We keep a well-stocked kitchen on the farm. Between living inconveniently far away from a grocery store, no option for food delivery, and having been stranded at home several times for many days due to natural disasters, I tend to keep a good supply of pantry staples and food in our home. I believe a well-stocked pantry and kitchen can help you get meals on the table in any kind of situation.
A kitchen and pantry staple post has been on my to-do list for a long time, before the coronavirus outbreak, because I believe in keeping a well-stocked home. Now that everyone is home cooking each meal, I wanted to put a post together to help give you ideas on how to stock your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to avoid frequent trips to the grocery store.
I try to stretch my groceries so I’m only going to the store every ten days or so. Sometimes I can go longer if I really stick to meal planning, and other times, I call my husband when he is in town to pick up a few items. I tend to always keep basic kitchen supplies stocked up because you can create so much from simple ingredients like flour, milk, eggs and butter. I can create many meals and even desserts combining these necessary supplies with whatever else I have on hand.
To help you keep a well-stocked kitchen, I created a Kitchen & Pantry Inventory printable that lists the staples and food items we often keep in our house. I want to note that I don’t always have every single item on this list in my kitchen at once – but I come pretty close to having many of these items on hand. We tend to eat seasonal fruits and veggies, so you won’t find a fresh peach in my kitchen in January; instead, you’ll find citrus.
I also want to recognize that groceries are expensive, and we often spend a good portion of our budget on food. We love to cook, and we cook three meals a day, every single day of the week. We live far away from town and have a toddler and a newborn, so we hardly eat at restaurants. We also frequently have large dinner parties with extended family, so my kitchen is well-stocked – which can get expensive when I don’t properly meal plan or run low on multiple staples.
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To build up our pantry, refrigerator and freezer inventories, I shop sales at the grocery store or online to get the best price – and I’ve done this over time. I’m not suggesting that you buy every single item on this list or buy it all at the same time. Shop sales and build your inventory as your budget allows. Here is a list of places I frequently shop online to save time and money: Costco.com, Amazon Pantry, Thrive Market (get 25% off your first order!), and Wine.com (yes, because you need wine to get through this!).
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Start with the basics and expand your pantry as you go. Over time, you’ll find it easier to make meals from scratch using what you have readily available. Consider this list as a suggestion of items to keep in your kitchen. You can determine the essentials based on your liking. Still, the idea is to make sure you have enough food from the different categories to pull together several meals at any time. Download our Kitchen & Pantry Inventory printable below. Happy Cooking!
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