Why Updating Your Pantry Matters

In my own home and in the homes I clean, I’ve seen how quickly pantries can spiral into clutter. Forgotten tins shoved to the back, half-used packets spilling everywhere, or spices that are years past their best. Taking the time to clear it out regularly is not just about food safety, although that is important. It also saves money and makes cooking and cleaning far less stressful.

When you know exactly what you have, you stop buying duplicates and you can actually see the ingredients that inspire you to cook. Your current ingredients are also less likely to spill or leak, which means less mess to clean later.

Before I made pantry checks a habit, I used to stand staring at the shelves, pulling out a jar of something sticky from years ago, then shoving it back because I didn’t want to deal with it. Now, with a streamlined pantry, I cook more easily, waste far less, and even feel more motivated in the kitchen.

Items to Toss from Your Pantry

If you want your pantry to feel lighter and more practical, there are a few categories worth paying special attention to:

1. Outdated spices and herbs

I used to keep jars of paprika and dried basil for years, only to find they had no flavour left when I needed them. Old spices aren’t harmful, but they make your cooking bland and kindof oppose the whole point of adding them in the first place. A good test is rubbing a pinch between your fingers. If there’s no smell, it’s time to replace. If you’re up to it, you can write the purchase date on each jar, especially for spices you know you don’t use often, so that you know when it’s been sitting too long.

2. Expired tins and jars

Cans and jars feel like they last forever, but they don’t. Expired canned food can lose flavour, texture, and sometimes even develop dangerous bacteria. If you have a section of canned goods you know you haven’t touched in years, I suggest checking for bulging, rusted or dented cans and throw those immediately. If you catch items just before expiry, you can make a “cook soon” basket and plan meals around them instead of letting them go to waste.

3. Open bags of flour

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen tiny weevils crawling through old flour or rice. Once they’re in, they spread quickly. If you find pests, toss the whole bag, clean the shelf thoroughly, and decant new dry goods into airtight containers. If you buy products in bulk, such as rice, you can keep a ‘bulk’ container and a ‘use’ container, so that one is around for easy access and you risk less contamination. 

4. Forgotten treats

Pantries often hide boxes of biscuits, chocolates or sweets that have been sitting there since last Christmas. These go stale, attract pests, and create clutter. If they’re unopened and still in date, donate them to a local food bank. If they’re past it, let them go. Your shelves will thank you. If they’re suitable, such as nuts, you can also add them to your bird feeder! 

5. Unloved items

We all have those jars of exotic sauce or health powders we swore we’d use and never did, or wanted to try and were very underwhelmed with the taste. They take up space and make you feel guilty every time you see them. My approach is to either find a recipe to finally use them, donate unopened items before they expire, check if friends want any opened items, and if not, go the Marie Kondo way and say goodbye. Clearing them out makes your pantry feel lighter and more practical, and eases the mental burden on you.

My approach is simple:

• Find a recipe to use them up.

• Donate unopened items before they expire.

• Offer opened ones to friends if suitable.

• If none of the above, thank them for their service and let them go.

  
  

Clearing out these unloved items makes your pantry feel fresher and eases that subtle mental burden of “I really should use this one day”.