An immaculate kitchen, can it be? Those who would be tempted to answer “no, it can’t be!” should take into account a key element: the existence of a walk-in pantry, or a kitchen behind the kitchen, which allows you to store all kinds of things and, above all, to hide the clutter with elegance.
At Cassandra Loignon, the cuisine is impeccable. Nothing drags on the marble counters, everything is tidy. However, the one who has several cookbooks to her credit cooks non-stop, much more than the average person. His secret? A huge pantry hidden behind the kitchen, a back pantry, which allows it to have fun in the back while keeping the front clean and presentable.
The author of the Simply Chic book series and, more recently, Cooking Winter and Cooking Summer, remembers the pantry from her childhood. “It was so deep that you forgot you had certain things, which were getting stale quickly. I told myself that when I had my house, one day, I would do it my way to make sure everything was in sight, “said the one who lives in the Quebec region with her husband and son.
Thing said, thing done. She is now in her third condo, and just as many walk-in pantries. This time, therefore, she knew exactly what she wanted, despite the initial skepticism of the architects she worked with. “It sure isn’t standard,” she laughs. But when you make a living creating recipes, you need space!
“When I’m cooking, it’s important for me to have easy access to my food. The idea was therefore to have shelves that were not too deep. It avoids waste, and it also helps me with creativity, “lists the businesswoman, also owner of the beauty salon Les Précieuses, and creator of Maison Ladore wines.
This also helps keep the kitchen clean when we receive people, but also in everyday life.
Inside, it’s a bit like Ali Baba’s cave. On the shelves, the transparent pots are lined up next to each other in the greatest harmony. Flour, chickpeas, pasta, all the dry ingredients are there, not to mention the spices in glass jars and bamboo lids. Cassandra also prefers not to put labels on her pots, because management then becomes too complicated. If several types of flour look the same, for example, she simply indicates the name below with an erasable pencil.
This is also where she stores her cream colored crockery; also, wooden bins can be used to store preserves or sauces. Finally, a large cellar surrounds the space, which can also be accessed through the entrance of the house.
From an efficiency standpoint, this setup allows him to often cook two recipes at the same time. Since her stand mixer is behind, and she also has a small oven, she often makes her desserts there, while she prepares other things up front. This is also where his coffee machine is.
You don’t need to make a living creating recipes to have such a pantry. This extra space is increasingly in demand among customers, says Catherine B. de la Sablonnière, artistic director at Ateliers Jacob kitchen designers.
This room is sometimes called butler’s pantry, and it’s not for nothing, says Ms. de la Sablonnière. At the time, this was where butlers in opulent homes discreetly prepared feasts for owners and their guests. Today’s incarnation is quite different and… a little less glamorous, since it serves in particular to hide our mess!
Many use it as a breakfast nook, for example, which is particularly practical with children. “It allows everyday use,” summarizes Ms. de la Sablonnière. For example, the children can go and use the toaster, and it does not matter if they leave the house without cleaning, because it is hidden. »
Other customers will take the opportunity to hide shelves, invisible from the kitchen, where to store all the less pretty things. This is also where you can leave appliances like the air fryer or the blender.
You can also prepare cocktails or assemble the plates when you receive guests, as Cassandra Loignon likes to do. Or even take a moment for yourself, away from the hustle and bustle of the household.
If you are in a new construction, you can easily provide additional square feet for a walk-in pantry. But what about smaller apartments where renovations are being done? There is always a way to create space, believes Catherine B. de la Sablonnière. “We really go there with the needs of the client,” she assesses. Sometimes, you can recycle the wardrobe of an office or a bedroom that is not really used, and which would be behind the kitchen”, she illustrates.
If you have a smaller space, you can simply create a miniature version. “It might take 5 or 6 square feet more than a standard pantry to fit in. »
One thing is certain, the idea arouses a lot of curiosity. On social networks, Cassandra Loignon received so many questions about her pantry that she devoted an entire chapter to it in her latest book published by Pratico-Pratiques. And now that everything is tidy and organised…it’s time to get cooking!
