The 10 Best Ways to Organize Food Storage Containers

This YouCopia organizer boasts adjustable sections and comes in a few different sizes, so it will easily fit whatever space you have to sort out. Use it to keep your lids stacked and your reusable silicone sandwich bags in order, all without taking up too much room in your cabinet.

If the majority of your storage container collection includes tall, square-shaped containers, an organization carousel like this one from Walmart will be just right. Plastic columns keep stacks in order and prevent them from falling, while the inner space provides plenty of room for lids.

Tired of searching for the exact right lid in your kitchen cabinet? Keep things tidy with this durable metal organizer from the Container Store. The see-through mesh exterior makes it easy to discern where certain items are, while the interior compartments provide five different zones to help "classify" your pieces for easy organization.

Bet you didn’t know a simple plate rack could lead to an organized storage cabinet! Arranging and dividing your pieces by size makes it easy to find exactly what you need. You can source a bamboo dish drying rack for less than $10, then just place it inside your kitchen cabinets — or on top of the counter, if you want to keep your containers within easy reach.

For a super simple way to keep plastic containers of varying sizes neat and tidy, turn to cloth storage bins. You might already have soft-sided bins that you can borrow from the kids’ room, or consider investing in some new ones, like this six-pack from Amazon. They're a forgiving shape and material, so you can squish in more and really max out your storage.

Small tension rods are a smart way to ensure organized cabinets. When it comes to food storage containers, they can help keep lids from getting out of hand, since they can be extended to fit just about any size drawer. Stretch them across the width or depth of your drawer, all the way to one side, leaving just enough room to prop up a stack of several lids on their side. This set of six allows you to organize several drawers or save the extras to prop up baking sheets somewhere else in the kitchen.

With the help of some drawer dividers — and some smart stacking — your drawers can become totally organized and super satisfying to look at. We love these adjustable organizers from The Container Store, which come in a pack of two for $24, but really any kind of tension drawer dividers are going to help make sense of your mess.

Adding a pegboard to drawers or slide-out cabinets is another clever way to keep different food storage containers separated and tidy. You can pull this together with simple hardware store supplies or buy a ready-made pegboard kit — like this set from Umbra — and assemble it flat inside your drawer.

The cure for out-of-control lids? Add a magazine rack or file sorter to the inside of your cabinet door for hidden, easy-to-reach, and super-organized storage whenever you need to put leftovers away. You can make it happen with any narrow wire organizer and stick-on Command Hooks (just make sure the organizer has holes big enough to accommodate the hooks). Or find a file sorter that's designed to be wall-mounted and fasten it to your cabinet door with short screws for a semi-permanent solution.

If you have a lot to store and you'd prefer to just shell out for a ready-made storage system, the Cadillac of food storage organization has to be this Food Storage Pull Out Pantry from Rev-a-Shelf. It fits a standard 21.5-inch-deep cabinet and comes in two widths, so you can choose the style that suits your space best.