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a small room or closet in which food, dishes, and utensils are kept.
synonyms: larder, store, storeroom; archaicspence“we set out moth traps in the pantry”I don’t have a pantry. When we moved here in 1980 we created a big wonderful kitchen from the old awful kitchen, the pantry, and, mostly, a new addition.
Still, I like the idea of a pantry. And, often, I like making dinner from what is in the (imaginary) pantry. Tonight I made pizza margherita with tomato sauce I froze last summer, mozzarella left over from birthday pasta, and basil that I couldn’t resist at the farmers market. Plus, of course, dough made with the large bag of flour I store on my baking cart, which is almost as good as a pantry.
I made salad from greens also left over from the party (i.e. left over because I thought there was no way we could eat more than the three giant bowls of salad I served, but in fact we ran out).
It’s kind of a fun game, pantry dinners. I probably have at least a month’s worth on my shelves. But after a few days, I always want to pick something that sounds wonderful and requires me to purchase even more ingredients, often exotic herbs and spices that will be used once and then added to the list of things I feel just a little bit guilty for having.
My grandmother had a pantry. Until her last years, however, she didn’t have a refrigerator. We often visited her on Sunday afternoons and almost always accepted dinner. Luckily the county health inspectors never visited, because her storage practices would not make it today. Still, I never remember being sickened from the meals she cooked. She always had Juicy Fruit gum in the pocket of her apron for us. I remember.
