Pantry

From Antivist

Revision as of 00:44, 24 August 2007

Keeping a well stocked pantry will save you time and money throughout the year, and enable you to throw a quick dinner together on a moment's notice.

1. Canned tomatoes 2. Canned tomato sauce 3. Whole grain brown rice 4. Dried beans 5. Dried lentils 8. Pasta 9. Cheap basic spices 10. Balsamic vinegar

Basic Pantry List

Dry Goods:

Coffee Cornmeal Cornstarch Cream of Wheat Dry Beans (black, pinto, navy, etc...) Dry Cereals Dry Milk Powder (will save you many trips to the store when you are running low on fresh milk) Flour (all-purpose, and bread or wheat) Granulated Sugar (and Grits (if you're fortunate enough to live in the south, otherwise they can be difficult to find) Jelly (grape, raspberry, strawberry preserves, etc...) Long-grain White Rice and Brown Rice Oatmeal (quick cooking and regular) Pasta (spaghetti, fettuccini, elbows, penne, rigatoni, shells, twists, lasagna, wide egg noodles, etc...) Peanut Butter (natural is best, stir and store in fridge) Popcorn Ramen Noodles Tea

   Extras... 

   Biscuit Mix
   Buttermilk Powder
   Cake Mix
   Coffee Creamer
   Gravy Mix (warehouse clubs sell this by the pound!)
   Pancake Mix
   Peanuts, Other Nuts & Seeds (almonds, pecans, walnuts, soy nuts, sunflower seeds, etc... store in fridge)
   Pudding and Jello Mixes  

Additional Baking Supplies:

Baking Powder Baking Soda Chocolate Chips Condensed Milk Confectioners' Sugar Dark Brown Sugar Evaporated Milk Light Brown Sugar Light Corn Syrup Vanilla Extract (not flavoring) Yeast Packets (store in fridge)

   Extras... 

   Almond Bark (melting chocolate)
   Almond Extract
   Brownie, Cake and Muffin Mixes (when on sale!)
   Decorative Sugar and Sprinkles
   Food Coloring 
   Hershey's® Cocoa Powder
   Honey
   Molasses
   Raisins
   Shredded Coconut (store in fridge)
   Unsweetened Baking Chocolate  

Spices:

Basil Bay Leaves Bouillon Cubes (chicken and beef) Chili Powder Cinnamon Garlic Ginger Nutmeg Onion Powder Oregano Paprika Parsley Pepper (coarse ground) Rosemary Sage Salt (low-sodium, Morton® iodized and sea salt)

   Extras... 

   Celery Seeds
   Chives
   Cloves
   Cumin
   Curry Powder
   Dry Mustard
   Poppy Seeds
   Sesame Seeds
   Thyme 

Canned Goods:

Chicken Broth (or store your own in the freezer whenever you boil a chicken) Fruit (sliced peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail - packed in their own juice!) Soups (chicken noodle, tomato, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, etc...) Tomatoes (diced, crushed) Tomato Paste Tomato Sauce Tuna (white albacore), or Chicken Vegetables (baked beans, green beans, corn, peas, sliced mushrooms, etc...)

   Extras...

   Crab Meat
   Hot Dog Chili 
   Pie Fillings
   Pumpkin
   Salmon
   Salsa
   Spaghetti Sauce 

Condiments & Misc.:

Applesauce Barbecue Sauce Canola Oil Cooking Spray Ketchup Mayonnaise Mustard Olive Oil Pancake Syrup Salad Dressing Soy Sauce Vegetable Shortening Vinegar Worcestershire Sauce

   Extras...

   Apple Butter
   Apple-Cider Vinegar
   Bottled Water (for emergencies)
   Mini-marshmallows
   Olives (black or green)
   Pickle Hamburger Chips 
   Pickle Relish
   Teriyaki Sauce 

Bread: (as needed)

Bagels English Muffins Hotdog or Hamburger Buns Graham Crackers Multi-Grain Bread Pretzels Ritz®-like Crackers Tortillas (low carb if available)

Perishable Items: (as needed)

Dairy (milk, eggs, real butter, margarine, cheese, sour cream, Cool Whip®, ice cream, yogurt, etc...) Fresh Fruit in Season or on Sale (apples, bananas, berries, oranges, grapes, melons, etc...) Fresh Vegetables in Season or on Sale (asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn on the cob, green peppers, mushrooms, etc...) Garlic Meat, Fish & Poultry - whatever you like, as long as it's on sale! Onions (yellow, sweet or red-which are actually purple) Potatoes (white, small red, yellow/gold or sweet) Salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, etc...)

The store cupboard is the economic basis of any household. With just a few basic items, you can eat well without too much fuss when the need arises. When a bill needs to be paid or an urgent purchase made, you can fall back on your store cupboard to free up some money. It's a relief to know that you have it behind you.

The stuff you buy shouldn't be expensive. Supermarket specials and generic brands will do the job, and the variety of meals you can produce from a basic store cupboard can then be supplemented with home grown vegetables, and some more expensive items for variety.

Neither do you have to rush out and buy everything at once. Just add as many extra purchases you can afford to your regular shopping. Use specials, coupons and money saved on other items to add to your store cupboard and in no time you will have a healthy stock of meals to fall back on.

Here's what to have in your store cupboard:

   * Flour: Self-rising can be used for everything.

   * Powdered Milk: full cream or skim

   * One-Minute Rolled Oats: Cheaper than chips and dead easy to cook.

   * Pasta: Different shapes and sizes, it's all good.

   * Sugar: White, for general cooking needs, and a small bag of brown sugar, for your porridge.

   * Dried Fruits: Comes in handy for snacking and adding to meals.

   * Cooking Oil: Canola or sunflower in no name generic bottles.

   * Canned Tomatoes: Buy the cheapest brand.

   * Tinned Meat: Braised steak and onion, spaghetti meat sauce, ham, Spam or whatever is on special. Never buy a damaged or rusty tin.

   * Soup: Packet or tinned soup can be the basis of many meals or provide a quick meal in itself. Chicken noodle and vegetable soup are the handiest.

   * Tuna: Large tins, packed in brine (water). A cheap quick meal.

   * Processed Cheddar Cheese: Ok, so it looks and tastes a bit plastic, but it's protein.

   * Spices and Herbs: Just some basics will do, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, basil (or an Italian herb mix) and some curry powder, mild or hot as you like. Add some stock cubes or powder as well, in chicken, beef and vegetable.

   * Rice: Short grain is useful for everything, long grain is for curries.

   * Dried Potato: Essential and easy to prepare.

What Can You Do with This Stuff?

Porridge: Cook according to directions, add to cookie recipes, or add to minced beef to stretch it round the family. They won't notice, trust me. Use it to make your own muesli with chopped dried fruit. You can also spread the muesli out on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little brown sugar, and toast it in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Flour: Make scones or biscuits, pancakes, and a simple cottage loaf with two cups flour, a teaspoon of salt and water. Mix, form into a round loaf and bake. If the flour is self rising you don't need baking powder.

Tomato, Cheese and Pasta: Simply combine for a wholesome meal. Cook the pasta, stir in a can of tomatoes and some chopped cheese. Add herbs or cooked meat or whatever else you have that would taste good.

Rice: Make a risotto by cooking rice in stock and add vegetable, tinned tomatoes or tuna. Add curry powder and chopped dried fruit for an interesting and delicious curry. Or stir in some milk with the rice, add sugar and chopped dried fruit, and voila! Orchard creamed rice.

Tinned Meat: Add curry powder and rice, tinned tomatoes and pasta, serve on toast.

Tuna: Mix with the reconstituted dried potato, shape into rounds and fry or bake for fishcakes. Add to cooked pasta, top with a little milk to keep it moist, and grated cheese and brown under a broiler.

Dried Potato: Add to pancakes to make potato scones, thicken soups and stews, or serve as a side vegetable with tinned meat.

Soup: Combine with reconstituted dried potato, rice or pasta for a hearty meal. That's just a sample of the recipes you can concoct with your store cupboard stuff. By adding whatever else is at hand, you can come up with many more, and feed your family wholesome meals through the toughest times.

Store Bought Convenience Foods that are Usually Good Buys

Bread

Day old bread from bakery thrift stores is the best use of one's bread dollar. Bread that's approaching it's sell date is offered for sale at a discounted price. Usually you can save at least half of the in-store price for the same bread. If you have a bread outlet available to you then buy enough to use and freeze until your next visit. Don't be afraid to buy a couple dozen loaves if you have the freezer space and know you'll use it up before your next visit.

Pasta

It costs the same or less than homemade pasta depending on the price of eggs. Store-brand spaghetti and macaroni are usually the least expensive and the most versatile. Egg noodles are also nice to have on hand, but they cost a third to half again as much as spaghetti and macaroni. If you must buy whole wheat pasta then look for a discount brand. My local store sells 2 brands, one of which costs twice as much as the other. Once again, it pays to compare prices among brands.

Crackers, Chips & Snacks

Saltines, Graham Crackers & Animal Crackers are all reasonably priced when purchased in store-brands. The most they should cost you, even during these days of inflation, is $1 a pound. Saltines are incredibly versatile. Pretzels and tortilla chips can usually be found for 6¢ to 8¢ per ounce. They should never cost more than a dime per ounce. Tortilla chips are good for dipping in salsa, sour cream or yogurt-cheese, or melted velveeta-type cheese. They can also be sprinkled with shredded cheddar and nuked until gooey. Pretzels are good plain, dipped in mustard or ranch dressing, and mixed in with your own homemade snack mix.

While on the subject, peanuts, sunflower seeds, cold cereal (in large bags) and plain popcorn are usually good snack buys. Popcorn is the cheapest, especially if you pop it yourself at home. Potato chips are just about the worst buy in the snack aisle. Five ounces for $2 is not a wise use of funds.

Dried & Canned Beans

Believe it or not, dried beans were one of the earliest convenience foods. They could be safely stored for long periods of time without deteriorating, were relatively light weight, and are easily prepared by anyone with 4 hours to watch a pot. These days though, we have something a bit faster: canned dried beans. The canned variety is certainly convenient: just open the can, season, heat and serve. This saves the work of soaking and simmering your own beans from scratch. While canned beans are relatively cheap, they cost at least twice or thrice as much as the dried variety. When every minute counts canned beans are a reasonable resource, especially when purchased at 3/$1. If you have the time though, you owe it to yourself to make them from scratch. They are lower in sodium and taste better too. Cooked beans can be frozen or home-canned with a pressure cooker for added time-savings. A 15-oz can of beans equals about 1-1/2 cups of cooked beans. Refried beans also save the time of mashing the beans into a thick paste, and my oldest son loves them, so I tend to indulge him on this point.

Quick Soak Method for Beans: Cover your beans with a few inches of water. Bring them to a boil and put a lid on the pot. Turn off the heat and allow the beans to soak for an hour. Drain and cover the plumped up beans with fresh water. Simmer on the back of the stove for an hour or two, or until tender. Season and use as desired.

Overnight Soak Method for Beans: Cover your beans with a few inches of water. Soak them overnight. The next day drain them, cover them with fresh water and simmer for an hour or two, or until tender. Season and use as desired.

Frozen Vegetables

They often cost less than their fresh counterpart plus all of the work of cleaning, slicing, peeling, stringing and scraping is already done. Simply plop the veggies into boiling water or in the top of a steamer pan and within 5 minutes fresh, hot, crunchy veggies are ready for the family. The main convenience for frozen vegetables is the work they save. They are also handy to keep around because they store in the freezer for a full year if necessary. This means that when there is extra cash in the budget you can stock up without worrying about waste. The only bad buys among frozen veggies are carrots, which are almost always cheaper when purchased fresh in 5lb bags, and any frozen vegetable in a sauce. You pay the same premium price per pound for the sauce as you do for the vegetable. Plain frozen vegetables are always a better buy. Make your own sauces and save yourself a ton of money.

Instant Mashed Potatoes

Instant mashed potatoes are filling and taste good. They save the time of peeling, chopping, boiling and mashing potatoes from scratch, or about 45 minutes of work. They are relatively nutritious, containing moderate amounts of Vitamin C and Potassium. In addition, they are popular with most families, especially children. Fresh mashed potatoes taste better and are more nutritious, but they can't be fixed from beginning to end, in less than 5 minutes flat! Recently I've seen several packages of flavored instant potatoes. Don't waste your time or money on them. Plain instant potatoes are you best buy. It is easy as pie to add garlic powder, sour cream, or cheese to your own mashed potatoes. Doing it yourself saves lots of money and doesn't take much extra time, perhaps a minute at most. If you are really pressed for time, try making your own Garlic Mashed Potato Mix.

EVAPORATED MILK, POWDERED MILK & BUTTERMILK

Powdered milk is my A #1 favorite convenience food ever. It's fat-free, tastes good and keeps for a very long time. I use it in cooking, for drinking and anywhere else I can. If you think powdered milk tastes icky, then your box of it is probably very old. Toss it out, buy a fresh box and mix up a pitcher full of frosty reconstituted milk. Once opened, dry milk tastes best if used within 3 or 4 months. Unopened it tastes best if used within a year. Even if it begins to take on a stale flavor, it is still good in cooking, where the flavor is less noticeable. Click Here for lots of information on delicious powdered milk.

Evaporated whole milk is another great buy. It's rich, full bodied texture and flavor make it a great substitute for heavy cream. It can even be whipped if well chilled first. When diluted with an equal amount of water you have the equivalent of whole milk. It won't taste the same for drinking, but it is excellent for cooking and making scrumptious hot chocolate. It's good in coffee or tea and costs less than fresh whole milk. Plus it sits on the shelf for a year or longer without going bad. Definitely worth keeping on hand.

Powdered buttermilk is available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets under the SACO brand. It costs less than fresh buttermilk and stores more easily. It can be used anywhere fresh buttermilk is used, even for making fruit smoothies and buttermilk ranch dressing. If you like to make your own baking mixes it's handy to keep on hand. I always make my homemade biscuits with powdered buttermilk and folks are always telling me how good they are. Not everyone will find powdered buttermilk as useful as I do. If you never use buttermilk then it will not be a good buy for you. If you do use buttermilk though, and hate having a quart of it in the fridge for a month or longer, then you'll find the convenience of preparing only a small amount at a time, much to your liking.

Basic Ingredients For Your Food Pantry

White Flour Wheat Flour Dry (Dehydrated) Milk Powdered Eggs Margarine Sugar Brown Sugar Powdered Sugar Corn Meal Vegetable Oil Shortening Baking Powder Baking Soda Cocoa Powder Yeast Dark & Light Corn Syrup Salt Pepper Garlic Salt Cinnamon Vinegar Vanilla Cornstarch Bouillon Cubes Chili Powder Oatmeal Dried Pinto Beans Dried Navy Beans Dried Split Peas Dried Butter Beans Rice Carob Powder Dried Kidney Beans Egg Noodles Macaroni Spaghetti Maple Flavoring Dry Mustard Honey Molasses Mayonnaise Mustard Bar-B-Q Sauce Worcestershire Sauce Salsa Soy Sauce Fruit Pectin Tapioca Evaporated Milk Tea Crackers Coffee Creamer Graham Crackers Peanut Butter Tomato Paste Tomato Sauce Canned Tomatoes Powdered Cheese Hominy Grits Popcorn Peanuts Pecans/Walnuts Jelly & Jam Quick Oats Coconut Chocolate Chips Syrup Raisins Bottled Water