Imagine your ideal reach-in or walk-in kitchen pantry. You most likely want it to be completely organized and loaded with all the cooking and baking essentials for the holidays (see our tips on how to get the pantry Holiday ready!), entertaining, and hibernating during the months ahead. You can prepare for all of this and more with a custom kitchen pantry.
Here are the steps we take when designing a kitchen pantry:
Step One: The SpaceDry Goods Stored in Kitchen pantry
Get the kitchen space maximized and organized with custom shelving, bins, drawers and a built-in counter top. Figure out how to utilize space from top to bottom. Every inch of wall and even door backings can be cleverly customized to fit food staples and spices.
My Custom Closet has noticed a recent trend of utilizing the pantry space to store small appliances and create a “dry bar”. Pantry spaces are also perfect for storing a back-stock of paper goods. Adding moveable melamine shelving makes for stability and options for the space.
Oftentimes, a guest or family member will arrive early to help set up for a party or gathering. A custom designed pantry makes it easy for for the person who isn’t familiar with the kitchen setup to find the place settings, additional decor, or snacks. Any room, closet or cubby in your home that will be possibly seen by an “outsider” should ideally be attractive and orderly. Customizing the pantry space will make sure nobody gets lost looking for something in the kitchen cabinet again.
The cost of a nice quality kitchen table set is often equal to a moderate pantry upgrade. The pantry upgrade is very practical and makes a huge difference for the heart of your home – aka the kitchen.
Step Two: The Storage Solutions
Invest in coordinating clear storage bins, colored containers, woven baskets, etc. Not only does this keep the pantry organized and clean, it creates an attractive, efficient kitchen storage area. The Container Store, William Sonoma, Target, IKEA, Walmart, Home Goods and Amazon all have good quality storage pieces for all pantry items.
Absolute Essentials
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• Vegetable oil
• All-Purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Milk
• Butter or margarine
Canned Goods
• Chicken stock or broth
• Cream soups and gravy
• Beef stock or broth
• Canned tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Can/jar of marinara sauce
• Canned white beans
• Canned black beans
• Canned kidney beans
• Tuna
• Starches and Dry Goods
• Pasta in your favorite shapes
• Long-grain white rice
• Jasmine or basmati rice
• Lentils
• Split peas
• Dried bread crumbs
• Root Vegetables
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
Much-Loved Extras – Some consider these must-haves.
• Lemons
• Fresh ginger
• Shallots
• Capers
• Canned chiles
• Prepared horseradish
• Anchovy paste
• Almond extract
• Vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• Cornstarch
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Honey
• Brown sugar
If you’re ready to get started on your dream kitchen pantry, we can help! Schedule a free consultation to get organized.
