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lets not forget an item, thats easily overlooked, but can be very very important, and thats a fire extinguisher... i often give this along with another gift, because no one thinks of it,,,,particularly in a new place.
i know it isnt food,,, but its still important for any new couple,,
I would stick with the basics, and just add on to the pantry supply as she finds recipes that she wants to try. I would think getting a big variety of similar products would be confusing for a new cook. She can experiment later as she gets more comfortable in the kitchen. So for now, a large variety of canned tomato products, salts, oils and flour should be condensed down to which type would be used in most recipes. Same with the jellies and preserves. She doesn't need to buy a lot of that right off the bat, just one jar of whatever kind she prefers is good.
She might even find that she doesn't really like cooking a lot of foods from scratch and if so a lot of the list would sit unused. Or she might have different taste in foods. My cooking tends to be more Mexican inspired, and I like to use fresh fruits and veggies so I would never buy most of the canned tomato products listed. I'm also not a big pasta eater, so I tend to have only one or two boxes of pasta in my pantry. Starting out with every shape, size, and color of pasta just sounds for a lot of potential food waste.
I always try to figure out a weeks worth of meals at a time, and then make a list of the items I need to buy. If just starting off I would get items that I know I would use pretty much every week, and not any specialty items. Those can be added as I continue to build up my pantry. Before going grocery shopping for the first time, it would be good to look through a few recipe books, or browse the food section on Pinterest and get an idea of what kind of food she is going to be making and see what similar items the recipes might have. Pinterest is especially helpful because she can look up the recipes wherever she is. If she's at the store, and they're out of something she needed for a certain meal, she can decide to cook something else instead and quickly look up the ingredients needed. I get almost all of my new recipes off the internet. I can't even remember the last time I used a cookbook. I do have cookbooks that I've been gifted over the years, but I'll usually look through them once to see what recipes there are, and then they end up collecting dust on the bookshelf.
Do you keep your open pantry food in sealed containers?
Things like crackers, chips and cereals, and do they stay fresh? I've never been this organized but I might start. The weather is hot and humid and we have a steady army of ants that make their way through the house scouting food. I keep it **** and span, spray bug killer and pretty much keep a hostile environment for pests (moths and helicopter flies come here to die) but if there is one tiny crumb in the middle of an entry way that fell off my dogs muzzle, they are all over it.
They usually flow in through the bathroom and there were hundreds there the other day. I've cleaned and sprayed but there are a few random ones that are making their way to the kitchen. I decided to put the open crackers in the freezer and wipe down all the shelves and will be going by Marshalls to get some sealed containers.
Things like crackers, chips and cereals, and do they stay fresh? I've never been this organized but I might start. The weather is hot and humid and we have a steady army of ants that make their way through the house scouting food. I keep it **** and span, spray bug killer and pretty much keep a hostile environment for pests (moths and helicopter flies come here to die) but if there is one tiny crumb in the middle of an entry way that fell off my dogs muzzle, they are all over it.
They usually flow in through the bathroom and there were hundreds there the other day. I've cleaned and sprayed but there are a few random ones that are making their way to the kitchen. I decided to put the open crackers in the freezer and wipe down all the shelves and will be going by Marshalls to get some sealed containers.
I live in a very dry climate where insects, etc. aren't a problem. However, I keep coffee, crackers, bread, etc. in closed containers to keep them fresh.
Dom't put crackers in the freezer; they'll become soft. Coffee loses its flavor because of condensation.
I've used a product like these with excellent results.
Things like crackers, chips and cereals, and do they stay fresh? I've never been this organized but I might start. The weather is hot and humid and we have a steady army of ants that make their way through the house scouting food. I keep it **** and span, spray bug killer and pretty much keep a hostile environment for pests (moths and helicopter flies come here to die) but if there is one tiny crumb in the middle of an entry way that fell off my dogs muzzle, they are all over it.
They usually flow in through the bathroom and there were hundreds there the other day. I've cleaned and sprayed but there are a few random ones that are making their way to the kitchen. I decided to put the open crackers in the freezer and wipe down all the shelves and will be going by Marshalls to get some sealed containers.
Get Terro Powder and put outside the bathroom where their next probably is.
Get Terro Spray and use it in the cabinets and along all the edges.
Get Terro Gel and put around as well inside the cabinets, behind the toilet, etc.
As far as food storage I have rubbertmaid rectangle containers and I use food saver bags.
When it's humid, or if something is going to take a while to go through. Not always if it's something that is going to be eaten/used in really short order.
I try to buy things that come in resealable containers, to cut down on the storage space I need for separate resealable containers.
Bugs aren't a huge issue where I am, but humidity can be off the charts.
Somethings are sealed for extended storage. Other things- nah. But we don't have bugs in Montana like we used to in West Virginia.
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