-
The HBHW Recommends
Frugal Kitchen Staples
Print This Post
Ever wonder how our ancestors always seemed to have food on the table even in lean times? When we are visiting the grocery store every week to the tune of hundreds of dollars, we long to know their secret. In fact it isn’t a secret at all. It is actually good planning and preparation on their part. Once we realize this and begin doing as they did, we too will see our dollar stretch further.
The items that we have on hand are what determine how far our food will go. Filling your cabinets or pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store each and every week versus once or twice a month. Stocking just a few choice items is all you need to create wonderful meals.
1. Flour. Flour is a starter item for many recipes. You can add it to some water and make gravy in the pan for many meat dishes. Flour is used to make bread (biscuits, rolls, loaves) and to coat chicken. It can also be used to coat a round or square cake pan to prevent the cake from sticking. Of course, one of the favorite uses for flour is in cookie recipes that make scrumptious desserts.
2. Rice. My husband loves rice so much that we once bought a fifty pound bag from a grocery store in his hometown. Fifty pounds! Rice is a side dish, but it doesn’t have to be plain. It can be jazzed up with veggies to accompany dinner. My mother uses leftover rice for a dessert called sweet rice. Just add evaporated milk and some sugar to a bowl of rice and warm it in the microwave. It is a tasty treat for after dinner. Another popular dessert is rice pudding. Rice can also be mixed with leftover meat and a cream soup to form a casserole. Rice has many uses and your sure to find a few that your family will love.
3. Pasta. There are many different pasta choices and all have great uses. Manicotti can be stuffed with tomato sauce and cheeses. Macaroni can be used to make a creamy salad and also is great combined with cheese or spaghetti sauce. Spiral pasta is used in many different pasta salads. Spaghetti can be used in a casserole topped with cheese or in the traditional way with tomato sauce and meat.
4. Spices. There are other ways to season food besides salt and pepper. In fact, many spices taste better than salt. Even diehard salt-a-holics won’t miss the salt in foods if other seasonings are used. Cayenne pepper, chili powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, oregano, and garlic powder are all useful tools in your flavor arsenal to give foods a fresh new taste.
5. Beans. There go those beans again. Beans can top your salad (edamame), make an awesome dip (black beans), and go well with grilled foods (baked beans). They provide a good source of protein with very little fat. Beans are good in soups, stews, and over rice for a simple yet filling meal.
Do you have these staples in your kitchen? You can probably think of several more that will enhance your pantry and save money. Start with these and grow your own list of basic kitchen staples that are versatile and economical.
Come join me and over 200 other frugal-minded women in this new and exciting community. Share tips and recipes, learn new frugal skills and have fun with others just like you.
Come take a look and see what it's all about for just $1 for the first 7 days.
One member says: "It feels very comfortable here, a nice supportive community, kind of feels like putting on my sweats and curling up a comfy couch after a long day!".
Join us today at www.HillbillyHousewifeClub.com. We'd love to have you!
About this Post
|
Print This Post
Comments
7 Responses to “Frugal Kitchen Staples”
Leave a Reply
Website & Graphics by ccd
May 7th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
If you live in Ny,Pa Ct And Mass
Look up Pricerite grocery chain
they are low cost for groceries
And their food is very good
Been Shopping Their for the last Year
And Save $$$
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
we have a save a lot but i find aldi’s cheaper. also, price right is very good for prices especially fresh veggies.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Hi, I think there are a few more staples that I keep in my kitchen pantry. First of all I buy in bulk and that 50 lb bag of rice is standard in my house. As a matter of fact, I don’t buy anything small. I mostly only buy in bulk. I use a rice mill just like in Asia. It holds a 50 lb. bag of rice.
Now, on to other staples besides what is listed above..
Powdered milk. I keep this on hand because I don’t always drink milk and need it for recipes and cooking.
Corn Meal. Another staple for making various things like cornbread, coating foods for frying and making cornmeal mush and polenta. It is cheap and can be made into many other things.
Cooking Oil and Crisco… Nuff said?
Sugar….. Nuff said?
Cous Cous…. It is a nice change from making rice or potato as a side dish. It is cheap and you can do so many things with this.
Powdered Egg Substitute.. For when I run out of eggs and need to have eggs to cook with in a recipe. This is a life saver!
I could probably go on, but you get the gist of it. As long as it is dry, and has a long shelf life we keep a good supply of it on hand. I cook from scratch and rotate stock in our pantry
July 24th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
What is a rice mill??? What do you do with it??
August 21st, 2009 at 10:34 am
http://www.beprepared.com
This is a good website for better priced 5 gallon food grade storage pails w/lids. If you can find a free source, good for you! I could not, so searched for the best prices I could find for bulk food grade storage.
If you can find a better price food grade 5 gallon with lid, please let me know!
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
For anyone looking for cheap food grade storage pails ask for pickle buckets at Burger King restaurants. I work at BK and we throw away these buckets all the time. If you ask them they will save them for you. Remind them to save the lid too.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:58 am
For the food grade storage pails you can also check in the bakery at your local grocery store. They usually give these away free. They usually have had icing in them so they aren’t so hard to get the smell out. I usually end up with the 2.5 gallon ones but this size makes it easier for my kids to tote in to me. (Food storage area is not in my kitchen)