8 Cooking Tip
“I use a small lazy Susan or turntable to organize small bottles of condiments in the refrigerator.
It’s very practical because you don’t have to dig through your ingredients to find what you’re looking for. I have at least five in my kitchen. I use one to keep my spices organized, too.”—Patty Castelo
“I invest in sturdy, sealable containers, and I label everything in my pantry. Aside from identifying the items, I also write down the expiration dates on the labels.”—Roderico Emmanuel F. Gayatin
“We line our pantry shelves with mats or linens to keep items neat and organized. Bottles and
containers are less prone to rolling and sliding off the shelves this way.”—Emily Francisco
“I practice the FIFO or First In, First Out system at home. It’s always annoying to find an ingredient
sitting at the back of the shelf, without knowing that the item has already expired. With this system, no food is put to waste.”—Nereli Isabel Agripa
“I prefer using clear bottles and containers to store my pantry and refrigerator staples. This way, I can
see how much of a particular ingredient I have left, as well as the state it is in, at a glance.” —Anna Santos
“This is how I organize my pantry: Those with later expiration dates or a longer shelf life stay at the back of the cupboard. Those that need to be consumed within the current year are always made more visible. In the refrigerator, food in bottles are placed on lower shelves so accidental drops won’t be fatal. Food that easily spoils are kept up front.”—Veronica Ester Mendoza
“I always use stackable containers in the refrigerator since it looks neater. The same goes for my pantry. I use containers with identical designs and label them accordingly. Proper grouping and segregation are also important. Dry ingredients like powders and seasonings go on one side and all the liquid ones go on the other.” —Mylene Magsino Calleja
“Planning our household menu ahead of time has helped me become more organized. That way, I
know exactly what I need to buy and where to store them. This keeps my pantry and refrigerator
neat and clean.”—Conan Rafada Balaoing
