Having A Well Stocked Pantry

As the temperature drops outside, I'm finding lots of comfort in hot casseroles , stews and soups. They warm the body and soul. My slow cooker gets used all year round, but in Winter it almost goes into overdrive.

It's great to have a well stocked pantry, fridge and freezer. It makes it so much easier to feed the family or to change the menu around if things arise. My well stocked pantry came in handy a few years ago as I had a slight disaster in the kitchen. I'd gotten up early one morning to make a chicken curry to put in the slow cooker. I'd already put the cooked chicken in, the vegies were getting a head start in the microwave and all I needed to do was make the liquid up. I opened up a tin of cream of chicken soup to find that it was black and mouldy inside. YUCKY, YUCKY !!!!

I was so shocked at the color that I tilted the tin to make sure I had the right soup ( I thought it must have been mushroom soup ) Soup spilled all over the bench and kitchen floor. After cleaning up the mess I realised it was the right soup, but in the wrong condition. Thankfully I had another few tins of the soup in the pantry. I was able to continue making the curry. Phew !!! Later that day I returned the soup to the supermarket for a replacement.

Having spares of the soup meant that nothing was wasted and the meal was not a disaster. Just a slight hiccup in the making.

I've met many people over the years who love to have the bare minimum in their pantries. They have their tins and packages all lined up along the front of the shelves with nothing behind them. Easy to see everything yet so easy to run out. My pantry is not big by any means , but it is tidy, clean, well organised and WELL STOCKED !!!! Ready for any recipe, occasion or disaster. 

Do you keep your pantry well stocked ?  

Have you had a disaster in the kitchen ?

What's Taking Up Space In Your Pantry ?

During the Cheapskates workshop in Adelaide last year, I mentioned that I removed a few non food items from my pantry that were taking up space. Since then I've received a few messages and emails from participants who found this to be a light bulb moment.

So this week's topic is " What's taking up space in your pantry ? " My pantry is 88cm wide X 57cm deep X 2.06 metres high. Not large by any stretch of the imagination but I can fit a lot in there. At the workshop I showed a photo of my very neat pantry. There were a few giggles about how neat it is. how many containers I have and how everything is in neat rows with ALL labels facing the front. A bit OCD ? Maybe, but when everything is neat and well stacked I can fit so much in.

I mentioned at the workshop that I only use my pantry to store food in. There are no empty containers, no extra rolls of paper towel, no toilet paper, no appliances, no cleaning products, no boxes of tissues, no canning jars and no cat food. These items are either stored in my garden shed or in the appropriate room ( cleaning products in the laundry etc ).

Once non food items are removed from the pantry, you might be suprised at how much space you have. For me, space means stockpiling and stockpiling means peace of mind.

This week I'd like to challenge you with two questions -

* Do you have non food items taking up valuable space in my pantry ?

* Can you relocate the non food items and start a healthy stockpile ?

Do you think I have enough tea bags ?

I like nice neat rows.