Kitchen Inventory Ideas

by Devra Gartenstein

Your kitchen's food inventory is the foundation you have to fall back on when preparing your daily meals. By maintaining a kitchen inventory with a versatile range of perishable and nonperishable foods, you will be able to prepare appealing meals even when you are unable to go shopping on a particular day.
Dried Foods

Keep a variety of legumes, grains and pasta, and nuts and seeds on hand. Choose from black beans, pinto beans, white beans, cranberry beans, lentils and split peas, depending on the type of cuisine you like to prepare. Split peas and lentils cook quickly without advanced soaking, so they are especially good to have for last minute meal ideas. Purchase rice, barley, polenta, quinoa, and pasta for your kitchen inventory, tailoring your selection to your personal tastes. Keep several varieties of nuts in your cupboard as well. Buy dry beans, grains and nuts from bulk bins in your supermarket or natural food store, carefully striking a balance between the need to keep a variety of foods on hand and the importance of using what you buy before it spoils. Dried beans and grains can keep for up to a year, but nuts will only last for a few months. Store these staples in airtight, transparent jars or containers.

Canned Foods

Build your kitchen inventory by purchasing a variety of canned foods as well. Canned beans are a quick, easy alternative to dry ones, which take a while to cook and require advance planning. Quality canned soups can be a great standby for nights when you're unable to cook. Canned soup stocks provide a tasty foundation when you do want to prepare your own soup, but don't want to start from scratch. Some canned vegetables are worth having on hand as well, especially those that have been roasted or marinated to add flavor such as artichoke hearts, roasted chilies or roasted red peppers.
Condiments and Seasonings

A range of condiments and seasonings will complete your kitchen inventory, giving you a back stock of foods you can use to supplement the fresh ingredients you buy on the spur of the moment. Buy basic condiments such as ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Also invest in a variety of sauces or flavor bases such as curry paste, teriyaki sauce and salad dressing, which you can use to flavor just about anything. Choose condiments with minimal preservatives and keep them in the refrigerator after you open them.

Dried Foods