Expert Spotlight: This post is a guest contribution from Olivia Parks, Owner & Lead Organizer with Professional Organizers Baton Rouge.

If cooking often feels slower or more frustrating than it should, your pantry layout may be part of the problem. One simple way to speed things up is by organizing your pantry into zones. Pantry zones group similar items together based on how you actually use them, so you spend less time searching and more time cooking. Here are the most helpful pantry zones to set up:

Breakfast Zone

Cereal, oatmeal, granola, pancake mix, nut butters, and breakfast bars. Keeping all breakfast items together makes mornings quicker, smoother, and more predictable, especially on busy weekdays.

Baking Zone

Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips, and extracts. When baking supplies live in one place, recipes are easier to follow, and you’re not bouncing between shelves mid-recipe looking for ingredients. 

Condiments & Spices Zone

Oils, vinegars, spices, salt, pepper, broth, and sauces. These are used constantly, so storing them together (and at eye level) makes everyday cooking much faster.

Canned & Jarred Foods Zone

Canned vegetables, beans, soups, pasta sauce, and jarred sauces. Grouping these items together makes meal planning easier and helps prevent buying duplicates.

Rice, Pasta & Grains Zone

Pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, and boxed grains. When these live in one spot, it’s much easier to pull together a quick meal.

Snacks Zone

Chips, crackers, granola bars, nuts, and grab-and-go snacks. Using bins here keeps snacks contained and easy for everyone in the house to find.

Pantry zones don’t need to be complicated. When similar items are grouped together, cooking becomes faster, easier, and less stressful, and those small changes can truly make a big difference in how your kitchen functions day-to-day!