Life on the Cheap – What’s in Your Pantry?

Homemade Goodness Is Easy!

It isn’t hard to make a case for homemade food.  The merits of eating things you’ve made yourself, from scratch, are countless!

• There are no preservatives or strange sounding chemicals
• You can easily add healthy extras like bran, or favorites like nuts and dried fruit
• Gourmet quality food costs even less than premade bargain brands when you make it yourself
• The possibilities are endless…Once you start a habit of cooking and baking from scratch, you’ll wonder why you ever used convenient pre-packaged food!  The amount of time it takes to get started is an easy tradeoff.

A Basic Pantry

Many old fashioned cookbooks had extensive chapters about how to set up your kitchen and pantry so that preparing meals would be easier and shopping trips could be less frequent.  Depending on what kind of food you enjoy and your grocery budget, it’s easy to decide what you need to keep on hand at all times. 

Here are some things I always keep on hand.

• Flour – I like to bake everything from scratch so I keep a few different kinds of flour on hand.  If you’re new to baking, just get some all purpose unbleached flour like Gold Medal or King Arthur. 
• Sugar – Even though I make a lot of low sugar items, I keep white sugar and brown sugar handy.  I also keep a bag of Splenda or Altern (the Sam’s Choice version of Splenda) in the cupboard
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Yeast – If you want to learn to make bread from scratch, I recommend you start out by buying a jar of yeast like Fleischmann’s.  Keep your yeast in a sealed container in the freezer unless you go through it quickly.  Making bread is a pleasurable experience and as you learn how to bake it, the process becomes a lot quicker.  There’s nothing like homemade bread to enhance any meal.
• Eggs – Many recipes call for eggs.  If you go through a lot of eggs, try buying one of the flat packs that holds thirty eggs.  Usually the price per egg is significantly less than the price per egg in smaller cartons.  I’m very lucky because I have friends with hens and I get a lot of my eggs for free (free range, organics nonetheless!) I usually trade something I’ve baked for a large amount of eggs, so it’s almost profitable.
• Dry Beans and Lentils – If you like to use beans or need to add vegetarian protein to your meals, dry beans are the way to go.  Canned beans are okay, but they’ve got a lot of added salt and cost much more per serving than the dry ones.  Dry beans also look beautiful in jars.  Although the amount of time it takes to prepare dried beans and lentils is considerably greater than the time required to prepare the canned type, the process of soaking the beans and then cooking them slowly can provide satisfaction.
• Rice – I like to keep a few kinds of rice on hand. Different types of rice are useful in different recipes, so stock rice according to what you plan to make.  If you eat beans and rice together, you’re consuming a complete protein, so keep that in mind if making a meatless meal.  If you have some type of bread at the same time, it’s even better and more satisfying.
• Pasta – I always stock up on pasta when it’s on sale, and I also buy it in bulk.  I keep a lot of shapes and sizes around, since different pasta shapes hold sauce differently.
• Root Vegetables – Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, and Garlic hold up well in the refrigerator.  I also like Parsnips and Beets, and if you like Turnips and Rutebagas these are good to have too. 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The best in oil!  It’s got a lot of flavor, so unless you dislike the taste that olive oil imparts to food, this is a really useful thing to have on hand.  I use it for everything.
• Canola Oil or another heart healthy oil – Some recipes won’t benefit from the taste of Olive oil,so I keep a light oil on hand also. 
• Butter and margarine – Baked goods develop differently depending on the type of fat that you use.  If you’re an inexperienced baker, do a little research on the item you want to make, and see what different recipes recommend.  I like to use a fifty – fifty blend of butter / margarine, like Earth Balance.  Avoid using the “light” versions of butter or margarine for baking, but by all means keep some around for spreading on top!
• Herbs and Spices – I have an amazing palette of herbs and spices, but this is because I’ve cooked and baked forever, and I like to make things from various international traditions.  If you’re new to cooking check to see what spices your favorite recipes call for, and just get those to start.  I recommend checking a warehouse store or a grocery outlet since the prices are significantly lower than prices at regular grocery stores.  Not surprisingly, you can get great bargains on hard to find herbs and spices on eBay. In addition to keeping dried supplies on hand, I like to grow my own fresh herbs in the window.  I’m planning to get an Aerogarden also – this is a great device that allows you to grow fresh herbs even if you have little or no natural light available. 
• Vinegars and Extracts – Vanilla extract and Balsamic Vinegar are two items I use on an almost daily basis.  Of course, there are many more vinegars and extracts available, but these are two must-haves.

Equipment

You’ve probably got most of the things you need on hand already, but there are a few things that can make stocking up easier and more organized.

• See Through Containers – Plastic or Glass.  It’s important that these containers seal well.  A few pretty containers are good for displaying your favorite colored legumes, but basic plasticwear works well too.
• Good Freezer Bags!  I always double bag in case of problems, and I re-use the outer bags and sometimes the inner bags if they were used for vegetables.
• Cookware, Pans and Baking Tools – depending on what you plan to make, invest in some good quality  pans. Another thing that is useful is a good mixer.  I depend on my KitchenAide stand mixer for everything.  The price of the investmet toward good equipment is worthwhile.  eBay is a great source for high quality at good prices.  Of course, it’s normal to collect equipment over time.  If you’ve got talent for bargain hunting you’re sure to find som great kitchware at rock bottom prices.

Grocery Shopping Simplified

Once you’ve got your staples, trips to the grocery store can be made more quickly.  You’ll be amazed at how much your grocery tab will be reduced once you have made a habit of preparing your own food from scratch.  Here’s a little list of things you can keep on hand – it does help to plan your meals around sales.

• Meat and Fish – I like to buy frozen fish and frozen chicken.  I also like pre-marinated pork loins, which seem to go on sale frequently here.  Once I get it home, I portion the chicken and fish into freezer bags according to the number of pieces I usually use.  I double bag and label the bags with the name of the item and the date.  I’ve got a chest freezer and I try to keep it well stocked since a full freezer equals lower energy usage.
• Fresh meat – Look for meat on sale and use it right away.  I usually buy only one package of fresh meat per week, since I try to eat a diet based more on vegetables, rice and beans.  Get whatever you like, and if it’s in a value pack, bag what you’re not going to use,and put it in the freezer.  It’s really important to package it well to avoid leaks or freezer burn.
• Fruits and Vegetables – Fresh and frozen…I just look to see what looks good!  I try to keep a lot of frozen vegetables on hand since I add them to nearly everything.  I try to avoid too many canned vegetables since they’re higher in sodium and usually more costly per serving.
• Tomato Sauces – I keep a lot of tomato sauces, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and even premade pasta sauce on hand.  Usually I doctor it up, but whenever it’s on sale, I buy quite a bit of it.  Just check your favorite recipes and see what you plan on using more of.  If you’re feeling pressed for time pasta, sauce, and cheese always makes a good meal.
• Cheese – cheese is important to me, so I keep quite a few types on hand.  It does spoil though, so only get what you think you’ll use in about a week.  Although pre-shredded cheese is convenient, normally block cheese costs less per ounce.  Usually the price per ounce is displayed on the tag next to the price tag located on the grocery shelf.
• Yogurt, milk, and other dairy.

Usually this does it!  I always keep track of pantry staples I’m running low on, and get what I need.  I try to go to the store only once per week, and I like to go to the farmers’ market too.  When you stop using packaged foods, fresh vegetables tend to be much more affordable.  I would say though, that you ought to have a plan in place for using what you buy.  If you find you’re wasting vegetables, you can always wash them, cut them up, and freeze them for later.

Enjoying good, healthy food is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  Making it yourself is fun and satisfying…Happy Cooking!