The Only 2 Baking Staples Ina Garten Keeps In Canisters

Reducing clutter from kitchen countertops can be a cooking goal for bakers and cooks who like to keep certain ingredients and tools within arm's reach, but if you want to grab a page from Ina Garten's culinary playbook, you need only store two staple ingredients in containers they weren't originally packaged in. Per the Kitchn, Garten doesn't invest in a lot of fancy or decorative containers. In fact, she only transfers her sugar and flour into large glass canisters. The Barefoot Contessa keeps everything else in its original jar, tube, canister, or pouch.

That's good news for those who would rather save that money for gadgets and small appliances. It's advice she also gives out to her viewers and readers. When quizzed on this storage matter, Garten stated, "I would store flour and sugar in large, airtight plastic containers at room temperature" (via Barefoot Contessa). Why is this storage tip so important?

The answer is rather elementary. Once Garten opens her favorite bag of Heckers All-Purpose Flour, she knows she is inviting and tempting pantry bugs to feast on it. While some prefer to keep their all-purpose flour in the fridge or freezer, the real key with this ingredient is keeping it in an atmosphere where it stays dry and free of moisture. Store it in a container that is airtight to keep out unwanted bugs. Additionally, it is important to remember that flour can go bad, but when stored properly, it can last you up to a year.

Sugar is also a pantry staple that benefits from being in an airtight container that prohibits bugs from finding their way into it. But that's not the only reason. Sugar tends to attract moisture which causes this granular ingredient to clump. Obviously, it is easy to break those clumps up; but storing sugar properly eliminates the need to have to. An added benefit to an airtight container is that it creates an imaginary force field that doesn't allow any outside flavors or smells to find their way into these ingredients.