How to Stock a Pantry for Every Skill Level, Novice to Pro

pantry /ˈpæntrɪ/ noun (pl) -tries

A small room or cupboard in which provisions, cooking utensils, etc, are kept; larder

Word origin: Early 14th century, from Anglo-French panetrie (Old French paneterie) "bread room," from Medieval Latin panataria "office or room of a servant who has charge of food" (literally "bread"), from Latin panis "bread"

The large houses and estates in Victorian era Great Britain had separate rooms for each distinct stage of food preparation. The washing, peeling, and chopping of food was done in the larder, the kitchen was for cooking, and the storeroom was for food storage. The scullery is where dishes and pots and pans were washed. Cleaning of fish and cutting of raw meat (a messy job that required a source of water) was also done there. And, the pantry is where the china, glassware, and silverware were stored.

In America, pantries evolved from early Colonial American "butteries," a cold northern corner in the house where butter was stored. In middle-class America, butler’s pantries or china pantries were built between the dining room and the kitchen.

Today, a pantry is a room or cabinet where non-perishable foods are stored. It can be as simple as one or two shelves in your kitchen cupboard, or as elaborate as a walk-in room with labeled shelving, bins, and storage containers.

Everyone who cooks needs to have a "pantry". But, don't get hung up on the concept of having a large space reserved in your home or your kitchen for storing "stuff".

The "how" is not as important as is the "what". Although organization is important, you first need to consider—What do you need to have on hand to be able to put together easy and healthy meals for yourself and your family?

Here are some ideas.

Cans of peas and corn and jars of peanut butter might sound pretty boring, but where I live we maintain a disaster kit—foods we know we can rely on if and when there is a prolonged power outage from a storm or a cut-off of access to services from an earthquake.

Canned goods are important for all of us. When I mentally look across our country, there is not a spot that is safe from disaster. All of us a likely to be assailed by earthquakes, ice storms, tornadoes, or cyclones. So let's stock our pantries with at least some essentials to help us when we cannot rely on running to the grocery store (or favorite fast-food place). Please make sure to have some vegetables, fruits, canned tuna, and peanut butter in a safe place in your house.

But aside from that, you should also have a few things on hand to help you prepare easy, quick, healthy meals for your family. Here are some suggestions.

There are also some things you should have in your pantry for baking. I'm not suggesting that you become a 5-star cupcake master. Perhaps you just want to be able to whip up a batch of biscuits to have with beef stew, or waffles for Sunday breakfast. If you are a bit more adventurous you might think of baking a cake or a loaf of bread. Here are the things you might want to have on hand.

Dry goods are typically the starchy, carbohydrate part of the meal. Pasta, rice, dried peas and beans, lentils—all of these are necessary to provide a balance to our diets. Here is a suggested list of items to keep on hand.

The spice of life. Salt and pepper are easy, inexpensive, and common-place. If these were the only seasonings you had, you could certainly exist. But, there are opportunities for so much more. Try new tastes from different places. Herbs and spices provide so much interest to our foods. Let's explore.

Do you know someone (perhaps yourself?) who cannot eat a meal without having a bottle of ketchup at the ready? My dad was one of those—ketchup on the meatloaf, ketchup on roast beef, on breakfast eggs. I think he might have skipped pouring it on spaghetti, but that might be the only food that escaped.

Yes, I am poking a bit of fun at those who bless their meals with a daily baptism of the sweet red sauce in a bottle, but I will acknowledge that condiments have a place in the well-stocked kitchen. Sometimes a dab of Dijon mustard, a spoonful of honey, or a dash of soy sauce is just the bit of magic needed to transform a sauce or gravy, soup or stew from wimpy to wonderful.

Every kitchen should have a basic bottle of cooking oil for frying and sauteing, but you might be wondering why vinegar is on the list. I'm not suggesting that you start making your own dill pickles. Vinegar, just a touch, is sometimes all you need to add a bit of punch to a dish. That tang of sour fools our palates into thinking "salty", and reducing the amount of sodium in our diets is a good goal to keep in mind.

Does your spaghetti sauce seem to be lacking "something"? A teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar might be just what it needs.