Pantry Terminology

Back Kitchen. Another name for butler’s pantry.

Baking Center. A separate or clearly defined area just for baking activities. This would include a mix stand, cabinet for commonly used ingredients, baking pans, utensils, etc. It may even include a sink for access to water. A baking center may also be incorporated in the modern day version of a butler’s pantry.

Baker’s Rack is an open rack that bakers display baked goods on.  Today, it has come into use as both storage and display in the kitchen.

Baking Pantry. A center or cabinet allocated to items needed solely for baking activities, similar to backing center. A pantry designated for baking staples and dishes related to the task of baking.

Butler’s Pantry, Old Fashioned. Definition: Butler’s pantry – A service room between a kitchen and dining room, typically equipped with counters, a sink, and storage space for china and silver. Located adjacent to the dining room or other entertaining space

Butler’s Pantry, Modern. A butler pantry is basically a kitchen within a kitchen. Multifunctional space between kitchen and dining room.

Buttery. Has nothing whatsoever to do with butter. It is an old English term for a room (or more likely a shed) where food was stored in large barrels called “butts”, hence “buttery”.

Cook’s Pantry, “Batwing,” or Fold-Out Pantry is a complex wood swing-out apparatus marketed by kitchen cabinet. Used mainly for food storage, it is a popular design for a confined location.

Cupboards. Wooden cupboards dedicated to different functions.

Decant.  Pour from one container into another.  In pantry terms, this means taking the food out of the boxes from the grocery store and transfer them into plastic or glass containers. This mostly pertains to flours, grains, and cereals.  The purpose is to conserve space, preserve the food better, protect the food from pests, and/or for decorative presentation.

Dish Pantry:Typically a cabinet or closet just off the kitchen or in the dining room where dishes and serving ware are stored.

Garage. An appliance garage or tambour door storage for countertop small appliances. Some people use it for opened containers of food boxes.

Hidden Butler’s Pantry. With clever design, a butler’s pantry or scullery can be concealed or hidden. This can be done with clever cabinetry where the door looks like a cupboard, or by simply having a separate door to the room.

Larder: A Victorian term for a small, room or tall cabinet for storing food. Used today primarily in Britain to mean what we call a pantry in the U.S.\

Messy Kitchen. A term popularized in 2010s?? This is a responsce to the open plan concept of kitchen, dining table, and living room all in one big room. This shift to a more a shift to a more casual lifestyle left everything out in the open, the kitchen often messy. By moving some of the clean up and food prep to a side room (sometimes called a scullery, or now the modern Butler’s Pantry) the main showcase kitchen is effectively left attractive to entertain guests.

Overflow Pantry.

Prep Kitchen. A work-in pantry, or “prep kitchen,” is a second, usually smaller kitchen that’s hidden away around the corner from or behind the main kitchen. This second kitchen is sometimes called a “butler’s pantry.” The main kitchen has cupboards, counters, a sink and all or most of the major kitchen appliances.

Second Kitchen. Another name for the butler’s pantry.

Serving pantry. Another name for the butlers pantry In 19th century homes, this would have been a separate room in large homes, and traditionally was used for storage and cleaning of silver. In modern homes, this is a space situated between a kitchen and a dining room that can serve a wide variety of uses.

Specialized Pantry. A pantry designated to one special use, such as a “cook’s pantry,” “baker’s pantry,” or “gourmet pantry.”

Scullery. includes a sink and was used for both washing up and preparing messy foods. The purpose of the scullery is to function as a space that can get dirty when entertaining so that the main kitchen can remain presentable for guests and be used as a serving area. They allow the main kitchen to stay presentable and to function as a hub for serving and gathering, while messes are locked away behind closed doors. They also play into a recent fascination with organizing.

Summer Kitchen.  A place to cook in the summer to keep the heat out of the house. Some houses in earlier times had an attached room with many windows to allow heat to escape.

Walk In Pantry. A room near the kitchen for storage of canned and dried foods, beverages, or cleaning supplies.

Work In Pantry. A work-in pantry, or “prep kitchen,” is a second, usually smaller kitchen that’s hidden away around the corner from or behind the main kitchen. This second kitchen is sometimes called a “butler’s pantry.” The main kitchen has cupboards, counters, a sink and all or most of the major kitchen appliances.

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