Is your phone all organized now? Are you ready for an easy project away from the couch? How about decanting your pantry items? With all the baking I’ve been doing at home, I got really sick of the messy flour and sugar bags. I took 10 minutes of my Saturday night (what else is there to do now?) and decanted! I also have a solution for all the cooking directions on your pasta and rice packages so decant those too.
What is decanting? You know those fancy glass bottles called decanters people have on their bars? They have that name because you decant the liquor from the manufacturer’s bottle. Same thing applies to pantry goods. So now you know the name and verb behind all those cute flour and sugar containers you see in Pinterest kitchens.
How to Decant
First, gather all your containers and all your products you want to decant. Try to match them up by size. The big one for flour, medium for sugar, small for popcorn, etc. Then start decanting! Add some labels to the containers and you’re done.
A tip for flour: flour has a lot of air so even if your container is big enough for the 5lb bag, you may have trouble getting it to fit. Gently but firmly bang the container on the counter to compact the flour down. I gained 4 more inches in a matter of minutes in my canister. It is a noisy task so keep that in mind if you have nappers in your house.
I’ve been wanting to do this for years. I actually registered for a lot of sets of these canisters for my wedding registry. But they hadn’t been used much except to hold coffee and our laundry detergent. But now nearly every one is used and my pantry and cupboards look so much nicer! Plus, no trail of flour when I pull the canister out.
One of the main reasons I waited so long to decant was that I wanted pretty labels. But guys, don’t have cute labels hold you back. Our Dymo label maker is just fine and even if it’s not beautiful lettering, the canister is still prettier than the original packaging. Trust me on this. Even painters tape and a sharpie can look better.
Another concern for decanting rice, quinoa, and pasta was that I wouldn’t have the cooking instructions. Some rice I make enough that I have the cooking times memorized, but most of them I can’t remember the rice to water ratio. Remember the baking conversion chart I made? I made a cooking times sheet for the cupboard right by the stove. The location could not be more perfect and I have all the info I need right there!
We’re all home and cooking and baking more than ever. Might as well have your pantry goods decanted and looking nice! Plus, if you need the extra pantry space for food, you can leave them on the counter and it won’t look cluttered. Happy decanting!