Having a well-stocked, organized prep pantry can be a life saver for home cooks. A prep pantry is an essential item that every amateur and professional chef should have in their culinary toolbox.
A prep pantry helps you to organize all of your cooking resources and recipes into one place, making it easy to find what you are looking for. It also helps streamline your preparation process by using the right tools for the right job.
The best cookware will only get dirty once (unless you accidentally drop some hot oil onto it!). Therefore, buying a small number of high quality cookware is your best bet.
For instance, ceramic bake ware is the most durable material so they last longer but retain heat better than glass or stainless steel. Make sure to research which types of utensils fit into each type of cookware before investing. This way you won’t waste money if there’s no room for a pot holder in your stove top!
Some other items like baking sheets, plastic wrap, parchment paper, mixing bowls, measuring cups, spoons, and tongs are pretty universal and don’t cost much either. These things can easily be picked up at yard sales, thrift stores, or online sellers.
The Basics Of A Prep Pantry Are Simple
Having a well-stocked, organized prep pantry is a nice start to cooking more efficiently. While some people may feel that they have an adequate amount of staples in their kitchen, most people do not!
Most individuals don’t stock up on enough individual items to make much of a difference when it comes to food preparation. A basic all-purpose grocery store item like olive oil or salt can be expensive, so many people do not include them in their culinary repertoire.
Olive oil has several uses, including making sure your hands are completely dried after washing dishes or working with foods or recipes. Having a few bottles around will also help you as you learn how to use different oils in baking and cooking.
A good quality box grater is very helpful for zesting citrus fruits or adding crunch to vegetables like carrots or celery. Graters come in various sizes depending on what kind of textures you want to add to your meals.
Some other easy to find, inexpensive additions to a cook’s inventory are aluminum foil, parchment paper, plastic wrap, heavy duty bags such as those used for pasta or rice, and strong, easily washable bowls such as glass or ceramic. These things can be picked up at any home goods store or supermarket.
What Should You Include In Your Prep Pantry?
Having a well-equipped, organized prep pantry will help you start your day in a calm manner and helps reduce stress in your life.
Most people begin prepping by buying a small amount of food to survive for a few days, then things get out of control as they discover all sorts of great ways to use their stocked pantries!
Before you know it, you are spending more money than you planned on buying new foods or having to resort to eating what little food you have left.
That’s when you need to take a break and organize your supplies to make sure you don’t run out before you can reorder.
A preparedness culture has become popular due to many different reasons. It can be because someone read about how much food we are wasting and how important it is to teach ourselves survival skills. Or it may be because individuals realized that even though they seem like they have enough to last them until next payday, they really don’t.
Why You Need a Prep Pantry
Having a well-equipped, organized prep pantry will help you achieve your goal of eating healthy foods and staying away from junk food. Plus, it’s an excellent way to use up leftover or excess groceries that you might have in the beginning!
A prep pantry is a good place to store all of your nutritionist-recommended cookware and other essential cooking tools. These include pure olive oil, paper towels, plastic wrap, heavy cream, baking soda, parchment paper, nonstick pans, and possibly some spoons as well.
Most people start out with having a few items here and there, but soon their collection grows more substantial. Before you know it, you’re surrounded by lots of pretty pots and gadgets!
Don’t worry about buying too much at first. A basic set should do the trick for starting out. Keep them in a cool, dark area so they don’t go bad or dry out.
Where Should You Store Your Items?
Having a well-organized, easy to access and use stock room or what some call a prep pantry is an excellent way to start organizing your home. A prep pantry should have enough space for all of your food storage items, as well as other small supplies such as baking sheets, paper towels, and plastic wrap.
It’s also important to know how to use your prep pantry properly. Some people just pile everything in there and go through it constantly looking for things they do not have, making it more difficult to find what you need when you actually organize a meal.
Stocking your prep pantry can be done seasonally or year round depending on whether or not you are able to predict hungry times of the year. For example, if you know that winter will bring about colder weather then stocking up during those cold seasons would make sense. If you can anticipate hot summers then buying new fruits and veggies at those times of the year would be good purchases.
And don’t forget to keep track of what you already have! The best place to store this information is using digital sources. There are many apps and websites that can help you track your supplies.
Tips for Storing Food Safely
While some people have very limited food storage due to lack of space or budget, having a well-organized and stocked prep pantry can help you be more prepared in the event of an emergency.
A prep pantry is a good place to store foods that will not spoil during a short period of time, typically about one month. These foods can be used to make nutritious additions to your diet, give you extra calories, and aid in overall health and wellness.
Many individuals start out with a prepper supply cart with supplies such as dried fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta, and yeast.
But then they get stuck because there’s no room left in their house or car for the additional supplies!
Don’t worry, we’ve got two easy solutions for you. First, check out our list here of 10 cost effective ways to increase your home storage. Second, if you don’t have much wall space, try using our best tips here for how to use empty jars as shelf space.
Both of these will help you find a comfortable balance between investing in new supplies and giving yourself a place to put those supplies.
The Benefits of Prep Pantries
Having a well-organized, organized prep pantry can be a lifesaver in times of unexpected health crises or natural disasters. While many people have a pasta bar in their kitchen, most do not organize any other part of their food storage beyond that.
That’s why it is important to also store foods for immediate use in the event of an emergency. These are typically referred to as a prepper pantry items, and they make delicious snacks!
The best way to begin organizing your own prepper pantry is by assessing how much food you already have and then determining what else you need to get some sense of organization into it.
You should never run out of something in your inventory, so making sure you have enough of everything is the first step towards having a healthy supply.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Having a well-stocked kitchen full of ingredients means you are never stuck without anything needed to make a good meal!
Having a place for every kind of ingredient you should always have at least five to six items in your prep pantry, or what we refer to as a shelf stable grocery store. This includes things suchas wheat berries, baking soda, dried fruits, cocoa powder, maple syrup, rice milk, pasta sauce, greek yogurt, etc.
You don’t need a lot of each item, but it should be enough to get the job done. For instance, one pack of pasta sauce can be multiplied many times in recipes.
Most individuals don’t have a prep pantry because they think they’re already stocked with everything they need. But what if something suddenly became popular and there was no sold-out supply? Or what if someone wanted to make their own nutritional supplements and had no supplies nor knowledge about them?
With a preppantry you are not only prepared for what you want to eat, but also know how to make food for yourself if necessary. It’s an important part of self-sufficiency.
Where to Find Them
Having a well-organized, easy to access food stash is important for every person! This includes having enough of everything for what you want to eat and what kind of diet you’re in.
A preparedness pantry is one area of your home that can be overlooked, but really sets up your house as a safe place to be during an unexpected event or time.
It also helps ensure you don’t go hungry if there’s nothing you like eating around. A lot of people forget about the little things like dried fruits and veggies, pasta dishes, and rice and beans.
Making sure these items are in your pantry gives you more options than just grabbing something out of the grocery store when you feel low on supplies.
There should be a pretty wide variety, so you never run out of anything unless you run out of money to buy it.