I love my Baker’s Cabinet for all it’s delectable possibilities. When I look, I don’t see 4 different types of sugar, and 6 different flour types, I see homemade bread, and naan, and muffins, and cake….mmmmm cake.
Organizing by Zone
I love that I can bring my mixing bowl to the counter space right below the baking cabinet and easily pull things as I need them and put them back right away. Not everything associated with baking is going to be right there in the baking zone. Some items are “cross over” items, like salt which you’ll find in my seasoning cabinet, or baking utensils which will be in their various zones as well. However you decide to manage each specific area, creating zones simplifies things greatly!
Items I keep in my bakers cabinet:
- Flour: whole white wheat, whole wheat, unbleached, grahm, gluten, masa harina, garam, and mung dahl flour.
- Corn meal & polenta
- Sugar: brown, powdered, sucanat, stevia, and organic cane.
- Cornstarch, agar agar
- Baking powder
- Dry yeast
- Tapioca & flaxseed
- Oats: rolled, quick
- Honey, corn syrup, and agave nectar
- Essence of vanilla, essence of almond
Keeping the Sweet & Sticky Contained…
How? HOW?? No matter how careful I am, somehow the honey bottle is always sticky. That sweet but insidious honey drip manages to find its way onto my cabinet shelf, and eventually everything is a tiny bit sticky. The best solution is to use a tray that can be popped into the dishwasher every couple weeks for maximum clean.
An easily removable tray combined with shelf liner can do wonders! Shelf liners alone are not sufficient; they are not easily removed.
Scoops
You know that moment when you get some brown sugar for your cup of tea and find remnants of flour in the sugar because someone decided to use the same measuring cup to scoop both? Yeah, I hate that. Every area in my kitchen, and almost every container has it’s own scoop. It makes it quick and easy to grab, and keeps all ingredients in their rightful home! I own several small scoops, and a few large plastic ones I saved from powdered-milk canisters (baby formula). These are perfect for scooping sugar, cornstarch, and items you usually only need a small quantity of.
The large metal scoops are from an East Indian spice storage canister my sister gave me, I used the base and cover to hold the honey and corn syrup. The cups are the perfect size for scooping flour, oats, anything you might need a fairly large quantity of.
Healthy Baker Habits
Organizing the baking cabinet is the ideal time to inspire yourself to bake more, and bake healthier! A while ago I committed to the importance of bringing more whole grains and complex carbohydrates into my family’s diet as oppose to all the starchy void-of-nutrition, white refined products.
What better way to start than to stock your cabinets full of fiber rich items? If this is new to you, try incorporating ground flaxseed into your baking items, it’s high in fiber and will not noticeably change any of your favorite recipes.
Another tip to transition into whole grain is to use whole wheat white flour, just slightly more dense than unbleached flour it is fantastic! It is quite a bit pricier, so if you can’t afford it, how about making a percentage of the flour called for in a recipe whole wheat? If you need, ease in, but whatever you do, include as many whole grains into your diet as possible!
UPDATE: Why This Still Works In My Current Kitchen + Changes Made
Several years and a new house later, I am still using employing a bakers cabinet with the same containers and scoops.
My one addition is a bakers drawer which houses our many sugar options, plus a few smaller quantity baker supplies.
Want to see how I store and organize other foods and spices? See the rest of my kitchen and read more about my kitchen’s food storage solutions here!
I’m so curious what you keep in your bakers cabinet and you have this title
Items I keep in my bakers cabinet:
but it’s missing the items…can you please update? Thanks.
Oh that is strange…they are listed but for some reason it isn’t showing for you. 🙁 Hmm, it could be a formatting problem. Ok, I have tweaked the article…does it work now? Can you see my list?
Thank you so much for pointing it out! Happy reading! 😉
Love how you organized your pantry. Very neat. I don’t have one yet but, eventually I’ll find a way to fit one in my small kitchen.
First, let me say how much I enjoy your blog and your amazing creativity. I don’t see your ideas on all the other blogs – they are originals! And I love that.
I have a suggestion for your shelves instead of liners. I use peel and stick vinyl tile. You can very often find them for a bargain prince at the home improvement stores. They’re so easy to apply and cut with a scissors. When it comes to cleanup, they can’t be beat. A quick wipe with a damp cloth and they sparkle again. They are especially good under the sink where you might experience spills. Next time you’re at the HIS, check them out: they have a shiny, smooth surface and you’ll see why I love these.
What a sweet compliment! I truly appreciate it!
Wow, thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely have to check that out…with kids, every little tip helps! 🙂
I love this!! I really need to get a better handle on my pantry and these ideas are so inspiring! Where did you purchase the containers for all the baking goods? They are perfect!
Thank you! I found these containers at Walmart for a couple dollars and change each!
Hi, I can’t find these containers at my Walmart. Any ideas on where I can look?
Thanks
Sorry to hear that… unfortunately they are in store only at this time. Here is the link for them: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-2-Qt-Canister/16408651 . I would follow the link and see which local Walmart near you carries it. Or perhaps put in an order at your local Walmart by giving them the item number. Hope that helps! 😉
Thank you for the link!
Are these containers good for brown sugar?
Will be keep it from drying out? I guess I am wondering how airtight the jars are. Thanks. 🙂
Yes! I use them for my brown sugar for just that reason! 🙂 Thanks for reading!