Saturday, April 25, 2020 –
Continuing with our installments of “prepper-lite,” today I want to give a few of our family’s general rules for making a deep pantry. Again, I am NOT an extreme prepper, nor is any of my personal experience meant to be taken as Gospel truth. If you do not agree with me nor find anything I say useful to your situation, peace be with you and bye.
Here are some basic deep pantry rules that work for our home:
- Plan! Plan! Plan!
Seriously, sit down and think this out. You should plan food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple daily snacks) for AT LEAST two weeks. Yes, that is a lot of food to think about, but once you get started, it really is easy. Make a 2-week chart with each mealtime and two snack times. Start filling them in with food your family would eat. Think EASY meals that do not take a lot of ingredients or fuss. Do not plan a souffle; think scrambled eggs and salsa. The good news is once you have this plan, you can keep using it to ensure you always have a rotating stock ready to go in an emergency.
2. Stock foods your family will eat.
I cannot stress this enough: your deep pantry should be stuff you ENJOY eating. When you are stuck with nothing else, you do NOT want to be fighting over brussels sprouts. If you love peanut butter, stock peanut butter. If you love frozen peas, roll with it! Do not plan a bunch of meals your family would never eat and do not just buy a random assortment of canned goods.
3. Variety is the spice of life.
Two weeks is a long time to be eating PBandJs, unless that is your jams and you just love them. Make sure you think of several different meals that you all will enjoy. Think about different cuisines (Italian, Cajun, French, etc.). Not many people enjoy eating the same thing for two weeks, so plan accordingly.
4. Plan meals that can cover a couple days.
Unless you love being in the kitchen, make sure each meal can cover at least two days. Leftovers are your friend when you are dog tired and just do not feel like cooking.
5. Make sure your deep pantry covers a few different methods of cooking AND storing.
In the event the power goes out, make sure you have food that can be stored without refrigeration as well as meals that can be cooked on the grill or open flame. If everything in your plan involves an oven, you need to rethink things. I like to do a 25-25-25-25 split. Meaning, 25% of my meals can be done in a crockpot; 25% can be done in the oven; 25% can be done on the grill/open flame; and 25% can be done on more than one method (e.g. chicken that can be cooked with same ingredients by any method).
6. For the Catholics: MEATLESS FRIDAYS!!
Andrew and I are old-school Catholics. We still do meatless Fridays. Therefore, our deep pantry has at least two vegetarian or fish options. Our plan also allows for some of the meat options to be easily converted to meatless (e.g. taco soup can be done with or without chicken).
7. This should go without saying, but remember your food allergies!
Chances are you do not need to see this in writing, but seriously, do not forget your food allergies or issues. I am Celiac, so any food we make has to be “Nicole friendly.” Just make sure you read labels before buying any long-term item.
8. Find ways to hide those pesky veggies.
To be clear, if you can access fresh vegetables, DO IT! Vegetables and fruits are the staple of a good, healthy diet. However, if you are leaning on your deep pantry, you are probably rotating in your frozen and canned veggies. They are not going to taste great, but your meal plan should find ways to incorporate them (AKA “hide” them) in sauces, etc.
9. Frozen (and canned) is your friend.
Have I mentioned that frozen and canned veggies do not taste spectacular? We keep a good stock of fresh produce, but we also have a stock of frozen and canned produce ready to go into rotation at a moment’s notice. Our deep pantry meal plan accounts for the lack of taste in frozen and canned, and I use them in HEAVILY seasoned dishes where a little added “mush” is not going to be noticed.
10. Spices and condiments are also your friends.
Generally, my pantry is about 20ish% spices and condiments. I order bulk dry spices several times a year, and I probably have a couple jars of stuff you have never heard of. The best advice I ever received when I learned to cook was to sit down with as many spices I could find and do a taste test. Learn what spices you love (or hate), and make sure you have those on hand…in bulk! Adding extra flavor to your meal plan is a great way to, well, keep things spicy!
11. Do not neglect your pantry staples.
When you make your meal plan, do not forget to account for any oils, butter, flour, etc. You do not want to be stuck with a 2-week supply of food you cannot cook because you forgot the canola. I also find it helpful to have a handy list of substitutes just in case I am running low on oil, but somehow have an abundance of applesauce.
12. Do not forget your personal staples.
Likewise, include your personal staples: toilet paper, paper towels, feminine products, etc. As we have seen, people panic buy TP for any reason. If you have a “bumper” of personal items, you will ensure your family is covered when the world goes a little nuts. Also, do not forget your pets. They need food too!
13. Do not forget your “crutch” items.
Andrew is a coffee fiend. I have a sweet tooth. In order to keep us both humming along and out of trouble, we keep a stash of coffee and hard candies. Can we go without our crutch items, sure! However, it is for the good of humanity!
14. Use stuff that can store for a long time and keep track of those expiration dates.
Of course, canned and frozen last longer than fresh. However, do not neglect those expiration or “best by” dates. Your best tool is going to be a sharpie. Mark all expiration dates in BIG print on the front of every can or bag. Make sure you have a general idea of when your deep pantry is set to expire, or be super nerdy and log them into a spreadsheet. Rotate your supply into your regular meal plan and replenish as needed so you are not stuck with a 2-week supply of expired food.
15. Do not forget about your deep pantry; eat it and replenish!
As stated in number 14, keep track of those expiration dates. As you come up on them, rotate some of your deep pantry meals into your regular dinner schedule. Do not forget to restock your deep pantry!
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us!
