Do you keep bread in the pantry? Probably not. But the name implies that you do. The word ‘pantry’ comes from the Old French word panaterie—from pain, the French word for bread. In medieval times, meats were stored in a larder. Alcohol in the buttery. And bread in the pantry.

Today, the pantry can refer to a designated cupboard or a large walk-in closet. But it’s generally meant for dry goods—cans, boxes, and bottles of staples or supplementary items you need for all your kitchen flash and meal prep wizardry.

HIDDEN PANTRY

The new game-changer today is the hidden pantry cabinet, a concept that improves the flow in your kitchen storage and takes advantage of spaces that might have been overlooked in the initial kitchen design.

A skinny, vertical slide-out pantry can dramatically increase your storage capacity and allow you to stay better organized. And organization means less stress, happier food preparation and better meals. Right?

WALK-IN PANTRY

Some kitchen remodel concepts go out of their way to hide the pantry with a couple of faux cabinet doors disguising a passageway to a full walk-in closet like the wardrobe that served as magical portal between Earth and Narnia. Sure, why not? It’s kind of cool if you’ve got the room to do it.

Do you have a couple feet of blank, unused wall in your kitchen? Don’t miss an opportunity for additional storage while still maintaining the original look and feel of your kitchen. Even a 10-inch-deep custom kitchen cabinet can ensure you’ve got everything you need right on hand.

Every single chef has a different approach when it comes to the appearance of his or her kitchen when all the cookware and tools and ingredients are tucked away. The key is when it’s time to cook—do we know where everything is? Shouldn’t you be spending more time creating meals than looking for your kitchen gadgets or some obscure ingredient you know you have in stock?

And that brings us to another bit of French lingo, a phrase you’ll hear in all the good cooking schools: Mise en place. This means, literally, ‘putting in place’ or ‘gather.’ It’s organizing and arranging your ingredients—from spices to fresh-chopped vegetable—before the cooking begins.

Mise en place, more than anything, is a state of mind.

Your kitchen should put you in the right frame of mind to want to cook. It can help you stay focused on the process and required techniques, not scrambling around looking for items.

And if you’re not one who enjoys meal prep, even more so! Your kitchen flow of storage should make it easy and engaging for you to do what needs to be done. A new pantry—or pantry cabinet—might be the ticket to your kitchen paradise.

Classic Cabinets & Design is located in Louisville, CO 80027. Our talented designers are available to help you stay organized and on budget with your kitchen remodel costs so give us a call today!