#40 Kitchen Staples that make cooking from scratch do-able!
Stocking your kitchen with basic cooking staples will insure that you always have what you need to throw together a meal even on the days you feel like “you just don’t have anything to cook.” Read on to see what to stock and how to use that stock.
Have you noticed that the food industry just loves selling us the idea that cooking is too hard and that there’s no other choice but to get takeout, a boxed meal delivery kit, convenience foods, etc…
The reality is that learning to cook from scratch definitely takes work, but once you’ve learned your way around the kitchen and gotten comfortable with ingredients you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can make it happen.
One of the best ways to get better at cooking is to start with the best tools [Read my favorite products for meal prep], and the most useful ingredients.
When you have all of the most useful ingredients stocked your kitchen will start to feel useful, and you’ll learn to see how you can be useful in the kitchen instead of feeling afraid of it.
It really is a wonderful thing!
So what kinds of products are super useful for keeping stocked in your kitchen?
I’ll dive into my list of favorite kitchen staples below, but the best list is the one based on the foods YOU like to eat.
I’ve got a nifty free downloadable kitchen staples guide you can download yourself and keep on the fridge to know what to stock your kitchen with as you run out of things, but keep in mind that you might need to alter and add your very own staples to the list for it to be useful.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE KITCHEN STAPLES GUIDE
No worries though, I’ve left some blank space for you to just that.
Download the free kitchen staples guide here!
Kitchen Staples for the pantry
Baking Essentials (Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder)
Canned foods (especially beans and tomato products)
Sauces/Vinegars/Lemon Juice
Basic Seasonings and Spices
Yeast
Oils
Chicken Broth
Potatoes and onions
Bread and tortillas
Peanut Butter
Rice and other grains
Kitchen Staples for the Fridge
The fridge is trickier because things have a shorter shelf-life, so we are going to stick to items that will last fairly well in the fridge. Of course you will have other items on your grocery list, but the difference between a staple and another item, is a staple is something you might buy without having a plan for it simply because you know it’s useful and you can use it whenever you feel like it.
Hearty Fruits and Vegetables-Carrots, Bell Peppers, apples, oranges
Yogurt
Heavy Cream
Condiments
Eggs
Milk
Cheese
Butter
Kitchen Staples for the freezer
Last, on to the freezer. The freezer is easily my favorite place to store staples.
You can buy lots of useful freezer aisle staples, but most of these things I’m making myself
Pre-cooked meats
Homemade sauces-Pesto, spaghetti, teriyaki
Cooked Bacon and sausage
Pre-cooked rice and other grains
Diced peppers and onions
Frozen Veggies
Frozen Fruit
Naan Bread, Biscuits, English Muffins, etc..
Freezer meals-Lasagna, chili, etc…
Staples meals to make from your stock
After you have a list of staples to stock, make a list of staples meals too!
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Breakfast for dinner (waffles, pancakes, etc…)
Breakfast Burritos
Potato Nachos
Grilled cheese
Quesadillas
Baked Potato Bar
Want more ideas for using your staples?
Check out this list of 100 ways to turn your pantry staples into a complete meal
Meal planning is still so important, but if you can pair meal planning with a well-stocked kitchen you really insure that you’re always prepared to make something, and even if you don’t LOVE to cook, it will be easier and manageable.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE KITCHEN STAPLES GUIDE
I hope this post inspires you to start working towards a well-stocked kitchen so you can feel like a rockstar in the kitchen every day.
