(Updated 2023.01.05)
The title of the post really says it all.
I've been told so many times, by so many people, when talking about being prepared for whatever comes along, "I wouldn't even know where to begin!", and so I finally decided to tackle that question with a post.
So, I started to write a post about how to build a well stocked larder.
It wasn't long before I realised that I had gotten way ahead of myself.
You can't well use the contents of even the most
generously stocked larder if it is not supported by a good foundation of
the essential basics.
It turns out I was coming from the starting point of presupposing that "everybody" has certain things on hand in their kitchen or pantry.
That just isn't true anymore, and most people who are saying, "Where do I even start?", are not coming from that place.
Let's face it. Most people in modern times are not coming from that place!
More and more these days, people don't cook. Folks order take out, go out to eat, or eat fast food and pre-packaged meals.
Even when most people say they "cook", what they really mean is that they take a box or a can from the shelf, or a package from the freezer, and heat it up, maybe even in the oven or on the stove, or, if they are feeling really ambitious, the packaging will have different components that need to be prepared, packets added, water, or some milk and butter stirred in, or they use meal kits, that come with exact amounts of everything they need to make a single meal.
Articles that offer dinner recipes ready in an hour or less are almost completely out of fashion, because who has time to spend more than 20 minutes, TOPS on dinner! If you can't get it done faster than delivery can get it done, why bother?
Well, now is the time that many of us are realising just how much we, as a society, have come to rely on and take for granted being able to just stop and grab dinner on the way home every day, or otherwise have immediate and pretty much round the clock access to whatever we want, when we want it.
Now, a month or more into some level or another of "lockdown" for most of the Western world, and just starting to gradually ease out of such restrictions in some parts of the world, many people are tired of living on ramen and other instant foods, or maybe they just can't get them, because the stores are still out of them.
Either way, more people than ever in the last couple decades or more are cooking all or most of their meals at home, and, for many, it is a frightening foray deep into the unknown.
I actually remember a time before there were microwaves - and , therefore, microwave meals, food delivery other than pizza or Chinese (and then only in more populated areas, usually near a big city), 24 hour grocery stores, meal kits, or many of the other things that are simply common place today, and most people ate dinner at home, that was cooked from scratch at home, the majority of the time, but that is "ancient history" to a lot of you. Yes, brontosaurus burgers were very tasty. Thank you for asking!
So! On to the basic things you need to have on hand in your kitchen in order to make a meal from just about anything - or even just from those things, in times of desperation.
I'm listing them in order of importance, so if you are on a REALLY tight budget, you know what things to prioritise and buy first.
Please
note that ALL of this assumes you have a source of potable water. If
you don't have water, you won't need to worry about food, because
dehydration will get you far faster than hunger. It doesn't even have to
be bottled water from the store, if your municipal water is safe to
drink! Just fill some empty milk jugs, soda/juice bottles, or
whatever sealing containers you have with tap water and keep them on
hand. Bottled water is further down on the list, but still included as
an essential to get in your pantry or stored somewhere in your home when
you are able.
1. Oil/Fat (vegetable oil, coconut oil, lard, bacon grease, shortening, butter, ghee... any kind of fat will do.)
2. Flour
3. Salt (Note: If you only have one kind of salt on hand, it should be iodized salt, for the necessary nutrients it contains.)
These first three items are the most crucial, and, along with some
water, can provide you with at least basic sustenance for far longer
than you might think. We're talking weeks or more here. No lie.
Yeah, you are going to get unhealthy eventually, you won't be running
any marathons, and you'll get really tired of it, but you won't starve.
And with minimal add ins - whatever scraps or bits of pretty much
anything, you can turn a few, random bits of things into an actual meal
that will make whatever you have stretch as much as it needs to.
With nothing but flour, oil, salt, and water, you can make:
• Tortillas
• Frybread
• Fried dough/biscuits
• Naan/Pita/flatbread
• Dumplings (no oil needed)
• Sourdough starter and bread
• Pasta (The linked recipe calls for olive oil, but ANY oil or fat will do)
• Roux (the base for many sauces and gravies) and, with that, a simple gravy for your breads or sauce for your pasta.
• pie crust
• Hardtack (extremely long lasting survival bread rations)
And surely some other things that I am forgetting. Add in sugar and baking soda or powder to that, and the list more than quadruples!
But before we get to those extras, lets move on to a higher priority item...
4. Dry Beans
These are next on the list because they are a valuable source of
protein and other nutrients that will help give you energy and keep you
going, so you are able to function better and longer.
Beans are pretty versatile too. You can make them sweet or
savoury, and, depending on what spices or other things you toss in, can
be cuisine from pretty much ANY part of the world! Even without extra
stuff to put in it though, other than some salt, they will provide
nutrition and calories, and can keep you going a lot longer than just
the flour based stuff.
5. Milk Powder
Typical powdered milk, unless you get Peak milk, or similar higher end milk powder, admittedly
does not taste very good for drinking, but it DOES provide calcium, vitamin D,
protein, and other nutrients we get from dairy.
This one is especially
important if you have children in the home, but adults need dairy too;
women more so than men. Besides the nutritional value, this also expands
your food options a lot.
With milk, you can turn your roux into white
sauce to put on your pasta, or white gravy, AKA country gravy. You can
add the milk powder into breads for texture, flavour, and extra
nutrition, add it into beans/soups/etc to make them into a creamy dish.
You can even use the hardtack recipe, rolled out thinner and cut
smaller, to make cereal - hot or cold.
6. Sugar
Once
you add sugar into the mix, you can sweeten things, and also speed up
the process of culturing yeast for your bread. It's also good for adding
some calories and quick energy to things.
7. Baking Soda
8. Baking Powder
These
open up your baking quite a bit, as they provide leavening to things.
So now you can add quick breads, biscuits, pancakes, and more.
9. Pepper
It is amazing what
a difference in taste you can get with just adding some pepper to
things! Other spices are great too, but if you can only get one type per
shopping trip, start with pepper.
10. Spices/dried herbs
What
and how many spices you decide to keep on hand is completely up to you,
but I encourage building up your spice cabinet a lot, even if it is only one
new thing per month! With different seasoning, you can turn even the
simple fare with only the items above into a great variety of different, tasty dishes.
11. Dried veggie mix
This
keeps pretty much forever, and will add lots more nutrition to your
diet, along with more taste, texture, and variety, and will help keep
you from getting scurvy. (NOT a joke!) One pound of dried
veg mix will last a long time, takes up very little space/weight, and at
under $12.00(USD), It's cheaper per prepared pound than canned stuff,
which isn't as good, weighs more, and takes up a lot more space.
12. Rice
Don't
get the instant/minute stuff! It doesn't keep as well, doesn't taste as
good, has a weird texture, and costs a lot more per pound. Go with
regular old rice. If you're getting long grain, parboiled is fine, just
as long as it is ONLY parboiled. It's not really a survival NEED, but
it's a very good way to make meals more diverse on the cheap, plus most
rice you buy is enriched with minerals and other nutrients. It doesn't
matter what kind(s) you get. Pick your favourite. Or get a few kinds and
find your favourite. I keep several varieties on hand, cause I use them
for different things. If I HAD to stick to only one, I'd go with
basmati, but that's just me.
13. Peanut butter
A good source of quick protein, flavouring agent (mix
into a basic roux and toss with pasta and a couple soy sauce packets -
instant faux Thai noodles, or add into pancakes or biscuits for a whole
new treat, for instance), sandwich filler, etc.
14. Steel cut oats
Rolled
oats are ok, if you must, or if they are what the food pantry gives
you, but they don't store quite as long and have less nutrition and
texture. Again, not a dire need, but expands your options exponentially.
Home-made granola, anyone? The main ingredient is oats!
15. Bottled Water
16. Canned Goods
Of course, different varieties of a lot of these things are ideal to have on hand, but start simple and work up from there.
If
you can afford to stock up right away on bulk amounts of everything on the
list, great! It saves more money in the long run.
If you can't, start with a 10 lb bag of flour, a big-ish bottle
of oil, and one of the big, pour spout cans of store brand salt, and
add more from the list as you can, and start making things with them!
Now, don't
just keep it around for emergencies!
Make these staples part of your
regular routine. Cook at least one meal from scratch, or close to it per
week.
Start by making something WITHOUT shopping for specific ingredients. You can do this!
Look
in your fridge and cabinets and see what you have, and do an internet
search for ingredients on hand recipes.
Get used to cooking with your
staples and what you have on hand, as well as trying out recipes that sound good (there are lots on this blog!), or making things you already know how to prepare.
Get familiar with your kitchen and
get comfortable figuring out what goes well together.
Before you know
it, you will be inventing all kinds of cheap, nutritious, and delicious
new dishes (Write them down for when people taste them and beg you for the recipe!),
and you'll be much better prepared for life's curveballs, and well on
your way to building that well stocked larder, now that you have a good
foundation!
For those who are in a lot more dire straits than others, or who find yourselves using the food bank or other food assistance program for the first time; Most
food banks/pantries can help you with these staple
items if you don't already have them and you ask, even if they aren't
giving them out in the regular bags/boxes, and having those on hand will
make it so much easier to make the regular, weekly items go much
farther and turn into delicious meals, rather than random packages of
stuff.
The
vast majority of my recipe inventions that make their way into this
blog were a result of using whatever was on hand, on sale, in my bargain
box of "imperfect foods"
or from the food bank, so I can tell you without a doubt that you can
make great meals with almost anything and almost nothing!
