Four Necessities to Store in Your Kitchen Pantry

One of the main staples you need to keep on hand in your kitchen pantry is various canned goods. Canned goods have a longer shelf-life than fresh fruits and vegetables, so you can stock up on ingredients and have them ready to go at a moment's notice.

While you can buy the canned goods you need for specific recipes and side items when you shop, there are a handful of items necessary to always have on hand.

Soups: It doesn’t hurt to have a can of chicken noodle or tomato in your pantry for a quick lunch or when you don’t feel well. You should also keep at least one or two cans of Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken. These two soups are staples in many recipes.  What's more comforting on a cold, raining day than a chicken tortilla casserole?

Beans/Veggies: If you like to make stews or chili for dinner during the cooler month, having a wide array of vegetables and beans can make it easier to create these meals at the drop of a hat. It’s also a good idea to have some vegetables available so you can have your favorite sides even when they are out of season.

Stock: Beef and chicken stock are staples used in an array of recipes. While most need to be refrigerated once opened, they can sit on the shelves for months without spoiling as long as they remain unopened.

Even if you aren’t the most skilled baker, there are some baking necessities that are helpful to have on hand for making bread, cakes, and cookies. They are also used in other, more savory recipes as well. You don’t want to be ready to make a delicious dinner and not have the items you need.

Flour: The base of almost all baking projects is also essential for breading meat and helping to thicken gravy. There are several flour options on the market, including self-rising, all-purpose, whole-wheat, almond, gluten-free, and bread. A wise idea would be to have, at minimum, a small bag of all-purpose flour and other flour types that you use frequently.

Sugar: Like flour, there are different types of sugar that work across various recipes. Brown sugar and traditional white sugar are often used to add a touch of sweetness to BBQ recipes. If you like baking and decorating, pearl sugar, sparkling sugar, and colored sugar are ideal for storing.

According to outofmilk.com, in addition to flour and sugar, you should keep the following in your pantry as well:

• Shortenings
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Corn Starch
• Yeast
• Cocoa

Many consider dry goods and baking necessities to be in the same category. However, it's actually the total opposite.  Courtesy of thespruceeats.com,  here is just a few of the most used dry goods that every well-stocked party should have:

Coffee: If you're a coffee drinker, then you know how essential it is to have either pre-ground or whole beans in the house to make your morning brew. You might not realize that coffee is also an ingredient in tons of yummy desserts, such as crumble cake and tiramisu.

Nuts: Nuts are a great go-to snack. They are filled with protein and contribute potassium and iron to your diet. Nut-based butter such as hazelnut spread, and peanut butter are great staples to have available. You can't go wrong with a good old fashion peanut butter sandwich!

Oats: Rolled oats are usually made into oatmeal for a healthy breakfast. However, they can also be used in baking recipes.

Rice: Rice is a budget-friendly and versatile side to have available. One of the main benefits of rice is its long shelf-life.

Pasta: Pasta is probably one of the most well-known staples in a pantry. From linguini to macaroni, how can you go wrong? More often than not, the kind of noodle doesn’t matter, and you can pick your favorite for the evening to change up an old favorite.

A dash of seasoning always adds some extra pazazz to a dish! Without them, your meals would be bland and flat-out boring! Salt and black pepper are by far the most common options. However, you should also keep on hand seasonings such as:



• Italian Seasoning
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Sage
• Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Oregano
• Basil
• Cinnamon

Like spices, most recipes will include some sort of fat requirement. Oils provide the needed fat requirements. Olive oil and vegetable oil are two common types. Depending on your family's diet, it never hurts to have sesame and coconut oil available as well.

With all of these items, your pantry can quickly become a disorganized mess. To counteract a potential catastrophe, consider purchasing bins, shelves, and containers to help keep it clean. You can store dry goods and canned goods in bins that make it easy to reach in and grab what you need.

Using stackable shelves can give you more room to store items in an orderly manner. Containers with rewritable labels are great for storing flour and sugar. To learn more about how to keep your pantry clean, check out How to Makeover Your Messy Kitchen Pantry in 10 Steps.

Keeping your pantry full of staple ingredients will help you when it comes time to fix your next meal or snack. Ensure there are plenty of canned goods to add to your recipes or use as sides. In addition, your pantry needs to have baking essentials and dry goods in stock, plus oils and spices. With a well-stocked pantry, you'll always be ready to cook up an exciting, new dish, perhaps Food Network-worthy!