38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recession proof recipes that save time, money, and gas during tough economic times, April 30, 2008
This review is from: Pantry Cooking: Quick and Easy Food Storage Recipes (Spiral-bound)
As I write this review, I have a pot of 15 bean soup on the stove, recipe courtesy of this book. The soup smells and tastes delicious because I am the kind of cook who does taste as I go along.
I bought this book in the wake of news reports indicating that food prices had soared in the last year. Because I can remember paying 19 cents a pound for chicken at one point, many years ago, the price of eggs, peanut butter and such basics as sugar and flour has me reeling. Just driving to the grocery store, in winter (when walking or biking is difficult or impossible), costs gas money. As of this writing, gas price are predicted to soar and aren't exactly low.
This book offers a solution for those who feel pinched financially, a way to save money and even get by if there would be a power outage, major earthquake, blizzard or simply very tough times during a major recession.
The solution? Pantry cooking or making sure you have enough food on hand to get by without a trip to the grocery store. The author is very clever and has given readers this info:
1. A list of supplies to have on hand, enough to support one person for a year without a single trip to the grocery store. While you might not care for THAT ambitious a plan, you can adapt her method to only 2 weeks or up to 5 weeks. You don't have to commit to a year without going to the grocery store!
2. The money saving advantages of stocking up on food
3. An emphasis on whole grains and healthy foods.
4. A list of recipes, day by day, for 5 weeks, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5. Storage and pantry tips. No pantry? Think about the space under your bed or under rarely used dining room tables (with a tablecloth on top).
Recipes in this one will satisfy both vegetarians and those who like meat. The bean soup doesn't require an ounce of meat, although it does taste better with a ham bone thrown in (in my opinion). However, it is delicious just as it is. There is a nice global or cross-cultural diversity of recipes, from Anasazi stew to Arroz Con Pollo to Egg Foo Yung to Fettucini with Capers, Olives and Tomatoes. Try feeling deprived with that kind of versatility!
For those who wonder whether food is family friendly, I can vouch for that. The answer is yes.
However, you may want to substitute fresh ingredients for dried ones when you can and use the dried alternative only in a true emergency. We've experimented with both versions of recipes so I know that each is perfectly fine. I do add my own seasonings and variations to each recipe (most of the time) but we always try the recipe as the author originally intended it so I can also note that the recipes are tasty and you can adapt them beyond the original, as desired.
Other recipes include basics such as beef stew but also more gourmet fare like pasta with artichokes, smoked salmon cakes. There are also desserts like rice pudding, cherry cobbler, brownies and chocolate chip pudding.
Other features I like:
The Snack Pack: a backpack that is always filled with healthy and ready to eat snacks and drinks which can be tossed in the car and taken along. This is an idea I wish I'd used when my children were young. It would have prevented stops at fast food restaurants and early trips home from the park.
The 72 Hour Survival Kit- the basics for staying alive for 3 days
A list of suppliers and resources at the end of the book.
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Making Meals from Dried & Canned Foods, August 8, 2006
This review is from: Pantry Cooking: Quick and Easy Food Storage Recipes (Spiral-bound)
If you store the right foods in your pantry, you can make a number of delicious recipes without having to run to the store at a moments notice. The Brownie recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, butter-flavored shortening, sugar, vanilla, dry egg, water, whole wheat flour and chopped walnuts. In many of the recipes, the flour is whole wheat. So, if you are looking for some healthy recipes, this book has plenty of them (...except, you might want to use butter in place of the less healthy butter shortening)!
The main sections:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Sides and Sauces
Dessert
A section on "Important Storage Components" also contains information on a 72-Hour Survival Kit, ideas for making a snack pack to carry with you and hints on gardening.
Some of the ingredients used are easy to keep in your pantry: dry egg mix, dry onions, bread mixes, dried fruits and vegetables, dry pastas, canned ground beef (who knew? I'd never seen it before), sun-dried tomatoes, tuna, chicken bouillon, dried herbs an spices, oil, canned vegetables, cornmeal and cherry pie filling.
You will find recipes for:
Biscuits and Gravy
Mushroom Omelets
Pancakes
Macaroni and Cheese
Sloppy Joes
Chicken and Dumplings
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Smoked Salmon Cakes
Navajo Fry Bread
Spanish Rice
Salsa
Cherry Cobbler
As someone who likes to challenge herself to see how much she can cook with whatever is in the pantry, this book did intrigue. I think it will be most useful at the end of the week or when I don't want to run to the store. Most of the ingredients are things you already keep in your pantry, so that makes it even more useful. You may also want to own this for camping trips, since you can take along dried foods that are light to carry.
I'm making the Greek Chicken Soup...except, I'm using a homemade chicken stock. There are ways to adapt the recipes, like you can use chopped onions instead of the dried onions. You just skip adding the water to the dried onions.
This book would be helpful in an emergency situation as long as
your pantry is well stocked and you have lots of bottled water on hand.
~The Rebecca Review
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hits home!, May 6, 2008
This review is from: Pantry Cooking: Quick and Easy Food Storage Recipes (Spiral-bound)
Pantry Cooking is quite a discovery of a book. I am a recently reformed (transformation in progress, however!) once-a-week supermarket shopper. Every time I went into that mega-store, even with a list, I ended up buying more (much more) than I ever planned to buy. One night I sat down and just reviewed all the charges I had racked up on groceries, and I was shocked. It was especially disheartening to realize that this constant shopping brought on the added problem of waste. There were way too many times that food had to be discarded.
Pantry Cooking was the teacher that arrived just when the student was ready!
I highly recommend it. Laura Robins is sure to bring about a positive effect on your recession-plagued pantry.
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