Pantry Staples

What exactly are pantry staples? These are dry goods (foods not requiring refrigeration and will last a long time until opened) to have on hand that help you pull together a home-cooked meal, supplement as a quick side or even a main dish (think pasta), and are easy and convenient to buy, store, and use. Theoretically, if you have a well-stocked pantry, you could essentially buy a package of chicken and maybe a head of broccoli and use the resources you have at home to make something "extraordinary." That's always the goal, but also release yourself from the expectation that everything you put into your mouth needs to be from scratch—that's just not realistic! As a new and young cook, it's okay to choose the convenience of a box of Pasta-Roni over making a garlic sauce from scratch to go over noodles you boiled for 10 minutes. As your confidence increases in the kitchen, you may find you prefer to cook more from scratch than reach for a box of something.

Also think of your pantry as your go-to for inexpensive foods should "the unthinkable" happen and money gets tight. A well-stocked pantry can keep you fed for several weeks (if not longer) with minimal trips to the grocery store should you find yourself between employment or stuck with an expensive and unexpected bill. I don't want you to become a hoarder, as space and money may be difficult when you are just starting out, but you should strive to have at least two to three weeks of food on hand for emergencies. Let's also get real and talk about "emergency living." It's probably not going to contain fresh produce, it may not include fresh meat, It could be seemingly endless meals of pasta and cereal, and you may need to cut portion sizes to get things to stretch for an additional meal. You may feel hunger more often, but you aren't going to starve. If you can't afford a massive shopping trip to fully stock your pantry in one go, just buy one or two pantry items the next time you are out. Make a conscious effort to add to your pantry in small amounts each time you go to the store to not overwhelm your budget.

Finally, be sure whatever you buy for your pantry are things you will actually eat AND get your food in a rotation to eat the "old" stuff first. That means if you always plan on having eight cans of soup in your pantry, the new soup goes in the back and the old stuff gets pushed to the front. Here are some ideas to help you get your pantry stocked:

• Seasoners such as: soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, ground* black pepper & kosher salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, Italian seasoning, paprika, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Buy other spices and condiments on an "as-needed" basis. If you are curious why cinnamon and its many sweet friends didn't make this list, go read the Baking Staples post to see what other items you should also be adding to your pantry. *Or peppercorns if you have a pepper mill/grinder.

• Cooking basics: Olive oil, a non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam), vegetable oil (or other neutral oil) , chicken stock/broth, beef stock/broth, tomato paste, and fresh or minced* garlic. *Okay, this is where I need to come clean. I readily admit I am a lazy cook and I will always choose this premade shortcut 99.9% of the time over fresh garlic. Working with fresh garlic is an inconvenience I'd rather avoid, even if it tastes best. I guarantee you are going to pick up some "bad habits" when it comes to your kitchen skills, this just happens to be one of mine.

• Canned goods: beans (black beans, refried beans, great northern/white cannellini beans, kidney beans, etc.) and soup are the basics. Watch the grocery ads for soup sales and pick up a couple of cans then. You can certainly collect canned fruit and canned vegetables, just make sure they are things you like so you'll eat them. Be sure to have 2-3 cans of diced tomatoes on your pantry shelf as these are often the base for many soups and other main dishes. Heads up, certain vegetables, like green beans, can start to taste "tinny" over time and sometimes acidic foods (like tomatoes) can start to eat through cans or leak. If a can starts to bulge, leak, the food is black on top when you open it, rusty along the edges of the pull-tab, doesn't look or smell right once opened, throw it out and DON'T eat it!

• Dry goods: dried pasta (various types of pastas for things like a quick spaghetti meal, but also get some pre-made boxed mac and cheese, Pasta-Roni, Knorr, etc. for variety), breakfast cereal, and grains such as: grits/Cream of Wheat, oatmeal, and rice. If you don't have a rice cooker, I would suggest you skip the packages of dry rice and choose something a little easier to cook like Minute Rice or pre-cooked rice you store in the pantry but heat in the microwave. You can pick up some packages of dried beans, but these require overnight soaks to get them to a usable state, so canned beans may be the best fit for you.

• Peanut butter (or any preferred nut butter). It's great protein and you can get many sandwiches out of one jar! We'll talk more about having jelly on hand in an upcoming blog--Refrigeration Staples.

• Canned meat such as tuna or chicken. These are a great source of inexpensive protein and can make a pasta meal more filling, top a salad, or be mixed with mayo for a quick sandwich. I'd choose meat packed in water rather than oil.

• Spaghetti sauce, such as a basic marinara for quick pasta meals. Watch the grocery store ads for a sale then grab a jar or two. Having a couple of cans of tomato sauce is also a good idea. Tomato sauce is unseasoned sauce that is the base of many dishes such as enchiladas, chili, soup, and other sauces. You can use it over pasta or on top of a pizza crust, but you'll need to season it with garlic and other spices to make it tasty.

• Onions and potatoes: Yup, "real food" made the dry-goods list. Onions and potatoes are frenemies, they pair so well when cooked together, but are equally bad to one another when stored in the same bin. Onions produce a gas that can cause the potatoes to age faster, and the moisture found in potatoes can cause onions to liquify and leak. Ew. Store them separately in cool, dark places (not in the fridge, think more like in a bowl under a cupboard, or floor of your pantry). It's time to pitch your onions if they are brown, wilted, soft to the touch, or have significantly sprouted. If you find dark or brown marks inside your onion, that is rot and they should not be used. Mold is pretty common to find in the outer layers of onion. As long as the onion is firm and white on the inside, just peel the moldy layer(s) away until you no longer see it, rinse, then chop away. If your potatoes are shriveled or soft to the touch, have sprouted significant eyes/roots, smell like something tangy other than dirt, or have large brown spots on them, they need to be pitched as well. If the potato is firm, you can cut out the eyes and brown spots and still use it.

• Miscellaneous items might include: tea bags, coffee, marshmallows, cocoa mix, popcorn, crackers, pancake mix, maple syrup, brownie or cake mixes, stuffing mix, gravy mixes, Rice-a-Roni or other rice/grain blends (couscous, pilaf, etc.). If you make tacos every Tuesday, taco shells might also be considered a pantry staple for you. Be cautious of things like pudding cups, granola bars, snack cakes, chips, etc. These can be expensive, very processed, and have a more limited shelf life than the other things mentioned above—though always less expensive than dining out!

• As your cooking skills increase, you may wish to add things like beef/chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon is my personal fave), tomato paste, panko breadcrumbs, rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, curry powder, honey, molasses, etc. We talk more about other baking basics (flour, sugar, chocolate chips, etc.) in the Baking Staples post.

I think the most important takeaway here is once you get your pantry stocked, keep it stocked. Don't eat it down to nothing without replenishing it along the way. Once you have established your pantry, you may choose to make a master list of what to always have on hand and how much you need. Maybe you take stock of your pantry on a weekly basis or you replenish it all the first of every month. Get into a habit to maintain it so you can cook with confidence and not have to worry about groceries right away if money gets tight. Now simmer down and give this list some thought. Figure out what you think you'd need to eat for the next two or three weeks, make a list, and start building your pantry the next time you go to the store. xox

Remember, any other food or condiments you use "all the time" and aren't mentioned above, should also be on your list. Use your refrigerator and pantry in tandem with one another so if you haven't gone to the store in awhile, you can open both and figure out something simple, cheap, and tasty to make.