The Well-Stocked Pantry: The Top 10 Basics Every Kitchen Should Have

We can learn some lessons in frugality to learn from our grandparents who survived The Great Depression, especially when it comes to doing more with less. They saved money by growing some of their own food in kitchen and container gardens. And they knew how to stock their pantries--a well stocked pantry meant inexpensive family meal planning was a snap when the basics every kitchen should have were ingredients already on hand.

They also came up with inventive stretcher recipes, ones that deliciously used what they had on hand. The well-stocked pantry was critical in their day and the top ten basics every home cook should have is basically the same as it was in the 1930s. There are some updates, nods to the convenience foods that have been invented since then - like boxed macaroni and cheese. This is a new staple for families with finicky, hard-to-please young children. Their lessons for us: There is a world beyond yellow cheese and macaroni--canned salmon recipes, for instance, that are omega-3 rich, and kid-friendly.

Taking our cues from our grandmothers, here's what the well-stocked pantry sports. With these basics we can whip up most anything at a moment's notice with these top ten kitchen must-haves:

1. Baking supplies (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt)
2. Pasta, including the modern pantry staple of boxed macaroni and cheese.
   
3. Chicken broth (Swanson's Organic Chicken Broth won a recent Cooks Illustrated taste test)
4. Rice (brown and white and basmati)
5. Canned fish (take your pick of salmon, tuna, anchovies, or sardines)
6. Oatmeal
7. Nuts
8. Honey
9. Olive oil
10. Canned tomatoes

With these pantry staples in filling the family's larder the household food budget can stretch a very long way. The possibilities for inexpensive, pantry-based meals are endless. Peruse old cookbooks for ideas, including the first edition of the Joy of Cooking.

Stretching the Food Budget

Think about pantry stretchers, such as using leftover pasta to make a next day fritatta lunch, with the just the edition of beaten eggs, salt, and a little milk. Here are some ideas:

• A hearty, stick-to-the-ribs and heart-healthy breakfast of oatmeal with nuts and honey,
• Save leftover oatmeal and form into a loaf, allow to cool in the fridge over night and then to slice and pan fry in butter for a "stretcher" breakfast the next day,
• Spaghetti with a simple sauce of tuna and tomatoes,
• Tomato soup with rice
• Tuna and rice casserole (the dowager queen of cheap family meals.)

In closing, here's are some budget-stretching pasta ideas that we'll all want up our sleeves--they're fast, easy, and good! Have a great weekend, let's talk on Monday, and until then, happy cook'n!

Wide egg noodle ideas:
1. Toss with browned butter, sauteed mushrooms and chopped sage leaves. 2. Toss in a sauce of flaked hot-smoked (cooked) salmon, sauteed asparagus or peas, and cream. 3. Serve with ... Mushroom ragu (see recipe in the "6 Simple Sauces" tab)