How to stock a basic pantry
Stock a basic pantry around the dinners you actually make: a long-lasting starch or two, such as rice and dried pasta, canned proteins like tuna and beans, jars and cans that make a sauce, a cooking oil, and a short shelf of seasonings. Add onions, garlic and potatoes in a cool dark spot and a bag of frozen vegetables, and write down what runs low before you shop.
About 15 minutes to learnEveryday skill
Mark it once you can do it without this page open.
How to do it
- List five dinners you make often and write down the shelf-stable parts of each.
- Keep two starches, such as long-grain rice and one dried pasta shape.
- Keep canned proteins: tuna or salmon, chickpeas and one other bean.
- Keep sauce makers: canned crushed tomatoes, a jar of salsa or curry paste, and broth.
- Keep one neutral cooking oil, one vinegar, salt, black pepper and three seasonings you use.
- Store onions, garlic and potatoes somewhere cool and dark, apart from each other.
- Keep a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a loaf of bread in the freezer.
- Write an item on the shopping list the moment you open the last one.
Common mistakes
- Buying a rack of spices for recipes you will make once.
- Storing potatoes and onions in the same bag, which spoils both faster.
- Stocking up on bulk deals you have no room or use for.
Quick self-check
Three questions. Your last score is kept in this browser.
Teach this to someone
A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to stock a basic pantry
What to say
Stock a basic pantry around the dinners you actually make: a long-lasting starch or two, such as rice and dried pasta, canned proteins like tuna and beans, jars and cans that make a sauce, a cooking oil, and a short shelf of seasonings. Add onions, garlic and potatoes in a cool dark spot and a bag of frozen vegetables, and write down what runs low before you shop.
What to show, in order
- List five dinners you make often and write down the shelf-stable parts of each.
- Keep two starches, such as long-grain rice and one dried pasta shape.
- Keep canned proteins: tuna or salmon, chickpeas and one other bean.
- Keep sauce makers: canned crushed tomatoes, a jar of salsa or curry paste, and broth.
- Keep one neutral cooking oil, one vinegar, salt, black pepper and three seasonings you use.
- Store onions, garlic and potatoes somewhere cool and dark, apart from each other.
- Keep a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a loaf of bread in the freezer.
- Write an item on the shopping list the moment you open the last one.
The check question
Ask: What should decide what goes in your pantry?
Related skills
- How to grocery shop for a week on a budget
- Five dinners every man should be able to cook
- How to meal prep lunches for the week
- Every skill in Kitchen
Last reviewed . First published .