The Basics of Cooking Pantry Meals

Pantry meals are loosely defined as meals in which a few to most of the ingredients are pantry items such as canned and packaged goodies.  When you have an array of pantry meal recipes in your cooking repertoire and you take the time to stock your pantry well, you’ll always be ready for quick meals and unexpected entertaining.  Here is pantry meal cooking 101.

1.  Stock up your pantry with these staple items:

• different varieties of pastas, both regular and whole-grain
• an assortment of rice, if you are particularly fond of risotto
• canned tomato products such as tomato sauce, paste, salsa and diced tomatoes
• canned meats such as chicken, crab, shrimp and tuna
• canned or packaged broths, stocks and soups
• onions and garlic
• carrots, potatoes and cabbage
• beans and legumes, whether dry or canned
• an array of herbs and spices
• basic dressings such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise
• canned fruits such as pineapple, mandarin and oranges
• canned vegetables, especially those your family loves
• dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries and dates
• assorted nuts, dry or toasted
• nut butters, jams, jellies and marmalades
• different types of oils and vinegars
• bottled sauces such as Worcestershire, soy sauce, hoisin sauce
• baking ingredients such as flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, brown sugar, cornmeal
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2.  Make your own ready mixes to cut short the time you spend in cooking. 

There are instant mixes for baked goods such as breads, puddings, pancakes, waffles and cookies.  There are also mixes for morning beverages such as coffee, chocolate and mocha.  There are mixes for marinades, breadings, dressings and sauces.  Learn these helpful mixes one at a time so you can skip the time spent on measuring, sifting and mixing.

3.  Browse recipe books for pantry meals that you can use. 

Start by learning a new pantry meal recipe each week, preferably a recipe which uses a particular pantry item.  For instance, in the first week you may start with a risotto dish which uses Arborio rice, the next week you make chili out of canned beans and the week following you learn to cook soup out of evaporated milk and canned broth.  Gradually build your repertoire of quick-cooking dishes and watch as your level of confidence grows as well.