The Kitchen Series: Stocking your drygoods pantry...
Kitchen Series note: Some things may not be things you would like or use so mark those off and replace with things you do use! Most pantry lists you find out there are either subjective to the writer's use or have too many things on them to be good for you. They all need a little tweaking to get them to where they work for you. This is my take, so take it with a grain of salt and make it your own.
Huh? What is a drygoods pantry? Well it is all of the accumulated stuff you have in your kitchen cabinets and pantry closets. No matter where you keep it or how old some of the stuff is, these items are the basic things you need to feed you and your family. Unexpected bills, job loss or car repair, can mean your food budget is the first to get reduced. Having a well stocked pantry is your key to getting through those times.
I have 2 kinds of items on my pantry list; things that are a must and if I run out of them I buy them on my next store trip and things that I just like to stock and if I run out in a lean time I restock as soon as I have some extra cash. I try not to buy any mixes (ie: cornbread, cake, muffin or boxed pasta mixes) due to the fact that if I have the supplies on hand it is easier to make them from scratch, so you wont see any of those on my list. As the series progresses I will give you some recipes to replace some of the store bought mixes so you don't have to worry if you are out of something.
All of the items I am going to list are my idea of a well stocked pantry...your ideas may be different and you may need to tweak the list. Things in italic are what I consider to be the optional items on my list.
For basic needs:
White Flour (wheat)
Corn Meal
White Sugar (brown and powdered)
Baking soda and powder
Yeast
Corn Starch
Honey
Vanilla
Cocoa Powder
Powdered Milk
Shortening
Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Dry Beans; black, pinto, northern and kidney
Lentils; yellow, green and red
Barley
Rice; basmati, jasmine and other specialty rice
Couscous
Pasta
Oatmeal
Tomato Sauce
Tomato Paste
Tomatoes; diced, crushed or whole
Canned Mushrooms
Tuna
Peanut Butter
So this is the main bulk of the food in my pantry. The list is a easy one and most of the stuff is found in any grocery store. With this list and a few things from the spice pantry and the fridge or freezer you can have a lot of meals ready in no time.
All of these items should be used regularly, so rotating in new packages as you buy them is not a big deal. When you have a minute take a peak in your pantry and check out expiration dates. Get rid of any expired things and replace with new. Anything you bought thinking you would try and have never used should be given away or thrown away if expired.
My basic list is also the list I use to keep a stockpile of. So if I see something on my list that is a great sale, those are the things I really stock up on. Just be careful and not over stock it, I tend to use the idea that if I have enough of something to last me the year then I don't buy any more, even if it is a great deal. Some items don't lend themselves well to stocking so I keep those to a 3-6 month supply.
Next up... Stocking your fridge and freezer. See you soon!
Previous Kitchen Series Posts
Posted in: In The Kitchen, The Kitchen Series on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 8:00 AM
