Simpler Living Blog

FOOD PRESERVATION, PREPAREDNESS

The ‘Chicken Pot Pie’ Test

I have a tongue-in-cheek test for determining if you have a well-stocked pantry. I call it the “chicken pot pie” test. Can you make a chicken pot pie from scratch using the ingredients you have on hand?

Cans on shelf

A deep pantry is like an in-home grocery store, but it’s best when used to store cooking staples rather than convenience foods. By stocking the building blocks of meals, your pantry becomes a versatile tool allowing you to feed your family endless delicious meals without fuss – such as chicken pot pie.

I am an avid canner, so our pantry is about 75% home-preserved food (canned or dehydrated meats, vegetables, and fruits) and 25% dry staples and baking/cooking aids. It’s organized roughly by categories: Meats, vegetables, fruits, sauces, spices, and bulk staples such as rice, flour, beans, etc.

jar of pickles in hand

Of course, a pantry of staples includes the ability to cook from scratch. I’m not an enthusiastic chef, but I’ve developed a repertoire of recipes our family enjoys, and keep those ingredients on hand. This way I know what items to pick up when they’re on sale at the grocery store, as well as what items to grow in our garden. No sense buying, growing, or stocking something if your family doesn’t like eating it.

Building a pantry doesn’t mean you need to have a huge garden or be an expert in food preservation. Often a well-stocked pantry consists of a mixture of commercially canned foods (soups, stews, meats, etc.) and bulk staple ingredients you use a lot (pasta, flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, shortening, sugar, etc.). Sometimes at the end of a busy day all you want is a quick meal, in which case canned stew or boxed macaroni-and-cheese can be a lifesaver. Other times you might have the time and energy to get creative, in which case having the building blocks for delicious meals makes the task easier.

To set up a deep pantry, start by inventorying what you already have. The only items you should buy in bulk are shelf-stable items you actively use (flour, rice, pasta, etc.). Organization helps. Use “zones” to group things (meats, veggies, fruits, baking ingredients, etc.) to keep things easy to find.

Next, plan meals. As mentioned, I have a repertoire of about two dozen meals our family enjoys, and make sure always to have those ingredients on hand (supplemented by any fresh foods that can’t be stored, such as vegetables or dairy).

Keep most of your pantry staples versatile. Flour, rice, and pasta have many uses; specialty ingredients have fewer applications. I like keeping a variety of spices on hand, since this is an easy way to curate a dish with pizzazz.

Here’s a rough inventory of what we have in our pantry:

Meats: Canned chicken, ham, pork sausage, beef, tuna.
Sauces: Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, chicken stock, beef stock, salsa, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce.
Vegetables: Dry beans, green beans, corn, carrots, peas, mixed veggies, mushrooms, broccoli (dehydrated), chopped canned garlic, onions (some fresh, most dehydrated), tomato sauce, tomato paste.
Fruits: Peaches, apples (sauce, diced, or pie filling), blueberries, raspberries, pears, strawberries (some dehydrated, some as preserves), raisins.
Dry staples: White flour, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, dry beans (several types), lentils (red and brown), rice (white and brown), popcorn, pasta (several types), granola.

Baking/cooking aids: Baking powder, baking soda, vinegar (distilled, apple, rice, wine), cheese powder, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, walnuts, cream of tartar, cornstarch, vanilla, powdered milk, powdered eggs, peanut butter, condensed milk.

Fats: Olive oil, lard, shortening.
Sweeteners: Honey, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar.
Convenience meals (often leftovers which I later canned up): Navy bean soup, chili, lentil stew, chicken in orange sauce, curry chicken, roast beef with gravy, chicken soup.
Spices: Salt, pepper, poppy seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, garden herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley), paprika, berbere powder, Montreal steak seasoning, curry powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, powdered ginger, garlic powder, onion powder.

I also store potatoes and onions in the pantry in separate crates.

A pantry is an intensely personal thing, factoring in your family’s budget, tastes, restrictions, health, and other considerations. It also takes time to stock deeply. Ours is years in the making.

Your pantry may not pass the “chicken pot pie” test, but it may well pass the “spaghetti” test or the “chili” test or whatever other test fits your food preference. But however you slice it, consider building a deep pantry and enjoying the benefits of your own personal in-home grocery store.