I am a pantry cook. I have been for years. I divorced my first husband when my son was two and throughout the years of being a single mom and trying to make healthy meals for my son on a budget, I became a pantry cook. The key to being a good pantry cook is, of course, having a well-stocked pantry. My pantry isn’t excessive -- just things that I need to cook the majority of the meals that I like.
In addition to my dry and canned goods pantry, I have a stand up freezer that I also use as my pantry. It’s full of everything from frozen vegetables to tv dinners. I have extra nuts in there (used for baking), frozen meats (that I bought on sale), tomatoes from my garden, shrimp bought in bulk and then divided into individual portions, leftover turkey carcasses (for soup), etc.
I almost never buy meat that is not on sale. I watch the grocery store ads twice a week and usually buy whatever is on sale. One of my favorites is whole chickens for $0.99 cents per pound. I usually grab one that is about 3½ to four pounds, so I’m only paying $4.00 max for it. Do you know how many meals I can get out of a whole chicken? Tons! First, roasted chicken. Second, chicken sandwiches. Third, chicken salad. Finally, chicken noodle soup with whatever is left over.
Some of my other favorites are boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I pound out to about ½” thick and individually vacuum seal before I freeze them, pork chops which get frozen individually, ground beef which I usually freeze in one pound packages, and steaks which I will, again, vacuum seal and put in the freezer. All of these items can be taken out, thawed quickly, and are just as good as they were when they were fresh. Butter is another item that I buy on sale and freeze. Never, never, NEVER pay full price for a pound of butter. I’ve always got some in the freezer.
Now that I live alone and usually only prepare meals for one, these items come in doubly handy. The chicken breasts, when placed in a small amount of cold water in the sink, thaw out in about 15 minutes. By cooking up just a few fresh veggies that are “staples” in my fridge I can whip up a batch of Fajita Chicken in no time. Feel like spaghetti tonight? I usually have frozen spaghetti sauce in the freezer in containers that hold two servings. Why two? Because leftover spaghetti is great for lunch the next day. You can usually find a bowl or two of soup, a wonderful rice pilaf recipe that I have, chili, or even some desserts that have made their way in there.
In my dry and canned goods pantry I keep lots of canned tomatoes, beans for chili, flour, sugar, the protein bars I like for breakfast, cereals for Chex mix, lots of dried pasta, soup stocks, baking items such as chocolate chips, cake and brownie mixes, and snack items that I find on sale. I always have a good supply of spices on hand too.
My goal in having this pantry is that I when I go shopping I usually only have to pick up fresh produce, eggs, lunch meat and bread at the grocery store. Then I will only pick up what is on sale to fill my pantry. Pasta 10 for $10 -- I’m on that!! Frozen veggies on sale -- I grab ‘em. Steaks on sale for five bucks a pound -- let’s get grilling! I have found that by having this pantry I can make just about any meal I find in a cookbook as long as it doesn’t call for something too exotic.
Give it a try and start your pantry today. It will grow slowly in the beginning, but as the weeks go by you will be amazed at how well stocked your cupboards can be.
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