I've never heard of anyone thinking "pantry" comes from pots and pans! The root is actually from "bread", the Latin pan, which went to the Old French for bread closet.

Just as in Europe, in the US, pantries are for storing food and other things for the kitchen, a small room or large closet. Expensive big homes like the oversized mansions that were the craze among wealthy during the real estate boom have larger butler's pantries for the housekeeping staff. Our town used to be a ranching and small college town until a ski resort was developed nearby in the 1970's. Now it is considered a resort town, too, and many over-sized mansions (second or third homes) were built around us, most with majestic views of the mountains. I once had a job that took me into these mansions. They were often empty except for the housekeeper, with the out-of-state owners showing up only during trout fishing or ski season.