I'm not an exotic cook so you won't find kippers or smoked oysters in my pantry but I do stock my pantry with staples. I also use my pantry to save money and buy canned goods when they are on sale.
Here is what you can usually find in my pantry at all times:
- Pastas: thin spaghetti, fettuccine and angel hair, a box or two of penne or rotini, and yes...a box or two of that yellow mac and cheese. I like to keep gnocchi and tortellini (but they are usually refrigerated or frozen).
- Rice: a large bag of brown rice, a few boxes of wild rice and usually a box of Spanish rice. I also like to keep at least one box of several flavors of Zatarrains rice mixes (Dirty Rice and Red Beans and rice are good bases for a meal).
- Canned Goods: Canned tomatoes (my dads canned tomatoes, large-2, petite diced-3,) tomato sauce (large-2, regular-3, mini-3) and at least one can of tomato paste.
- Pasta Sauce: Both Red and Alfredo sauces (I stock up on these when they are on sale).
- Canned Vegetables: canned corn both kernels and creamed corn, green beans (again-my dads home canned beans), soups for a quick meal, black beans, kidney beans and re fried beans. Add any staples your family regularly enjoys. And...in the winter I always have some mini cans of peas and carrots to add to my container of vegetable soup.
- Baking Staples: Flour, sugar, yeast, brown sugar and confectionery sugar. I always have a chocolate and yellow cake mix on hand plus mini-semi-sweet baking chips and a package or two of brownie, quick-bread and muffin mix in case I need to make a meal and include a dessert. Plus Italian breadcrumbs, oil (both canola and Olive Oil)
- Other: In the cooler months I usually have a bag or two of instant soup mix on hand to whip up a quick meal, stuffing mix for stuffed pork chops.
Now you are ready to prepare a meal with out running out of a staple! Group like items together and be sure to rotate the older items to the front when yo purchase new. I keep a list on my fridge and always replace an item after I use it. Now if I could JUST convince the younger daughter to do the same! LOL
