearly labeled as well, which helps with keeping things organized. Even though this clip is almost 30 years old, Stewart's pantry organization scheme is still useful today. 

If you are going to reuse jars as part of your pantry organization, as Martha Stewart does, then you want to have lids for those jars that go on tightly and stay on. Mason jars are excellent for this purpose, as they feature a rubber seal that keeps the contents sealed in an air-tight environment. This means that whatever you have in the jars will be fresher for longer. Decorative jars that are not air-tight can be used for individually packaged items like candies and biscuits. Keep in mind that different pantry goods have different storage requirements, and choose your jars accordingly. For example, flour and grains keep best in airtight, opaque jars to prevent pests and light exposure, while dried herbs benefit from smaller glass jars that preserve their aroma.

Stewart stores her lesser-used dry goods on the top shelf of the pantry. They are still accessible, but out of the way in favor of more frequently used items. Plus, in the lower part of the pantry, she keeps both the heavier items that can also be more bulky, including bottles of water, and excess goods like flour, to make them easier to lift and carry. All of these tips are timeless ways to keep your pantry organized, user-friendly, and tidy.