Is A Cake Stand The Best Way To Organize Your Kitchen Pantry? We Might Do Things Differently

Any storage space with a door has potential to become a major clutter trap. Just close the door, and voilà, your kitchen looks instantly tidier! This lazy person's solution is fine for cabinets and closets that you don't open often. However, a kitchen pantry is definitely not one of these spots. In my household, the pantry is in constant use. It takes up the better portion of a wall, and with the two bifold doors open, there's a lot on display. Although it's not in horrible disorder, we haven't implemented the best way to organize our pantry, that's for sure. A pet peeve of mine is not using vertical space if it's available, and kitchen storage is premium space for us (as it is for most people). Could a cake stand help me maximize our shelves' capacity?

Glancing at the pantry, I noticed several shelves with empty headroom. A round cake stand sitting on a central pedestal could stand in as a shelf for small containers, boosting some into previously underused space and allowing room for others to rest below it. One spot in the pantry was especially in need of organizational attention: Multiple small jars, cans, and packets were sort of piled up in a corner on a shelf in a way that made it impossible to know what was there. This 11-inch-tall space would be my guinea pig area to equip with a cake stand-turned-shelf.

A white melamine cake stand by Makery, purchased from Michaels, came to the rescue. The stand has a 10-inch-diameter round tray sitting on a 5-inch-tall slightly fluted central column. Its basic design is enhanced with a scalloped ¾ -inch lip around the edge; I thought the rim would be useful for preventing other items from slipping off the platform while one of us grabbed something from the stand. I chose this model for its low price of $13, figuring that if it didn't work as storage enhancement, at least it could hold up a delicious cake baked by my husband later on.

Among the jumble of forgotten foodstuffs in the targeted corner, I sorted them by size. Some items were short enough to sit under the platform while others were just the right fit to stand atop the tray. After wiping down both the shelf and the cake stand with my new obsession, "cinn-egar" (a cinnamon and vinegar mixture I tested in my home to banish pet odors), I placed the assortment of containers both on and under the stand. I arranged them as best as I could to make them visible without having to manipulate lots of other things. One simple glance told me that I'd find these things better, and it used the headspace between the shelves down to a hair.

My objective of saving space and making our pantry's contents easier to find was met. However, to be fair, the pantry items on and around the cake stand are things we don't use every day. Stuff like jars of seasonings, small bulk containers, and bottles of flavored vinegar ended up here. I figured we'd have a better chance of using these nonperishables if we had a visual reminder they were available. But if I'd used the stand for weekly or daily essentials, I might not find a cake stand to be the most practical storage solution.

We buy most of our staples and common household items in bulk to save money and cut down on unnecessary packaging, so these larger containers wouldn't fit on or under a cake stand. In hindsight, I realized that a cake stand with a rotating tray, like a lazy Susan, would've been a better choice. I could have turned the tray to reach something without having to remove other objects from the tray. Still, stands with both a pedestal and turntable were significantly more expensive than the model I ordered. I also realized that a stand with a square tray would've used the corner space on my shelf better. Still, the contraption served its purpose for a pretty low price.

I'm someone who is always seeking out money-saving options whenever possible. As I take in my new-and-improved pantry shelf, I can't help thinking about those wonderful Dollar Tree Essentials white wire cabinet shelves I've used in other places around my house. For $1.50, one of these rectangular shelves could have accomplished the same feat for a much lower price. Granted, the cake stand is much sturdier and can play another role the next time my dude bakes a cake.

Still, the motivation I felt to bring order to the rest of the pantry will send me to Dollar Tree for a few more of these affordable Dollar Tree essentials to keep my kitchen organized and tidy rather than a cake stand in any form. The wire shelves' dimensions are nearly the same as the cake stand, but the low price, square corners, and tiny footprint of each of the legs would ultimately gain me more space in my pantry for pennies.