My family always did canning and freezing so neat rows of homemade canned goods and a large chest freezer was a pantry to us.
Pantry - A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored. A room for storage of food supplies; a larder. A room or closet in which food, groceries, paper products and other provisions are stored. Today kitchens will at least have a pantry cabinet if not a full pantry closet or even a pantry room. In my home I have pantry cabinets in the hallway outside my laundry room & kitchen. The closet in this hallway is my utility closet, not my pantry, as I have the cabinets. I would love to have a full pantry AND Butler's Pantry.
Butler's Pantry - A butler's pantry or serving pantry is a utility room in a large house. It is usually located adjacent to the kitchen or dining room. Common uses for the butler's pantry are storage, cleaning and counting of silver; European butlers often slept in the pantry, as their job was to keep the silver under lock and key. The wine log and merchant's account books may be kept in the butler's pantry. The room is used by the butler and other domestic staff; it is often called a butler's pantry even in households where there is no butler. In the Butler's Pantry the silver was polished, knives sharpened, the good china washed, silver secured, candlesticks serviced, oil lamps filled, all the other tasks which needed the Butler's expert care and attention to maintain household standards. Even when you don't have a "Butler" a Butler's Pantry is a great place to store serving pieces, silver pieces, silverware, china sets, linens, serving trays, party pieces such as punch bowls and cups, etc. Today they range from a room smaller than the main kitchen to built-in china cabinets with a counter in a hallway between the dining room and kitchen. It's a place to store the serving pieces and arrange food for serving such as hors d'oeuvre trays or transferring food from pots and pans to serving pieces.
I did a Google search on pantries and got some great ideas. I chose photos that range from very expensive pantries to the pantry cabinets. Some people use shelving in their garage or basement to store groceries. Whatever works for you! The main thing is that your food storage is organized, clean and easily accessible. If you have crumbs all over the shelves you are asking for bugs and rodents. If you have half finished bags that are 3 yrs old, throw them away. If you have cans that are 5 yrs old, it's time to throw them out. If your cabinet or closet is so crammed that stuff falls out, it's time to cull out and clean it up. If the pantry floor is stacked with bags, it's time to empty the floor. You can clean, paint and/or line the shelves. You want your pantry to be neat, clean, organized, and, even, decorated. Look at these photos for ideas.
Pantries
Notice the stepped shelves for canned goods in this pantry!
Always turn labels to the front!
This pantry has almost everything behind doors and in drawers. This helps with dust. There is also a countertop. You can set your bagged groceries here while you unload the car and then put things away.
This is one of my favorite pantries!
I like the chalkboard on the cabinet for keeping a shopping list of what's needed to replace items in the pantry.
This little room off the kitchen, replete with a window, is so like what my Grandma had in her kitchen! Hers were always lined with jars of canned vegetables, pickles, etc.
Butler's Pantries
I would call this more of a Bar than a Butler's Pantry.
