It is expensive to cook if you don’t keep a stocked pantry. You cook based on a recipe, run to the store and buy the items on the recipe list and then don’t use the leftover bottles of “stuff” for the special dish. You end up with 10 bottles of paprika. Instead, if you treat your pantry like a grocery store and keep an inventory of items you regularly use, you can saved a ton of money cooking. The key is “regular” cooking. You need to start with a few basic dishes and keep the core ingredients on hand.
If you have an inventory in your pantry, you are less likely to grab takeout because the idea of going to the grocery store and then cooking is too much. Cooking should be fun but it is turned into WORK when you plan, shop, cook, eat and clean-up for each dish you prepare.
Here’s a few core items I keep in my pantry. If you’re just getting started, I’ve put the most used items in bold so you can prioritize your expenditures when stocking.
Refrigerator:
Eggs
Butter or margarine
Milk
Whipping cream
Sour cream
Cream cheese (I keep this if it is on sale but not regularly)
Cheddar cheese
Mozzarella (I keep when I plan to cook Italian or it is on sale)
Parmesan cheese (I keep the jar of kraft)
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Steak sauce
Horseradish (when it is on sale)
Ketchup
Jalapeno (bottled)
Assorted pickles
Salsa
Jellies or jams
Non-perishable Pantry Items
Spices & Seasonings
Adobo (optional)
Balsamic vinegar
Basil
Bay leaf
Bluebell icecream
Cayenne pepper
Chipotle Ground Red (my secret ingredient)
Chicken Bouillon Granules
Chili Powder
Cilantro (optional)
Cinnamon
Cumin
Dehydrated onion (optional)
Dry mustard
Garlic powder
Ground ginger
Hot sauce
Italian seasoning
Ketchup
Nuts (I keep peanuts, mixed nuts, and cashews. I also have bagged walnuts, pecans and pinenuts in the freezer)
Nutmeg
Onion powder
Oregano
Paprika (I also keep Smoked Paprika)
Parsley
Pepper
Ranch Dressing Mix (optional, my friend Gerry’s secret ingredient)
Red Wine Vinegar
Rice vinegar (optional)
Rosemary
Salt
Sesame Oil (I like having it but usually don’t keep it b/c $$$)
Taco Seasoning Mix
Toni’s Cajun Seasoning
Thyme
Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce
Baking Needs
Almond Extract (optional)
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Bread Crumbs (optional)
Unsweetened Coco
Confectioner’s Sugar
Corn Meal
Corn Syrup
Cornstarch
Boxed Crackers (whatever is a steal with coupons)
Evaporated Milk
Flour (all purpose)
Honey
Jell-O packages pudding and jello (miscellaneous sizes and flavors)
Non-stick cooking spray
Olive Oil (I get large container at Costco)
Olive Oil Spray
Rolled oats (avoid quick oats if possible)
Sugar
Sundried Tomatoes in Oil
Tuna
Vanilla Extract
Vegetable Oil
Beans
Black Beans
Kidney Beans
Lentils
Red Beans
White Navy Beans (I use this in a tomato soup)
Miscellaneous
Croutons
Graham Crackers
Peanut Butter
Taco Shells
Tea bags
Pasta and Rice
Egg Noodles
Elbow Macaroni
Fettuccine
Lasagna Noodles
Spaghetti
Linguini’s
Pasta Packet/Mixes when almost free with coupon
Rice (brown, white, jasmine and whatever packets are almost free with coupon)
Produce
Apples
Bananas
Onion
Garlic
Potatoes
Whatever is on sale and in season
Vegetables (Canned)
Kernal Corn
Green Beans
Mushroom Pieces
Pimientos
Roasted Red Peppers (luxury item)
Diced tomatoes
Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)
Tomatoes (crushed, diced, sauce, and paste)
Water chestnuts, sliced
Other Canned or Jar Goods
Green Chiles, diced
Salsa
Spaghetti Sauce
Paper & Plastic
Foil (regular and heavy duty. regular is the most important)
Plastic Baggies (Freezer and Storage, all sizes, several boxes, I only buy with coupons)
Plastic Wrap
Wax Paper
Freezer Items
Fish
Raw Packaged Shrimp
Frozen Vegetables
Mixed Cajun Vegetables (found at Krogers. includes onion, celery and bell pepper. great in gumbo)
Peas
Boxed chopped spinach
Bagged leaf spinach
French Fries
Tater Tots
Meat
Beef (ground, steaks)
Chicken (whole, legs, thighs, drumsticks and breasts…I stock up on sale items)
Hot Dogs
Italian Sausage
Pork Chops (if I buy a large package b/c of good deal)
Breads
Pie crusts
Rhodes Rolls and bread
Mrs Smiths Yeast rolls (this is a luxury item)
Other sites with Pantry Inventories:
More Pantry Links to come (email me yours)
August 28, 2008 at 10:30 pm |
[...] Pantry Inventory – Stocked Pantry [...]
August 29, 2008 at 10:44 am |
That is one amazing pantry! Thanks for sharing.
February 2, 2009 at 9:34 am |
Wow, this is incredible! Maybe one day I’ll get my act together. I think for now I’ll work on keeping a running inventory of my pantry.
March 24, 2009 at 5:50 pm |
I’m jealous of your walk-in pantry! I agree it’s so much easier to cook and save money with a stocked pantry.
July 13, 2009 at 4:27 am |
Hi Kris,
I love your site, very informative for any woman with a busy lifestyle. I don’t have kids or a hubby, but I do work very long hours and am sick and tired of take-out and meals from the frozen section of the supermarket, so your meal plan and pantry lists are very handy and a good start-off point for me. Thank you so much!
One question, you mention above that you freeze walnuts, pecans and pinenuts – can these be frozen straight out of the shop or do you need to do something to them first?
Thanks again, I greately appreciate you taking the time to put all this stuff on your blog!
Michelle
July 13, 2009 at 6:51 am |
Good for you Michelle. I use my nuts right out of the freezer. For example, if I’m making muffins then I toss in a few frozen walnuts into the mixture.
I have been in your shoes. I worked very long hours before I had kids and a few years after. I tried to cook at home before kids, and it made me feel better for 2 reasons. First of all, my dwelling felt more like a home which was nice after fighting the world all day. 2nd, my body felt better.
I would suggest spending time in a bookstore viewing the freezer cooking recipe books. One time I tried 30 Meals in A Day. It is a plan where you cook 30 meals for your freezer in one day. They even talk about how to fit this much food into a small freezer. I would not order off the internet because you need to see the recipes b/f you buy. Many are casseroles that I don’t like. And look for meals that don’t mess up too many dishes b/c you don’t have time to empty dishwasher twice a day. If you get a few recipes you enjoy, this is fabulous. You can have a meal waiting for you in the fridge each day when you get home.
Even if you don’t do 30 days of meals, when you do cook try to freeze the extra in a creative way for a future meal. If you make steak or chicken breast, don’t toss the extra even if it is small. Start a freezer fajita bag and put in any leftover meat you think would be good. Then one day toss it all in a skillet and eat with salsa, tortillas and salad.
Good luck!
July 13, 2009 at 7:59 am |
That’s a good tip, I actually have today off, so I was planning on making a start on cooking for the week, but I will def plan a trip to the bookstore aswell. Yeah I agree with you that cooking makes a home more homey and as for the body bit…. my body is absolutely the number one victim of my current lifestyle, something I am hoping to reverse! My friends looked very sceptical when I told them about my plan but I know I can make this work, the main thing is planning ahead.
July 27, 2009 at 4:21 pm |
Wow, that’s a super organized pantry! Thanks for the great list and photos.