National Clean Up Your Pantry Day 2023 (US): Date, Background, Pantries Facts

The eleventh of April is National Clear Out Your Pantry Day. Typically, we purchase far more than we need. As we continue to buy for more, an increasing number of pantry items go unused and are eventually stuffed into closets and drawers. This results in the storage of far more food than we can consume before the expiration date. Eventually, we will lose track of these items, which will result in waste. On National Empty Out Your Pantry Day, examine your pantry for unused or expired items and donate the rest to those in need.

Background of National Clean Out Your Pantry Day

A pantry is a designated area, room or cabinet where kitchen-related products are stored. These items may include beverages, food, utensils, cleaning products, linens, and consumables. The term larder was first applied to domestic spaces during the Middle Ages. In New England, food was stored in a “buttery,” a tiny room adjacent to the kitchen. In 1786, the first buttery was an underground room in the residence of Theron Boyd in Hartford, Connecticut. During the 1800s, the “butler’s pantry” was prevalent in England and the United States. Mrs. Elizabeth Ellet was quoted in the 1857 issue of “Practical Housekeeper”: “Let there be a place for every object, and when not in use, let every object be in its place.”

In 1869, Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe published “The American Woman’s Home,” a seminal work that supported the concept of incorporating the larder into the kitchen. The Boston Cooking-School Magazine was founded in 1896 as a result of the influential home economics movement, which influenced American housewifery and kitchen design. In the 1920s and 1930s, as the pantry grew in size with the addition of shelves and cabinets, the ‘breakfast alcove’ began to displace pantries in the kitchen design.

In the 1960s, floor-to-ceiling cabinets were incorporated into the design of American kitchens. Three decades later, in the 1990s, a predilection for separate storage spaces revived the use of pantries across the United States. In 2005, the National Association of Home Builders found that walk-in pantries were the most popular kitchen feature in American homes.

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5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PANTRIES

• A pantry can be as small as a cabinet or wall shelf, or as large as a walk-in wardrobe.
• Historically, silver serving pieces and similar items were kept in the butler’s larder.
• “pantry” is derived from the French word “paneterie,” which means “suffering.”
• In food pantries, perishable and nonperishable food items are stored.
• In addition to food, pantries store personal care items, cleaning supplies, and other necessities.

NATIONAL CLEAN UP YOUR PANTRY DAY DATES