Setting up the Pantry, Part Four: Non-Food Items
Whether our summer travels take us far afield or to local attractions, the transitional month of September draws us home. Just a few days ago, Mabon rose in a day of perfect equilibrium, as long days of sunshine achieved perfect suspension with long nights of moonlight. Is it any wonder that our ancestors heeded this quickening of the pulse and worked their way back to the hearth? Hearthside, the seriousness of preparing for long winter nights ahead was broken by the telling of tales of summer’s adventures, and in anticipation of harvest festivals from Harvest Home to Samhain. But prepare for winter we must, and that is why, just as our ancestors did, we have spent this September at Urban Home stocking the pantry.
Though maintaining the pantry is an ongoing task, it is good to dedicate a couple of days each year to going through all of the shelves. In our urban home, we do so each autumn and spring, as we have found that during these transitional seasons, we are in the mood to evaluate, let go, refresh. Thus do we assess what’s in the pantry, recycle or compost what no longer serves, and re-dedicate ourselves to using what is good. With a well-stocked pantry, we are always able to produce something to eat. To that end, we have stocked the basic pantry with everything from soup and noodles to cookies and jam. We have stocked the baking pantry in anticipation of fall and holiday baking, and stocked the coffee and tea pantry for the hot cuppa that accompanies cake and bread. Herbs and spices especially lose their pungency so we have restocked the spice rack, including mixing our own spice blends not just to enliven our own tables but in anticipation of distributing jars as holiday gifts.
The final area to take care of in our month of stocking the pantry is non-food items. These are household items that all households use but which are most in danger of becoming a half-used and mismatched jumble. This includes everything from jars and lids to rolls of wraps. The very nature of a pantry indicates conservation, but the first, best rule of managing non-food pantry items for the home is not to hang on to anything that is no longer usable or useful. Line a trash bin with a recycling bag and, as you go through non-food items, consign non-food pantry items that are no longer useful to the recycling. Keep a running list as you go, and then when you are in the grocery or big-box store, only replenish what you know you will actually need.
Urban Pantry, Part Four: Non-Food Items
Though maintaining the pantry is an ongoing task, it is good to dedicate a couple of days each year to going through all of the shelves. In our urban home, we do so each autumn and spring, as we have found that during these transitional seasons, we are in the mood to evaluate, let go, refresh. Thus do we assess what’s in the pantry, recycle or compost what no longer serves, and re-dedicate ourselves to using what is good. With a well-stocked pantry, we are always able to produce something to eat. To that end, we have stocked the basic pantry with everything from soup and noodles to cookies and jam. We have stocked the baking pantry in anticipation of fall and holiday baking, and stocked the coffee and tea pantry for the hot cuppa that accompanies cake and bread. Herbs and spices especially lose their pungency so we have restocked the spice rack, including mixing our own spice blends not just to enliven our own tables but in anticipation of distributing jars as holiday gifts.
The final area to take care of in our month of stocking the pantry is non-food items. These are household items that all households use but which are most in danger of becoming a half-used and mismatched jumble. This includes everything from jars and lids to rolls of wraps. The very nature of a pantry indicates conservation, but the first, best rule of managing non-food pantry items for the home is not to hang on to anything that is no longer usable or useful. Line a trash bin with a recycling bag and, as you go through non-food items, consign non-food pantry items that are no longer useful to the recycling. Keep a running list as you go, and then when you are in the grocery or big-box store, only replenish what you know you will actually need.
Urban Pantry, Part Four: Non-Food Items
As with all lists and guides at Urban Home Blog, this list is a based upon my years of experience as a homekeeper and a lifestyle writer, and none of these is a compensated endorsement.
STORAGE AND ORGANIZATION
Basic
2 large rolls aluminum foil
2 large rolls plastic wrap
2 boxes zip-top plastic sandwich bags
1 box large freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags
Disposable plastic storage containers with tight-fitting lids, in various sizes
Glass jars with tight-fitting lids, in various sizes (also see Canning and Preserving below)
1 first aid kit, to include burn care
1 encyclopedic cookbook, such as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Lined index cards and a working pen
Nice to Have
1 box parchment paper
1 box waxed- or butcher- paper
Speciality
Chalk- or dry-erase board with chalk/dry-erase pens or a clipboard with printed grocery lists or a writing pad and a working pen
Basic
1 bottle produce cleaner, such as Environne
1 -2 bottles dishwashing liquid
6 two-sided dish-sponges, medium- or heavy-duty
1 box metal scouring pads, such as SOS
1 container oxygenating cleaner
1 bottle counter-top spray
1 package disposable wiping cloths
2 – 4 rolls paper towels
1 box/roll trash bags (typcially 13 gallon)
1 box/roll recycling bags
Nice to Have
2 bottles coffee-pot cleaner, such as Dip-It
1 canister scouring powder, such as Barkeeper’s Friend
1 spare sink stopper
Speciality
1 tub dishwasher pods
2 bottles dishwasher rinsing agent
2 – 6 bottles dishwasher cleaner
Home canning is fundamental to Urban Home Blog; click here for Urban Home Blog’s canning recipes and techniques. Many of the preparations in our pantry can be prepared by home canners. Some favorites among readers of Urban Home Blog include giardiniera, mincemeat, pickled jalapenos, strawberry-balsamic jam, and apple cider jelly.
Basic
1 flat half-pint regular mouth jars
1 flat pint regular mouth jars
1 flat quilted 8-ounce jelly jars
2 boxes extra lids
2 boxes extra rings
1 steam-bath canner
1 canning kit
4 – 6 boxes powdered pectin
1 copy Ball Complete Guide to Home Canning or Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Nice to Have
1 flat wide-mouth pint jars
1 flat regular mouth quart jars
1 flat 4-ounce quilted jelly jars
2 – 3 boxes freezer jam jars
1 – 2 pouches liquid pectin
1 spare canning kit
Specialty
Pressure canning kit with supplies
Pickle-making supplies including pickling salt and pickle-crisp
STORAGE AND ORGANIZATION
Basic
2 large rolls aluminum foil
2 large rolls plastic wrap
2 boxes zip-top plastic sandwich bags
1 box large freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags
Disposable plastic storage containers with tight-fitting lids, in various sizes
Glass jars with tight-fitting lids, in various sizes (also see Canning and Preserving below)
1 first aid kit, to include burn care
1 encyclopedic cookbook, such as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Lined index cards and a working pen
Nice to Have
1 box parchment paper
1 box waxed- or butcher- paper
Speciality
Chalk- or dry-erase board with chalk/dry-erase pens or a clipboard with printed grocery lists or a writing pad and a working pen
- No matter what you do, storage containers will not endure indefinitely. For that reason, in our urban home we recommend buying quality low-cost containers in bulk and accepting that they will cycle out of usage. We like Ikea’s Pruta series. These offer a variety of sizes with tight-fitting lids, and are priced to be of value while in use but still disposable. Do not hang onto any container that is overly soiled, and do not hang onto any container or lid that does not have its compliment.
- It is always appropriate to offer to bring a selection of plastic containers to large celebrations where you will be a guest and where leftovers will be likely. If you are the host, it is always appropriate to request the same of guests who ask what they can bring.
- Glass jars with tight-fitting lids are invaluable for storage. You can often locate interesting jars at tag sales, but if you use these, clean them thoroughly and make sure that the lids form a good seal or can be replaced with lids that will form a good seal. We like Williams-Sonoma glass jars with ceramic lids, but often the best glass jars for storage are those safely repurposed from home canning. These are available in every size from small to jumbo, and as canning jars are universally sized, it is always easy and cheap to apply a new lid.
- The most essential cookbook for every home is a good encyclopedic one. An encyclopedic cookbook should cover a broad range of topics, omit none of the basics, and present the information in a way that makes sense to you as a cook. Many homes have traditional titles, sometimes even handed down generationally. Good encyclopedic cookbooks for fundamental home cooking include Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. In our urban home, the favorite encyclopedic cookbook is The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.
- Some homes utilize either a chalk- or dry-erase board as a message center, including for keeping a running grocery list. In our urban home, we use a clipboard and a supply of paper lists. We keep a pen nearby, and when we are ready to dash to the store, we can just grab the top sheet where the list is already populated.
Basic
1 bottle produce cleaner, such as Environne
1 -2 bottles dishwashing liquid
6 two-sided dish-sponges, medium- or heavy-duty
1 box metal scouring pads, such as SOS
1 container oxygenating cleaner
1 bottle counter-top spray
1 package disposable wiping cloths
2 – 4 rolls paper towels
1 box/roll trash bags (typcially 13 gallon)
1 box/roll recycling bags
Nice to Have
2 bottles coffee-pot cleaner, such as Dip-It
1 canister scouring powder, such as Barkeeper’s Friend
1 spare sink stopper
Speciality
1 tub dishwasher pods
2 bottles dishwasher rinsing agent
2 – 6 bottles dishwasher cleaner
- The amount of cleaning products to keep on hand is highly individual to household; it is impossible to account for all possibilities here. As a rule, watch for sales and buy as large a supply as you can afford balanced against what your household will use and the amount of available storage room.
- The most common storage area for kitchen cleaning supplies is under the sink, but cleaning supplies must be kept safely out of reach of children and pets. For homes where this is a consideration, install a cabinet lock and store the key out of reach.
- Click here for Urban Home Blog’s list of recommendations for home-cleaning products.
Home canning is fundamental to Urban Home Blog; click here for Urban Home Blog’s canning recipes and techniques. Many of the preparations in our pantry can be prepared by home canners. Some favorites among readers of Urban Home Blog include giardiniera, mincemeat, pickled jalapenos, strawberry-balsamic jam, and apple cider jelly.
Basic
1 flat half-pint regular mouth jars
1 flat pint regular mouth jars
1 flat quilted 8-ounce jelly jars
2 boxes extra lids
2 boxes extra rings
1 steam-bath canner
1 canning kit
4 – 6 boxes powdered pectin
1 copy Ball Complete Guide to Home Canning or Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Nice to Have
1 flat wide-mouth pint jars
1 flat regular mouth quart jars
1 flat 4-ounce quilted jelly jars
2 – 3 boxes freezer jam jars
1 – 2 pouches liquid pectin
1 spare canning kit
Specialty
Pressure canning kit with supplies
Pickle-making supplies including pickling salt and pickle-crisp
- It is essential to follow safe canning practices. For instructions on safe canning, click here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html, or here: http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started.aspx.
- Aside from the canning itself, if you have the room, the pantry is a good place to store canning equipment. Store canning supplies in a large clean plastic tub with a tight-fitting lid. Resist the urge to use the inside of the home canner to hold supplies; that should be kept impeccably clean. As a rule, canning jars can recirculate through multiple usages. Whether they are new or previously used, always carefully and thoroughly inspect jars for chips or cracks and recycle unusable jars. Never reuse lids, and be judicious about reusing rings, which should evidence no noticeable malformation.
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