Hi friends! When you’re beginning your organizing journey, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a beautiful pantry loaded with glass jars and OXO containers. But the functionality of how you use your pantry should always come first. So I am here to answer: when to decant and when to leave it in the package!

decant

verbde·cant | \ di-ˈkant , dē- \
decanted; decanting; decants

1: to pour from one vessel into another

2: to pour out, transfer, or unload as if by pouring

My general rule of thumb is this: if you will be using up the entire package at once (like a box of mac-n-cheese), leave it in the package. If you’ll be using it gradually (like a package of flour or box of cereal), decant it! However, this rule of thumb doesn’t apply to all families in all situations. For instance, there is some nuance when it comes to items that aren’t used all at once but are used up fairly quickly— like chips.

If you are a mom with high-school kids and your stash of chips is constantly being depleted, you may prefer to get some chip clips and throw those bad boys into a basket. The key here is that the chips are still contained in a bin (like with like). This is also practical for someone who doesn’t have the budget for a bunch of new containers or doesn’t enjoy decanting (personally, it’s my favorite part of grocery shopping!) In these scenarios, I always like to install a bin for “Eat First” snacks (for the already-open bags) and “Backstock” snacks for the giant bags of Costco chips waiting in the wings. That way, there is still some order to your pantry and you aren’t wasting a bunch of money on stale chips!

The items that I would always recommend decanting are items that you have in your pantry for months at a time and especially those items that you always have stocked (like flour or sugar). In those cases, you can buy the perfect container for that item and just refill it as it gets low. I love that you always have tabs on what needs refilling for these items. And a huge bonus is that it stays much fresher. Please, please, please just get rid of those terrible paper bags of flour! Who on earth decided that was a good way to sell flour?!?!

what, you don’t store your peanut butter upside down?

If there are specialty bags of flour (or something similar) that ARE used all at once, keep those in the package until you’re ready to use them.

When it comes to single-serve items like protein bars or gummy snacks, I like to “decant” these, but not fully. Take them out of their boxes and group them in a bin together or line them up in a drawer… just be sure to get rid of the bulky boxes that simply take up space in your pantry (and who wants that terrible sinking feeling of reaching in the box for the last fig bar only to realize the box is empty!? Tragic!)

The same goes for items like onions or potatoes that you buy in a big bag. By the way, try to store onions and potatoes with some space between them— they produce gases that cause the other to spoil quicker.

Below, find some of my all-time favorite products to use when decanting or organizing a pantry!

I hope that helps you organize the pantry of your dreams!

Decanting 101

decant