OrganizingLA Blog: Butler's Pantry
12 entries categorized "Butler's Pantry"
Supermarkets Were Born in California: Modern Life Was Never The Same
Ralphs' Grocery Company in Southern California originated the modern day supermarket. This one, from 1928, once stood at Wilshire and Hauser Blvd.
This afternoon I shopped for dinner groceries at Ralphs in Los Angeles' Miracle Mile. The store, while large with subterranean parking and several floors is no match for the Ralphs I've seen in other less congested areas of the city (those other stores are just massive). However, the abundance in view at any of these stores is always phenomenal. It's no surprise that many of today's modern kitchens, food and butler pantries have been overrun with "things" that clutter up our lives due to the ease of shopping and availability of goods all under one roof.
But believe it or not there was a time when large brick and mortar "supermarket" stores did not exist, and shopping carts were not even imagined.
Continue reading "Supermarkets Were Born in California: Modern Life Was Never The Same" »
Posted on January 21, 2014 in Butler's Pantry, Celebrity Organization, Kitchen | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Our Food Safety Post - The Conversation Continues
Our food safety post from August 15th got some interesting comments from Facebook.
We'd like to share one of them with you:
Continue reading "Our Food Safety Post - The Conversation Continues" »
Posted on September 09, 2011 in Butler's Pantry, Kitchen, Recycling | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Avoid Going Psycho: Make Food Safety a Priority and Check Expiration Dates
Having a beautiful, accessible, abundant food pantry is the goal of every one of our organizing clients.
That is why while organizing and decluttering client's kitchens, refrigerators and food pantries around Los Angeles we make it a point to check the expiration dates of canned and other convenience foods throughout the spaces. Food safety is and should continue to be a priority for you and your family. It's important for us, it should be important to you. Please check yours. Do it now!
Why check your dates?
Depending on where you live, more and more people have year-round access to fresh vegetables and fruit through our modern distribution network. Unfortunately with the availability of these fresh food items, some clients purchase canned goods, packaged foods and beverages in containers and forget about them for quite some time. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we neglect to regularly check expiration dates on these foods inside the pantry including spices. This can lead to spoilage and food-borne illness just waiting to happen, especially when canned goods and jars are stored in the basement or garage and you forget about them.
Don't go Psycho:
Now, imagine Lila (Vera Miles) is not screaming because she just discovered a mummified Mrs. Bates in the psychological thriller Psycho basement scene. She just got a glimpse of some of the expiration dates on canning jars behind her in the fruit cellar. Don't let this happen to you.
Rescue yourself:
Fortunately, you don't need a professional organiser to help rescue you from bad expiration dates, you can save yourself. The American Dietetic Association has some tips for you not only when storing, but buying canned food goods:
Avoid buying canned goods that show signs of bulging, denting or leaking;
Throw away any canned goods in your pantry with similar signs of bulging, denting or leaking;
Store canned goods in a cool, dry place--not above the oven or under the sink;
As a general rule, canned goods can be kept up to 12 months unopened;
Clean cans before opening them to avoid contamination of contents.
More tips on food safety for deli meats, frozen foods, dried and cured meats are located here. Here are some more toss tips when the power goes out in an emergency.
What food safety tips can you share with our readers?
For helping spread the word about the importance of home food safety, I was entered into a drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card and an iPad through Summertime Food Smarts, a contest run by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods' Home Food Safety program. Home Food Safety is dedicated to raising consumer awareness about the seriousness of foodborne illness and providing solutions for easily and safely handling foods. Learn more at www.homefoodsafety.org.
Posted on August 15, 2011 in Butler's Pantry, Celebrity Organization, Food and Drink, Kitchen | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Continue reading "How Brad Pitt Convinced Me to Sell My Silver—and Simplify My Life" »
Posted on December 18, 2010 in Butler's Pantry, Celebrity Organization, Home & Home Office Tips | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Organizing Emergency: How To Find A Lazy Susan
Henia Bodalski, a New Jersey interior designer and owner of Design Studio Interiors wrote the following question recently and agreed to have us feature it here on the OrganizingLA Blog.
"While looking through Better Homes & Garden, March 2008 issue and reading the "Vanity Fair" article on page 62, OrganizingLA endorsed a quick turnaround, Lazy Susan-style turntable in the photo. I also loved the under the sink door organizer.
Can you forward the manufacture of these products? It’s exactly what I’ve been in pursuit for an interior design client."
Hi Henia!
You've now only discovered the Holy Grail of organizing? We did not choose the products in the photos for the Better Homes and Gardens piece. However, the turntable in the vanity was from Target. We like it too for the sleek, stainless steel sides. The unit might have a rubber or coating on the top and may not or may not be from Michael Graves. A quick look at Target.com did not turn up anything that looked like this under the search terms lazy susan, turntable, or Michael Graves. But I think they have these in the stores usually in the housewares department.
KangaRoom Storage(pictures right) makes the door organizer. The item was not on their website when the BH&G piece was published. We could not find it, but here it is.
You can also get something similar to these items at the Container Store. If you are in New Jersey, the Cherry Hill location is closer than Paramus. I know you can get them direct from Rubbermaid,too. Lazy Susans come in several sizes, wood, plastic, marble, metal, copper and that means also a variety of price points. Kangaroom makes the only real cool door organizer that we know of.
image courtesy Stacks and Stacks and KangaRoom Storage
Posted on October 27, 2008 in Butler's Pantry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)