The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Quick – name five things you wouldn’t expect to find in a kitchen pantry! 1…2…3… your time is up! If you think a pantry is only for food, boy are you wrong! Here is our mega list of surprising things that can go into a pantry.
What items go in a pantry? Canned, dried, packaged and boxed food goes in a pantry. Any small appliances or equipment used in the preparation of food can be stored in a pantry.
What do you put in a pantry? This is the human side of what goes in a pantry, if we can get away with it, we’re going to put it in there. You might be a pantry rule breaker, or simply in your house, anything goes.
Our Multi-Tasking Pantries… We Love ‘Em!
You might think a pantry is just for flour, beans, and a suspicious number of vinegars—but with a little creativity (and good organization), it can moonlight as a command center for much more. Here are some surprisingly smart, slightly unusual things to store in a pantry that can stretch both your space and your sanity:
- Entertaining gear like candles, extra napkins, and seasonal servingware—perfect for spontaneous hosting without clogging your kitchen drawers.
- Small appliances you rarely use (ice cream maker, anyone?) can live in upper pantry shelves instead of monopolizing counter real estate.
- Pet supplies—treats, kibble, supplements, and even backup leashes—kept in mouse-proof bins turn your pantry into a pet-parent’s dream zone.
- Backstock toiletries and cleaning supplies (think paper towels, dish soap refills, or toothpaste multipacks) if you’ve got limited bathroom storage.
- Home spa stash—extra candles, Epsom salts, essential oils—grouped in a bin for that someday-you-actually-take-a-bath moment.
- Office overflow like printer paper, notecards, batteries, and tape, especially if your pantry includes a drawer or built-in nook.
A pantry isn’t just a food station—it’s a storage MVP in disguise. Here’s a few other unusual duties our pantry can pick up:
The Common (and Uncommon) List of Things to Put Into a Pantry
- Aprons
- Bags (shopping bags, plastic bags, etc.)
- Beverage center (water, juice, pop)
- Candy and other goodies (especially when hiding them from the family)
- Charging center, cell phones
- Cleaning items: broom, mop, supplies
- Conversion/substitution charts
- Cookbooks
- Cookware, dishware, serving trays
- Emergency items: lightbulbs, candles, matches, water
bottles, batteries, flashlights - Family schedules/calendar
- Fly swatter
- Food: dry, bulk
- Freezer*
- Garbage can, garbage bags
- Grocery list
- Home security system
- Hooks to hang things
- Inventory list
- Ironing board
- Linens, tableclothes
- Lunch bags
- Office space/printer
- Paper products
- Pet food, feeding center, pet supplies
- Presents (surprises, Christmas, holiday, birthday, etc.)
- Recycling Center
- Refrigerator*
- Scissors/box cutter for opening packages
- Seasonal items
- Silverware and china
- Small kitchen appliances: slow-cookers, blenders, etc.
- Step-stool
- Stools, extra chairs
- Table leaves
- Toys, baby equipment
- Vacuum cleaner
- Vitamins/meds
- Water dispenser/cooler
- Wine/alcohol/wine cooler*
- Yardsticks
*Heat from appliances can build in enclosed rooms and should adhere to safety guidelines and have adequate electrical supplies.
Special additions to pantries
Counter space located directly inside a pantry provides a place to
set grocery bags down. Pantry nooks make good use of counter space.
Large appliances like refrigerators, freezers, and wine coolers support the main kitchen area.
Secondary sinks can take the pressure off the kitchen and keep dirty dishes out of site.
Over to you!
What surprising items do you keep in your kitchen pantry? Who knows, maybe you have started a new pantry trend. Share your comments below!
