How to Stock Your Pantry in an Ethical, Affordable Way
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Stocking up your pantry can make it so much easier for you to eat well, especially if you run a particularly busy household with kids to look after and a career to attend to.
It has to be said that filling your kitchen cupboards can often seem like a particularly expensive feat, and frequently it can even feel unsustainable or unethical, too. Thankfully this doesn’t have to be the case, as there are many simple steps that you can follow to stock your pantry in the most conscious manner without having to spend a fortune in the process!
This guide contains some brilliant recommendations that you can make the most of to get started today, so what are you waiting for? Read on to learn some of the best pantry stocking tips and tricks that won’t ruin your bank balance or the Earth!
Fill up on Dried & Canned Foods
One of the best steps that you can follow to stock your pantry responsibly is to fill up on dried and canned foods. Dried and canned foods tend to have the longest shelf life, meaning they remain edible for months or potentially even years on end. It’s extremely rare that you find yourself with any kind of food waste when you buy dried or canned foods, as they can sit on your pantry shelf waiting patiently to get used rather than quickly turning moldy like fresh alternatives.
You can source all kinds of dried foods that make excellent long-lasting replacements for fresh items. For example, you can opt for dry rice or dry pasta, or you can choose dried lentils or dried beans rather than fresh. These examples will not only keep for longer, they also cost much less, as they are generally sold in greater quantities due to the lack of water shrinking their size.
Canned foods are equally as handy, as you can find all manner of tinned items that you can stock up on inside your pantry that will stay fresh for many months. You can invest in an array of canned fruits and vegetables, or even tinned tuna and other fish or meat sources. Canned foods are so handy, especially if you’re out of drinking water and can’t soak/use any of the aforementioned dried foods!
Make a Menu & Source Set Ingredients
Another brilliant step that you can follow to stock your pantry in the most ethical and affordable way involves making a household menu. Making a household menu of between 10-20 different recipes that you and your family enjoy eating can be extremely beneficial for your pantry stocking efforts, as it makes it so much easier to decide on a set shopping list. You’ll know exactly what ingredients you need to buy on a regular basis if you have a household menu to refer back to, which in turn can help to minimize your food waste like never before!
Your household menu should include a variety of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that are both healthy and easy to prepare. It’s a good idea to choose recipes that utilize some of the dried and canned foods listed above, as this will further aid you in reducing food waste. If you do need to buy fresh ingredients such as meat for your recipes, then consider opting for frozen alternatives instead. Frozen foods last for several months similar to tinned foods, so you can make sure you never have to throw anything away.
There are so many recipes online that you can make the most of to create the perfect household menu to simplify the process of pantry stocking. It’s a great idea to take a look online, as this way you can search up a specific ingredient that you have in your pantry. For example, you can source a black eyed peas recipe to use up dried beans, or uncover a few pasta and rice recipes that are quick and cheap to prepare. You may also like to search for seasonal recipes or native recipes, as these use local produce that has fewer food miles which can help to boost the sustainability of your pantry.
When you have your menu in place, you’ll be able to stock your pantry with only the ingredients that you know you’re going to use!
Learning how you can stock your pantry in the most ethical and affordable manner has never been such a simple task when you can take the time to utilize some of these brilliant ideas.
