What is a Pantry and Why do You Need One in Today’s World?

What is a Pantry?

What we call a pantry was traditionally called a larder. It was a cool area where meats were larded – or covered in fat- to be preserved for the winter. Over time it expanded to include “dry larders” where breads, pastries, milk and butter were stored. In the photo below, you can see an example of what a larder might have looked like. Photo credit: Daily Medieval

In today’s world it is a cupboard or small room in which to store shelf stable foods. Spices are kept in a separate area closer to the stove and meats, cheeses and butter are stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Why do you need one?

I’ll tell you. If you do any amount of cooking, and especially if you cook from scratch, there are items that just make sense to keep on hand. This keeps you from having to run to the grocery store multiple times a week because you are out of “X” ingredient. Keeping basic staples on hand will also save you money, as purchasing in larger amounts is often cheaper per pound/ounce.

How you stock your pantry is determined entirely by your cooking preferences. If you buy your bread products you will likely only need a small container of all-purpose flour for miscellaneous uses. On the other hand, if you bake you will likely want all-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, pastry flour and whole wheat flour. If you are allergic to nuts, you are obviously not going to stock nuts in your pantry. Examine your cooking style and go from there.

Another reason it makes good sense to keep food on hand is for basic security. Life is never certain and 2020/2021 showed us all how fragile the food distribution chain is in America. Any of us could be out of work tomorrow. Having food on hand already will ensure that you won’t starve until a new income source is found. Now, I’m not advocating hoarding food in fear. I do advocate wisely preparing for an unknown future while trusting the Lord to care for us.

Here’s how you start:

Most of us don’t have the funds to go out and buy lots of extra food to store. If you do, that’s awesome! Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Set aside a portion of your grocery budget to build your pantry. It doesn’t have to be a lot. It can be $10 a month. Take your time and don’t stress trying to build it faster than you can afford. Do what you can with what you have.
2. Stalk the sales flyers for grocery stores in your area. Then, learn the sales cycles and stock up on things you use when they go on sale.
3. The next time you need to buy an ingredient, buy two or buy a larger quantity. Five pounds of something is usually cheaper per pound than one so you might come out ahead anyway.
4. See if you can DIY a little to save money. For instance: buying dried beans to cook rather than buying canned beans. You will need to learn the right way to cook beans and plan ahead so they’re cooked in time for dinner, but dried beans are waaay cheaper than canned beans.

How do I store this food?

Great question. You can store the food in the packaging it came in. You really can.

But…

It is so much easier to keep your shelves organized and see what you have in stock if you invest in some containers. You will want something airtight to keep the food fresh and keep bugs out. Glass jars are a good option; Mason jars come in many different sizes and can be found pretty inexpensively. You can also use clear plastic containers; a good time to find those affordably is on Black Friday. Just make sure they are rated for food storage. Again, take your time and get what you can afford.

As you can see in the photos above, an organized pantry is much easier to work with. Even if it’s not 100% this author’s dream pantry setup… yet. *wink*

Final Thoughts:

Stocking the pantry will not save you any money if you don’t use it. Don’t shove food in your cupboards “for emergency only”. By the time you open it, it might be rancid or long past it’s best buy date. The best practice is to rotate through your supplies. Put your newest purchase in the back of the shelf and use the older one first. This also gives you the opportunity to observe what supplies you actually use and plan accordingly.

The most important perspective I want to share is this: it is wisdom to prepare for the future as best we can. The danger lies in putting your trust in your stockpile. As a Christian, my trust lies in the Lord who is able to command ravens to bring me bread in the wilderness. If you are struggling and feeling anxious about your circumstances, rest in the fact that we sit in His hands. Know that He has promised to provide us with our needs, and that He cares for us even more than He cares for the sparrows in the field.

Until next time,

Ariel