i want a pantry that is kick arse, (are you mormon?) kinda pantry!

what all should it include? i'd like it to have at least a month's worth of sides and some mains as well. we're not picky eaters here, but there are 7 of us and we eat big meals.

what's in your extra large pantry and how much should i be prepared to spend?

I would do it gradually, probably, because it can be ridiculous. I have actually been trying to pare down, but as I start cooking more from scratch, I might change my mind again. I have a grain mill and flaker, so I buy whole grains, generally 25 lbs. at a time, and store them in 5 gallon buckets.

Here is generally what has been part of my pantry:
white flour (I usually don't buy more than 10 lbs. of this at a time)
oat groats
sometimes barley
whole wheat berries (hard)
whole wheat berries (soft)
brown basmati rice
white basmati rice (I'm trying to phase this out, but probably will keep a small amount on hand for when I don't have time to cook brown)
whole corn (keep in freezer)

gluten flour
SAF yeast
baking powder
baking soda (I buy the huge packs from Costco because I use it for cleaning, and keep some in the kitchen in a pint jar).
dry milk
cocoa powder
carob powder
salt
cornstarch
arrowroot powder
gelatin powder

sugar
powdered sugar
sucanot
molasses
(I usually don't buy brown sugar--mix 1 t-T molasses with 1 c. white sugar)
maple syrup

chocolate chips

spices (I generally buy spices I use regularly in bulk from Frontier Foods; I try to buy them whole and grind them in a coffee grinder):
cinnamon
cumin seed
mustard seed
paprika
thyme
sage
rosemary
chili powder
dried onion
dried garlic
garlic salt
garlic powder
onion powder
chicken broth powder
nutmeg
red pepper flakes
green curry paste
parsley
basil
oregano
poppy seed
black pepper
pepper blend

fresh--in the freezer--
ginger root

red wine vinegar
rice wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
white vinegar (buy by the 1 1/2 gal. at Costco--used for cleaning)
apple cider vinegar

soy sauce
Bragg's
worcestershire sauce

olive oil
butter (I buy at Costco and keep extra in the freezer)

black beans
pinto beans
garbanzo beans

raisins
dates
cranberries

In the freezer:
almonds
pecans
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
sesame seeds
flax seed

Canned:
pineapple
sometimes peaches, mandarin oranges, etc.
pumpkin
tomato sauce
tomato paste
diced tomatoes
black beans
chili beans
garbanzos (already cooked beans for quick meals!)
green chilis
coconut milk
tomato soup (boxed, actually)
salmon
tuna
chicken
water chestnuts
sometimes veggies

salsa
pasta sauce

peanut butter
jam
almond butter (I'm allergic to peanuts)

tortillas
bagels
pita (we often make these into pita chips with garlic salt)
bread
English Muffins
(obviously, all of these could be made from scratch, but I sometimes stock up at my local bread outlet because it's easier, if not cheaper, than making them). Extras go in the freezer.
tortilla chips

noodles
ramen noodles (awful, I know, but we all love them...)

Meat(in the freezer when there's a good deal):
whole roaster chickens
boneless skinless chicken breast
hamburger
hot dogs (trying to limit our consumption of these!)

occasionally, turkey/turkey breast, ham, pork loin

BBQ sauce
mustard
ketchup (I'm going to try making this from scratch from the hillbilly housewife recipe)
mayonnaise

frozen fruit:
blueberries
strawberries
mixed fruit
bananas past their prime
juice

Fresh fruit:
apples
bananas
in season--currently clementines!

Frozen veggies:
broccoli
mixed veggies (for soup, pot pies, etc., I get the big ol' bag from costco)
corn
peas
edamame (OK, I haven't tried it, but it is in my freezer)
spinach

Fresh:
broccoli
carrots
baby carrots
celery
other, depending on season
romaine lettuce
red onions
yellow onions
garlic

mozzarella cheese (I usually buy the 5 lb. grated from Costco for both of these)
cheddar cheese
sometimes cheese sticks or other cheese snacks
sour cream
cream cheese

I've edited the above about 4 times to add more, LOL.

Mine's a lot like Jody's, only I haven't fully restocked since the move, and we have more bean and rice types. And we have pretty much no meat, except the cat food. :p I also have sprouting seeds (this is more of a good intentions thing than something I remember to make).

I also have sprouting seeds (this is more of a good intentions thing than something I remember to make).

Oh, I have those too, but I haven't restocked those in quite awhile...I wonder if they're still good....

It amazes me the things I used to manage to do...What happened???!!!!

LOL. I am Mormon and my pantry isn't that great. LOL. Maybe it's because I'm not that great of a Mormon. I'm so funny. Wow.

Anyway, "store what you eat, and eat what you store" is good wisdom in this regard. I've never fed my family beans and rice, so as cheap and nutritious as that is, storing a ton of it wouldn't be super sensible. We buy things in bulk that we are familiar with and use quickly. I've had a nightmare of a time with things spoiling or getting those pantry moths and having to throw out major money in wasted food. Flour, oats, sugar, rice we buy in big bags. Everything else in normal sizes.

Kerri

I always had a pantry, in fact, I had a HUGE pantry for years. I spent a bout on the street in highschool when pregnant with Alex and I have been kind of shy about getting low on food since then.

But last year, I realised that we didn't eat a bunch of the food we stored. We just stored it. That made me think about the pantry a bit differently.

So now here is what I have:

16 packs of noodles (all from Trader Joes except small shells) in a basket
4 boxes of free range chicken broth
2 boxes of organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup
2 boxes of organic Creamy Tomato soup
2 jars of organic strawberry jam
1 costco bag of whole raw almonds
1 costco bag of dried cranberries
an extra jar of mayo
3 small jars of organic spaghetti sauce
extra thing of parmesean (can you tell my family is a pasta family?)
1 box of butter corn soup
an extra bottle of olive oil
an extra bottle of grapeseed oil
about 20 boxes of Fruit*i*bu that I bought for 4/$1 at my local organic discount store
4 cans black beans
4 cans kidney beans
1 can refried beans

Cuboard:
Gallon glass jars:
flour
WW flour
oat meal
pinto beans
WW pastry flour
long grain brown basmati rice
jasmine rice

1/2 Gallon glass jars:
unbleached sugar
short grain brown rice
black beans
split yellow peas
split green peas
garbanzo beans
farina (the stuff that is Cream of Wheat)
popcorn
cornmeal
couscous
short grain brown rice
freeze dried potatoes

quart glass jars:
dried apricots
dried cranberries
rasins
raw almonds
walnuts
mini chocolate chips
wild rice
dried dates
banana chips

That is about it now... lol... it seems huge, but really, this is small for me. The list of what I used to have is literally too long for one post. But we didnt' eat all of it, and deff not in the quanities I was keeping it. I think we used bulger twice in a year, but I had a gallon jar of the stuff. Lentils? We don't use them cuz dh and dd hate them... but we had a gallon of those too. I gave away a ton, and did a pantry purge (only eating from the pantry for about a week) last year and now I feel like we use/eat everything and don't hord massive amts of food, but would be able to servive for about a month if we had to.

Moral of the story: Don't buy huge amounts of things you don't eat. lol... Perhaps make a menu and buy those things, and then if you can get a ton for a cheap price, then pick up the large amt of that one item. Does that make sense? Don't pick up a gallon jars worth of quinoia for one meal. KWIM? It is all about the planning. ;)

Val

Pantry~
Gallons:
Jasmine Rice (need)
Cous Cous
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Cornmeal
WW Flour
Unbleached Flour
WW Pastry Flour
Wide egg noodles
Pinto Beans
Split Peas (green)
Garbanzo beans
Dried Milk
Bulger
Brown Lentils
Hazel Nuts (w/shells from our friends tree)

1/2 Gallons
Red Lentils
Split Peas (yellow)
Quonia
Popcorn
Organic sugar
Black Beans
Shell Noodles
Shape pasta
Honey

Quarts:
Olive Oil
Wild Rice
Coconut (shredded)
Coconut (powder)
Seseme Seeds (raw)
Black Eyed Peas
Pumpkin Seeds (raw)
Currents
Almonds
Almond slivers
Banana chips
Dates
Date meats (dried and floured)
Rasins
Apricots
Dried Cranberries (need more)
Raw Cane sugar
Dry SunDried Tomatos (Homemade)


Pints
Flax seeds
Brown Sugar
Powdered sugar
Tomato Sauce (Homemade)

Boxes/Cartons:
Penne
Bucati
Tortlilni
Veggie Broth
Chicken Broth
Stir Fry Rice Noodles
Soy milk
4 boxes of Thai Kitchen soup mix
8 boxes Annies pasta mix

Various
Maple Syrup
Red Corn Chips
1 jar Pasta sauce
1 sm jar Tomato paste
5 jars Jam (homemade rosehip, current, and plum)
3 jars Jelly (homemade, plum, rasberry, strawberry)
Black Strap Molasses
Spaghetti
Linguini
Totrolini
Fettachini
Farfalli
Apple Sauce (HM)
Pear Sauce (HM)
Pear butter (HM)
Cherries (HM)
Peaches (HM)
Bread (1 loaf)
Begal (2 bags)










Herbs/Seasonings:
Oils
Flax oil (fridge)
Coconut Oil
Seseme Oil
Peanut Oil
Olive Oil

Pantry, whole
Yellow Mustard
Mixed Pepper corn
Bay leaves
Cinnamon
Coriander
Cumin
Chili Pepper Seeds
Rock salt

Freezer, whole
Tumeric
Ginger

Cuboard, Jars
Skipe
5 Spice
All Spice
Cardamom
Cumin
Corriander Powder
Mild Curry Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Ginger root
Hot Curry Powder
Celery Seed
Oinion Powder
Garlic Powder
Fennel Seeds (whole)
Basil
Oregano
Cinnamon
Dill weed
Taco Seasoning
Majaram
Taragon
Summer Saveroy
Vinilla Extract
Almond Extract
Gomasio
Season Salt
Ground Cloves
Nutmeg
Tyeme
Ground Tumeric
Cream of Tarter
Baking soda
Baking powder (Rumford)
Shortening
Cornstarch

Canned Goods
(4) Black beans
(2) Olives
(6) Coconut milk
(4) Tuna
(1) Green Enchiada Sauce
(2) Soup (dad brought it for lunch the other day)

Freezer
2 lbs Butter
Veggie Burgers
Multi Grain Glutin Free Waffles
Blueberries (hand picked)
Raseberries (")
Bananas
Grean Beans
Bread (1)
Pesto (HM)
~Beef~
Ground 2 lbs
Steak 1 lb
Round 1 1/2 lbs
~Chicken~
Bag of tenders (5 lbs)
Chicken legs (1 1/4 lbs)

Fridge
2 dozen eggs
1/2 carton Tomato soup
Quart Plain Yougart
Quart Sour Cream
2lbs Chedder Cheese
Black bean and corn Salsa
1 1/2 Gallons of milk
1/2 Gallon Apple juice
Baby Carrots
Celery
Kale
Lettuce
****ake Mushrooms
4 packs WW Tortillas
2 sm zucchini

Condiments
Katsup
Braggs
Mayo
Maple Syrup
Pickles
sm jar of Pesto
sm jar of Sun Dried Tomatos (in oil)
Black Bean dip
Salsa
Parmeasean Cheese Wedge
Horse Radish (for my dad)
White and Dark Worcestershire Sauce
Lemon juice
Lime Juice
Red Curry paste
Tamari
Kalluaha
Cream Cheese
Mustard
Salad Dressings (LOTS)

This is my old pantry. Just to compare and perhaps give ideas. :)

Right now I only buy what we will use. I stock up when I see an awesome sale. I'll try and buy what I can to get to the time it's on sale again. Last fall there was a sale on ground beef for .99/lb. That is nearly unheard of right now so I bought over 20lbs. I should have bought more. I keep a mental tab of the price I will not pay more than. It's usually for meat. That's the kind of thing I stock up on. If it it's an item that doesn't go on sale I just buy it as needed.

Do you want me to list what I have or what you should start with? :D

First and foremost, what do you eat? That matters the most. :) Stock up on it!

Whenever we get a bit of extra money - Christmas money from Grandma, tax return, a rebate check, whatever - we make sure we have a stocked up freezer and pantry (which we can then live on when we hit a rough spot).

I have:

dried beans, peas, and lentils (black beans, pintos, navy beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas) - usually $1-$2 a pound at whole foods in the bulk section

polenta (cornmeal) - cheap!

rice (I get it at Sam's or Costco) - brown basmati and some kind of white

pasta - when it goes on sale for $1 or less I buy several boxes.

oatmeal

Flour, sugar, the obvious things for baking (yeast, too) - but you have to USE it or it'll go bad, so keep things here that you use regularly or just buy smaller quantities. Flour is never very expensive if you're in a tight spot, so not *as* necessary.

CANNED GOODS - gobs and gobs of canned goods. I have:
condensed soups
regular soups
canned veggies
TONS of canned tomatoes (especially petite diced, paste, and crushed - which, when combined with garlic and some dried spices can make an easy/quick marinara or whatever else you might need)
canned chili beans in sauce (again, throw that with a can of tomatoes and boom - veggie chili)
TONS of canned fruits (peaches in their own juice, pineapple in juice, things with vitamin C)
tuna ('cause it's cheap and easy - packed in water)
spaghetti sauce (I just always have this around despite having the ingredients)

PLUS:
aseptic packs of stock/broth
aseptic packs of soy/rice/almond milks

(and I have WAAAAAY more in my freezer)