Yesterday we talked a little bit about why having a pantry is a good idea. But where can you put it? Pantries bring to mind big rooms full of food. Although a walk in pantry is a lovely idea, it’s not always practical. How can you make room for a pantry?
1. Declutter to create room for a pantry. Are there dish sets you’re not using, or big pots and pans that you last used a few years ago? Sell them on Craigslist, and use the money to buy some starter goodies for your new and spacious pantry!
2. Designate an existing shelf or two in the kitchen as the pantry shelf. A pantry doesn’t need to be huge, and a shelf or two is a great way to begin.
3. Use the top shelves. Since the idea with a pantry is that you use it somewhat less frequently, then you can use high shelves that might currently be underused. If you do this, make sure that you can access the shelves safely and lift safely from them when you do need to get to the pantry.
3. Create a pantry in an underused closet. We have a rec room that has storage for recreational equipment. Since we don’t have that much, we use at least half of the storage area as our pantry.
4. Take the pantry out of the kitchen. Who says that food storage needs to be there? Canned goods won’t get dirty on the inside, not even if they’re stored in a tub under a bed. Living in a tiny space? Get a coffee table with storage, and use that as your pantry!
5. Bring the pantry outside. Have you heard of a root cellar? These outdoor storage areas have been used for many hundreds of years. The bonus: by building a storage area to store your food, you also create a great emergency food storage area if you live in an earthquake zone.
Have you created a pantry in your home? How did you do it?