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To create healthy meals you need some kitchen pantry staples and a stocked refrigerator. In this first cooking 101 class I will give you a pantry food list….these are my must have items to have on hand. Keep reading to find out about my online cooking school and how to have a well stocked pantry.
How To Sign Up:
If you’d like to join the cooking classes challenge, join the Cooking 101: The Basics group on Facebook. Over there you can ask questions, post tips and recipe photos, and help each other along the way.
Please Grab a Button:
If you are following along, the please grab a class button. Put it on your sidebar and/or in your recipe posts you link up (just link it to my home page). I’d love for you to share the classes with your family, friends, on Facebook, and on Twitter!
How the Classes and Challenge Work:
Cooking 101: The Basics is a 16 week class on Wednesdays. I will post a new recipe with tips on getting great results along with pictures. It’s like your own personal online cooking school! Take as long as you need, but once you make the recipe (or a similar version) come back and add your link to the post to share with everyone. No blog…no worries…add your pictures to the Facebook group, we’d all love to see them!
Got questions? Email, leave a comment, but the best place will be the facebook group!
Grab your aprons and let’s get cooking!
WEEK #1 – A WELL STOCKED PANTRY
In order to be successful in the kitchen, you need to have the right ingredients! I’m super busy and don’t have time to run to the grocery store because I don’t have any cumin or chicken broth in the pantry. Having a well stocked pantry in a necessity, even if you don’t have a huge place to store things there are still some basic items that will make life easier.
I’ve made a printable for you to use to create your well stocked pantry. I have every thing on this list in my pantry {plus more}. I’ve also marked the pantry food items that are an absolute must with an asterisk (*).
What are your must have pantry staples?
Leave a comment here or jump on the Facebook group page so we can chat about it. Need to save some money at the store and learn how to feed a family on a budget. I’ve got ya covered!
{Click the image to see it full size or to save it to your computer and print it out.}
{Download A Well Stocked Pantry NOW}
{Last week: Overview Next Week: Tools of the Trade}
MY SPONSOR
Please welcome the sponsor this week…Gourmet Gardens! They make fresh herbs & spices easy for everyday use. I keep mine in the freezer and use as needed…no need to keep buying fresh herbs that die after a couple days in the fridge. These last a couple months in the fridge or up to six in the freezer!
Sally Paluh says
I would like to know where you got the things to hold the cans. I want a couple.
Wendy O'Neal says
Hi Sally…I got them at Costco many years ago…but they have them on amazon now in all sorts of sizes (http://amzn.to/1gdWHxt). 🙂
Kathy says
My husband, Italian 100% would just LOVE to have our pantry look like that but when you’ve got a 22 yo/f, 20 yo/m and a 15 yo/m living at home it’s a little difficult to keep anything organized. sometimes I feel like I’m losing 10 years of my life on wasted oxygen just repeating myself which I thought those days would be done with when they were in their teens. HOWEVER wrong I was. I think it just gets multiplied. I showed your pantry to him and he’s still slobbering all over the picture. (not really but I do think in his mind he is) He is such a great man, a great father to our youngest my older 2 are from my marriage and he adopted my youngest and I’m disabled he’s 23 years older than I am. He’s very energized, very healthy and hip for being 69 but boy does he like order. I guess that’s how the Italians were. Apparently back when he was little they had a living room that the children weren’t even allowed to go into. I came from a nice house but certainly we could go in every room. And my mom was too busy working as a nurse to be ironing tablecloths etc to get dinner on the table. Our house was very clean but I’m thinking probably not in comparison to the house my husband grew up in living with his mother and grandmother both 100% Italian. I have the deepest respect for his culture however and find great interest in it and value so I try to find things that will help and we are constantly giving things away to the Good Will or the Salvation Army or people we know personally that need things. thank you for sharing the picture of your pantry to get us started I look forward to other tidbits from you and helpful hints. Sincerely, graciously and humbly ~ Kathy
Meagan Paullin says
LOVE this! My pantry is far from perfect, but there are a few things that I do that are kind of cool, I think, lol 🙂 I’ll get a post up this weekend!
Debra Wagner says
You sure know your stuff! Great job Wendy!
amft says
Awww..thanks Debra!
Dan Duffy says
Of your starred items, I have all but chocolate chips and barbeque sauce on hand almost always (buy the others when necessary, as I plan a weekly menu). Also use Basmati Rice rather than long grain, which I buy in 20 lb. bags.
Not nearly this organized however.
amft says
Love Basmati Rice too Dan! And why don’t you have chocolate chips…they are total must, well so is the BBQ sauce. 😉 Glad to hear you’ve got a great pantry full of food!
Amber Edwards says
I love your list. It definitely makes it super easy to get your pantry stocked up! And Boy I love your organization! Wow! Can you come organize MY pantry? lol.
amft says
Thanks Amber! I love my pantry, but it’s a work in progress and the kids keep messing it up! LOL!
Laura O in AK says
Do you want to come re-do my kitchen for me? I have a lot of staples, but it’s a jumbled mess most of the time. I do agree on having those staples at the ready for any baking or cooking need.
amft says
I don’t know if I could stand the change in weather from AZ to AK, Laura. LOL! 😉
Jennifer Medeiros says
I love the well-stocked pantry list! Gotta go run and check my kitchen!
amft says
Thanks Jennifer!
Homeschooling Mom says
STOP – Is that your pantry? Oh my goodness am I jealous! I would be in OCD heaven walking into that pantry! I’m in love… with your pantry 🙂
Since we started roadschooling with our kids this spring we have found that shelf stable milk is a necessity for us. I use it to cook with and I have it as a backup if my littles want milk and I don’t have any available. It is my new love (besides your pantry).
Great list! I am off to pin that one for later when stop traveling.
~Victoria
DenSchool
amft says
LOL! Yes, that is my pantry. But it is a bit different now because I’ve added some new containers for things. I love powdered milk for cooking too! It is a great addition to any pantry.