The recipes behind common kitchen staples

[patches]

There are some good recipes here, so I'm saving quite a few.     I really do appreciate the Biscuit Master Baking Mix one because sometimes I get a craving for pancakes only to discover that I'm out of Bisquick.   

[Tonya]

Great to have these recipes!! Thanks for starting this Sarah! And Thanks to Duh for adding hers! I so need to start a file for all of these!@

[duh]

My recipe file is huge with so many subfiles that some of them have subfiles lol.  It's quite a computer tree branch to say the least.

But I love having them so handy.

[patches]

I have some of my recipes on my computer, Duh, but most of them are typed up and put in my little recipe books.   I like to do it that way so I can have them handy in the kichen when I need one.   

[Tonya]

I made duh's Hollandaise sauce last night and it was AWESOME!!! Definitely a keeper! Thanks Duh!!

[duh]

It is probably wasteful but I print them out as needed.  It's a space problem.  I don't have enough space for them all printed out.  Plus, I end up looking through a number of them to find the one with the recipe I want in it.  With the computer that's no problem.

Glad you liked the Hollandaise Sauce Tonya.

[bestofour]

I misread this title.  I thought it was going to be a list of what we need to keep in our pantry to be able to throw together a surprise meal.  Darbi told me the other day that my pantry is empty.  It's really not empty but neither do I keep much food on hand.  (Darbi wouldn't eat it if I did seeing that she eats 2 french fries a day)  Is there such a list?  If there is, keep in mind that the items may stay in my pantry for months and months since I'm not a constant cooker person.

[sunsoaker]

I'm sure Darbi is looking for some "grab and eat", which is not normal pantry "staples". I would question Darby as to what it is she's looking for in there. Otherwise, just google "pantry staples" and all sorts of sites will come up with lists of normal pantry staples.

[Tina]

If your staples are going to be stored for long periods of time I would take steps to keep them as air-tight as possible. I keep many things in zipped bags in my fridge or freezer for longevity. They just keep longer, fresher and bug free.

[sunsoaker]

I have airtight tuppeware type cannisters I keep flour, sugars and such in. It is a must in the south. I really should get more to keep rice and such in.

[bayou girl]

these days i keep my flour, rice, and grits in the fridge.  sugar the tupperware works for.  everything else "dry" is used or tossed within 3 months.  canned food i keep till it doesn't look edible or is well passed the date on the can.

[bestofour]

I keep sugar and flour in containers.  I also have started keeping a box on confectioniers sugar and I always keep a brownie mix for Colby and cake mix for Aubry. 

I did ask Darbi what she meant "just stuff Gangaran." 

[Tina]

Sheri, if you are not going to use up anything in your pantry within a year, you should not waste money on it. Nor time or space. But I am a nut on having emergency supplies on hand. So I would at least have soup and crackers or something like in case you have some disaster that precludes leaving to buy what you need. Canned beans and velveeta cheese that keep without electricity and can fill a belly if nothing else is to be had.

[bestofour]

Is Velveeta real cheese?

[Tina]

No but it works well for a fake and keeps on the shelf without refrigeration until opened. It really does provide protein as well.
Peanut butter is another must to keep and is good on graham crackers in a pinch.

[duh]

Here is my churches list of food storage items, and amounts per person.

Grains 400 lbs (includes wheat, flour, rice, corn, oatmeal, and pasta.)
Legumes 60 lbs (Includes dry beans, split peas, lentils.)
Powdered Milk 16 lbs
Cooking Oil 10 Qts (16 lbs shortening equals 10 quarts of oil.)
Sugar or Honey 60 lbs (67 pounds of honey equals 60 lbs of sugar.)
Salt 8 lbs
Drinking Water (2 weeks worth) 14 gallons

Now of course people have different tastes so these need to be personalized.

My personal list has an entire page of herbs and spices alone.  And because I'm not a huge salt person I don't keep nearly that much salt and I have plenty for my supply. 

Basically my list is the accumulation of 12 months of grocery lists.  What I had to learn to make it was which foods last how long.  Like Beef a steak lasts about 4 months in the freezer before it will begin to get freezer burn while a roast will last 12 months in the freezer. 

And the trick with containers is of course to know the "sell by date" and mark it somehow on the container so that it can be changed when the contents are. 

[Tina]

I was trying to think if I used 400 pounds of 'grain' a year. I probably do when you add up all of the cereals, bread, pastas and crackers, etc.
The Mormons have awesome lists and ideas for tough times and possibilities. My aunt had a room built onto her house with 55 gallon airtight drums for grain storage. And smaller drums for other things. She bought most through the Mormon church. And maybe that is where I began to think about storing for emergencies. 
Keeping the facts straight about what to freeze and for how long is constantly changing and evolving. My steaks will last much longer in the freezer if I store them in  cryo-packing or use my handy little air suction thing. 

[Ariel]

Loving these recipes!!

[bestofour]

We always have peanut butter.  We can't keep it though because I eat it.  I have a jar at each school too.

[Tina]

 
You can starve to death on just peanut butter though. It is an incomplete protein by itself. But mixed with another grain it becomes complete. So crackers or something (even your squishy white bread) will complete the needed aminos to make it better and something your body can use.

[bayou girl]

and sheri, you aren't the only one.  i have a jar at home, a jar at work, and a partial jar to take wherever, like when i am kate-sitting.

[Tina]

You made me go count my peanut butter jars. I have two spares and two open.

[bayou girl]

so you are in good shape.

[Tina]

That is so much less than usual. The two opened are down to the last. But I do have Jonni's nutella and some almond butter in there with the rest. I just do want more PB too.

[bayou girl]

time to mark on the grocery list!