Basic Foods Checklist: How to Stock Your Kitchen for Simple Meals (2024)

Having a well-stocked kitchen makes meal planning easier. Use this basic foods checklist for some ideas to help stock your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for simple meals. Personalize the list with foods you frequently use.

In the Pantry

Breakfast & Cereals

  • Cereal (consider whole grain varieties)
  • Oatmeal
  • Pancake mix

Canned, Jarred, & Pouched Foods

  • Fruits and vegetables (choose options without added sugar or salt)
  • Meat, poultry, & seafood (fish, chicken, or other meats)
  • Beans (pinto, black, garbanzo)
  • Soups (look for lower sodium varieties)
  • Nut butter (peanut, almond)
  • Dried fruit
  • Sauces (tomato,spaghetti, pizza)
  • Salsa
  • Broth or stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)

Grains, Pasta & Sides

  • Bread (consider whole grain varieties)
  • Tortillas or taco shells
  • Pasta (consider whole grain varieties)
  • Rice (include some whole grain rice, such as brown rice)
  • Oats (old fashioned or rolled, quick, or steel cut)

Produce

  • Onions
  • Potatoes

Snacks

  • Crackers (consider whole grain varieties)
  • Popcorn
  • Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)

Baking & Cooking Supplies

  • Instant nonfat dry milk
  • Flour (consider whole grain)
  • Sugar (white granulated, brown)
  • Seasonings & spices (salt, black pepper, garlic, minced onion)
  • Oil for cooking (such as olive, canola, vegetable)
  • Vinegar

Condiments & Salad Dressings

  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Mayonnaise (choose a lower fat option)
  • Salad dressing

In the Refrigerator

  • Milk (fat-free or low-fat)
  • Cheese (block, shredded, sliced, or string and consider lower fat options)
  • Yogurt (fat-free or low-fat and choose options with fewer or no added sugars)
  • Eggs
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Butter or margarine

In the Freezer

  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Meat & seafood (chicken breast, ground beef/turkey, pork loin chops, salmon, shrimp)
  • 100% fruit juice concentrate
  • Waffles(consider whole grain varieties)
  • Breads(consider whole grain varieties)
Basic Foods Checklist: How to Stock Your Kitchen for Simple Meals (2024)

FAQs

Basic Foods Checklist: How to Stock Your Kitchen for Simple Meals? ›

Pasta, grains, canned goods, spices, and baking staples are the types of pantry essentials everyone should keep in their kitchen. These foods are the basis of many meals and have a longer shelf life than items you store in the refrigerator.

What do I need to fully stock a kitchen? ›

50 Essentials for a Well-Stocked Kitchen
  1. Knives.
  2. Cookware. Small Skillet/Sauté Pan (6-8 inches) Large Skillet/Sauté Pan (10-12 inches) Saucepans with lids – varying sizes. ...
  3. Baking. 2 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. 8 or 9-inch square cake pan. ...
  4. Appliances. Blender. Bread Machine. ...
  5. Tools. Box grater. Citrus reamer/Juicer.

What are the basic foods to have at home? ›

Pasta, grains, canned goods, spices, and baking staples are the types of pantry essentials everyone should keep in their kitchen. These foods are the basis of many meals and have a longer shelf life than items you store in the refrigerator.

How do you stock a basic pantry? ›

How to Stock a Pantry With Everything You Need
  1. Herbs and Spices.
  2. Baking Supplies.
  3. Liquids.
  4. Sauces and Condiments.
  5. Special Seasonings.
  6. Cans and Jars.
  7. Packaged Goods.
  8. Pasta and Rice.
Jan 25, 2023

What food staples should you always have? ›

8 Healthy Food Staples To Keep In Your Kitchen
  • Whole grains. ...
  • Canned beans. ...
  • Frozen fruits and vegetables. ...
  • Non-fat dry milk. ...
  • Low-sodium broth. ...
  • Canned fruits and vegetables. ...
  • Canned tuna, salmon or chicken. ...
  • Spices.
Feb 5, 2020

What are the best pantry foods? ›

These include items like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, nut butters, dried fruits, and vegetables. You can also stock up on canned foods like beans, tuna, salmon, and chicken, which last for a long time and help avoid wasteful spending.

What are the 10 most basic foods? ›

Canned, Jarred, & Pouched Foods
  • Fruits and vegetables (choose options without added sugar or salt)
  • Meat, poultry, & seafood (fish, chicken, or other meats)
  • Beans (pinto, black, garbanzo)
  • Soups (look for lower sodium varieties)
  • Nut butter (peanut, almond)
  • Dried fruit.
  • Sauces (tomato, spaghetti, pizza)
  • Salsa.

What are the 5 foods to eat everyday? ›

5 foods that doctors and nutritionists eat every day for better health
  • Leafy greens. The importance of leafy green vegetables in your daily diet cannot be overstated — experts recommend it over and over again. ...
  • Berries. ...
  • Fish and other lean proteins. ...
  • Legumes. ...
  • Nuts and seeds.
Mar 5, 2024

What 3 foods can I live on? ›

A balanced diet of survival food will ensure that your body is getting all the protein, carbs, minerals, and vitamins it requires to remain healthy. If you could only select five foods to survive on, potatoes, kale, trail mix, grains, and beans would get you pretty far.

How to stock your fridge? ›

Aim to have lots of fresh veggies, lean meats, fruit, and other foods that come without packaging. Tip: Keep your fridge between 32-40 degrees F. Move the food that spoils quickly to the front where you can easily see it.

How do you stock food at home? ›

PANTRY STAPLES

We suggest keeping canned chicken, tuna, salmon, and ham on hand. Canned Goods – Fruit, veggies, soups, stews, beans, whatever floats your boat! Canned goods are essential to stockpiling and shelf cooking! Dry Goods – Rice, beans, rolled oats, flax seeds, and chia seeds are all shelf cooking must-haves.

What are 10 staple foods? ›

Most of the human population lives on a diet based on one or more of the following staples: cereals (rice, wheat, maize (corn), millet, and sorghum), roots and tubers (potatoes, cassava, yams and taro), and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese and fish.

What food should always be in the house? ›

20 Ingredients (With a Long Shelf Life!) You Should Always Have On Hand
  • RICE.
  • DRIED PASTA.
  • When you think of dried pasta, don't limit yourself to spaghetti. CANNED BEANS.
  • FROZEN SHRIMP.
  • FROZEN FISH FILLETS.
  • CHICKEN STOCK.
  • FROZEN VEGETABLES.
  • FROZEN BREAD.
Sep 15, 2023

What are the healthiest pantry foods? ›

5 Must-Have Foods to Always Have in Your Pantry
  • Canned fish or chicken. Very low sodium canned albacore tuna, packed in water, or chicken can be a go-to for sandwiches. ...
  • Canned beans and vegetables. Canned vegetables and beans can help make a meal in minutes. ...
  • Canned fruits. ...
  • Whole grains. ...
  • Nuts, seeds and nut butters.
May 17, 2024

What does a fully stocked kitchen have? ›

It includes all the basic supplies and essential equipment needed to cook and serve most meals. A fully stocked kitchen doesn't refer to food, spices, or condiments (though you can go the extra mile and provide starter amounts of staples like oil, salt, and sugar).

What is considered a fully equipped kitchen? ›

A full kitchen is defined as a room with a sink and full-sized cooking appliances, including a stove, oven and refrigerator, and sometimes a dishwasher or built-in microwave.

What is a kitchen checklist? ›

A comprehensive kitchen checklist is used to assess if kitchen operations such as menu planning, kitchen service preparation, kitchen hygiene, and food storage management are performed efficiently by kitchen staff.

What is required of a good stock in cooking? ›

Flavor, body and clarity are the characteristics of a good stock and of the three flavor is the most important. To get a good flavor you need to use a high proportion of ingredients to water. The most flavorful stock is achieved by just covering the bones, shell, or vegetables with water.

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