How to Create a Perfectly Stocked Pantry

The kitchen at The Groves at Milford apartment could be considered the heart of your home here in Milford, MA. It’s functional, modern, comes equipped with all the appliances you need including a microwave and dishwasher, and is a place to gather, talk, eat, and work on all sorts of projects. Making meals is the main function, however, and having a well-stocked pantry is an essential part of getting healthy, tasty food to the table. Learn how in today’s blog.

It’s a good idea to know what exactly goes into a good pantry. In a nutshell, a well-stocked pantry includes the basic items needed to pull a meal or dish together at a moment’s notice. That will be somewhat different for everyone, but there are some basic staples everyone will find useful.

Referring to the pantry is referring to cupboards set aside for food storage, but for our purposes, we will also include the refrigerator, freezer, and the breadbox if you have one. Some items start on the pantry shelf and end up in the fridge (condiments for example). It may be a good idea to have a backup for those refrigerated items in the pantry.

Include baking items. Items that fit in this category include the following: flours, sugars, grains, baking powder, baking soda, powdered milk, cocoa, oil, shortening, honey, and spices. If you bake on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to have all the supplies you need on hand.

Think about how to make a healthy meal. Include root vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery, in your pantry. You can also add canned goods of the food and vegetables you eat regularly. Have canned meats on hand too. If you don’t have time to cook chicken breasts for example, but you want to make chicken salad, a can of chicken will work in a pinch.

Tomato sauce, beef and chicken stock, and marinara sauce can be the basis of many a meal. Be sure to include a variety of pasta and bottled pasta sauce on hand for a quick, easy dinner. Add spices and meat and your entree is prepared. Add a green salad, rolls, and fresh fruit, and you have a meal.

Keep sandwich fixings on hand. Peanut butter and jelly is a standard, but also include cans of tuna, hazelnut spread, or any other of your favorite sandwich ingredients. These are great for when you’re too tired or busy to put together a full-blown meal.

This is just a brief outline of the types of foods to be found in a pantry. For a more complete list, check out this pantry list from Allrecipes. Having a stocked pantry saves time, energy, and money. It also allows you to stock up on items when they are on sale because you don’t need to run out and get them at the last minute. What are your suggestions for essential pantry items? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading today’s post!