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Ten Best Ingredients to Keep Stocked in the Pantry

Strategies to Keeping a Stocked Pantry

Keeping a stocked pantry is one of the major keys to Strategic Shopping.

Having my pantry stocked lets me shop my pantry first each week.

That way, I am able to go to the store just to get the deals and a few essentials that are lacking that week.

I have a few basic strategies in keeping a stocked pantry.

#1 – Shop the sales.

Shopping the sales is one of the best ways to keep a stocked pantry.

I buy when the prices are at their rock-bottom prices.

I make sure I buy as many items at that low price as I am able to that week.

When I see chicken drop down to $0.39 per pound, I don’t just buy supper.

I buy 120 pounds of chicken and fill up the freezer.

I consider my freezer an extension of my pantry.

#2 – Preserve as much as possible.

My freezer isn’t always empty enough to stockpile the next big sale item.

That’s okay.

I have other means of preserving my shopping hauls.

I actually prefer to can and dehydrate much of my produce and meat.

Meat is easy to can and makes meal time super fast.

Here is an article I wrote on canning beef, canning chicken, and canning hamburger.

The problem most people have when finding a great deal on produce is how to keep it from spoiling.

I just cut most of mine up and throw it onto the dehydrator.

The dehydrated produce lasts for years, it makes meal time quick and simple, and it tastes as fresh as the day I dehydrated it.

It literally just pops back to normal when added to liquid.

#3 – Buy the More Expensive Items Whenever You Have the Extra Finances

Some items in my pantry are just plain expensive, but I don’t want to live without them.

Whenever I get some extra cash, I pick up one or two.

Check out my article, Are You Getting an Income Tax Refund?

Are you getting an income tax refund? How about a stimulus check?

Start a pantry building savings account.

Determine to spend or save at least $5.00 each week to use on pantry staples.

Ten Best Ingredients to Keep Stocked in the Pantry

#1 – Fats

I like to keep a variety of fats on hand.

I buy a lot of butter when it hits its rock-bottom price in November and fill up my freezer.

I buy coconut oil from Big Lot’s. I also get my grape seed oil, avocado oil, and olive oil at Big Lot’s.

Coconut oil is delicious, but super affordable at Big Lot’s.

I get vegetable oil from Aldi.

I, also, render my own lard from our home-grown pigs.

I also keep a good supply of commercially preserved powdered butter on hand.

#2 – Sweeteners

I buy my local honey in five-gallon bucket.

My stash of regular granulated sugar and confectionery sugar comes mainly from Aldi.

Of course, I get sugar deals all over the place during the holiday sales.

I like to make my own fresh brown sugar, but I do keep some bags from Aldi on the shelf too.

Fresh maple syrup is another favorite pantry staple. It is easy to find local maple syrup in our area.

Some of my children enjoy making some of their own maple syrup too.

#3 – Flour

I buy regular white flour in bulk at Aldi every November when it is at its rock-bottom price.

I also keep a lot of wheat berries stored in mylar bags.

I purchase the wheat berries at my local nature store, and the mylar bags are available on Amazon.

I soak my wheat berries, sprout them, dry them, then grind them into fresh flour for ultimate nutrition.

#4 – Salt

My favorite salt to keep in my pantry is Himalayan pink sea salt.

I used to buy mine on Amazon and even Dollar Tree, but it is cheaper at Big Lot’s.

Amazon sells really good Celtic Sea Salt. I buy it in five-pound bags.

#5 – Herbs and Spices

You probably won’t be surprised to hear me say that I love to buy many of my herbs and spices right at Big Lot’s.

Check out my article, Big Lots -10 Surprising Things I Buy.

#6 – Milk

Powdered milk used to be a staple in every pantry.

I still keep plenty of it on hand.

The milk in the refrigerator isn’t always there when you have a mega family.

I always know I have some form of milk available.

Canned evaporated milk and condensed milk are on my shelves specifically for making special treats.

Gossner milk has become my all-time favorite milk for storage.

I love that it is a liquid, shelf-stable milk that ensures that I can do baking, have a drink, or give my grandchildren a bowl of cereal.

#7 – Leavens

Baking soda and baking powder are both staples in my kitchen.

You can buy them at super low prices basically anywhere.

I typically buy them at Aldi.

Yeast – I buy my yeast at BJ’s. It comes in one-pound packages, and there are two packages sold together for around five bucks!

I buy a lot of it and store it in my freezer in order to keep it fresh longer.

#8 – Eggs

I absolutely love my powdered egg stash. I will literally never be without powdered eggs in my pantry.

There is nothing worse than realizing you are out of a staple ingredient right in the middle of cooking.

Yes, I do raise my own chickens, but there are still days when I don’t have any fresh eggs on hand.

I am always super happy to just have to pull some dehydrated eggs off from the pantry shelf.

I also like to make up my own instant food packages.

Instant pancake mix and instant biscuit mix is easy to keep in the pantry when you use dehydrated eggs.

My family loves to receive these kind of homemade, but instant mixes as gifts, and I love to have them available on my pantry shelves.

#9 – Meat

Can meat

Have you ever thought about canning your own meat?

Canning meat is one of my favorite things to can.

Yes, you do need a pressure canner to can meat, but it is definitely worth the investment.

I have used a simple Presto pressure canner for years.

Dehydrate meat

Maybe you are not interested in preserving your own meat, but still want to have meat in your pantry.

Perhaps commercially freeze dried meat is an option for you.

These freeze dried meats can last for decades.

Some people refer to them as survival foods.

I, personally, think they are the perfect retirement investment!

Buying meat and throwing it directly into the freezer is probably the most common and easiest way to preserve meat.

I have my freezer full of meat, but I don’t leave it in there for long.

Freezers are just not good for long term food storage.

According to this pdf downloadable chart from the FDA, food should only be stored in the freezer for a few months.

#10 – Produce

How do we keep produce in the pantry?

Of course, the easiest way is to simply buy canned fruits and vegetables at your local grocery store.

Places like Aldi sell canned goods at very affordable prices.

You can fill your pantry quickly by just buying a few extra cans of food each week or month.

Another way is to preserve your own fruits and vegetables.

I have a pantry full of home canned produce.

Some required a pressure canner, but I just needed a water bath canner for others.

My favorite way to keep produce on my pantry shelves is by dehydrating.

I absolutely love to dehydrate at home.

I preserve my own home-grown garden produce, but I also watch for sales all year long and dehydrate all year long.

I started out with a Nesco dehydrator that I made my sister pick up after I found a great deal on Craigslist.

The Nesco dehydrators work great for small time dehydrators.

I loved mine, but it got used a lot as I dehydrated food for my mega family.

I burnt up three of them before I decided to invest in my all-time favorite Excalibur dehydrator.

I have used my Excalibur for years without any issues.

I also like to have fresh food greens available in my pantry too.

I do this by keeping sprouting seeds on my shelves.

I am able to have fresh green sprouts within a couple of days.

Ten Best Ingredients to Keep Stocked in the Pantry

These are the ten best ingredients to keep stocked in the pantry:

1. Fats
2. Sweeteners
3. Flour
4. Salt
5. Herbs & Spices
6. Milk
7. Leavens
8. Eggs
9. Meat
10. Produce

What are the staples that you keep stocked in your pantry?

Leave a comment and let me know.

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