By Emily Gowdey-Backus

With one less salary in the house and three square meals to dream up, engineer and present to my family, each day I’m quickly turning to the back corners of my pantry for inspiration and, well, calories. However, eight liters of raspberry seltzer to one jar of peanut butter and one loaf of frozen bread to two cans of chickpeas is not balanced arithmetic.

Plopped cross-legged on my kitchen floor, I itemized my pantry and weighed the possibilities. Not recognizing the savvy, adventurous shopper and meal planner I’d been pre-COVID-19, I turned to those who would know best.

Below is a collection of responses from local culinary experts about the benefits of a well-stocked pantry and where to start if you, like me, find yourself in need of direction and inspiration.

Lynn Cheney, owner of Maker to Main in Worcester

What makes a balanced, well-stocked pantry?

Normally, I would say a little bit of everything is necessary. By that I mean, obviously, it doesn’t have to be COVID-19-related. The fact that you said balance is appropriate. Not having too much of one thing. Stop hoarding toilet paper and chicken and eggs and flour. Specifically, beans, snacks, greens, fresh food in addition to staples you can quickly heat, and jarred and pickled items are all important.

What are some best practices about stocking a pantry–especially in a time like this when people are loath to go to the grocery store every other day?

Make a list before you leave your house—that’s a no-brainer—to minimize your time and value your time and others’. … Our country is very much into bulk buying and shopping only once a week. Therefore, Americans should have been more set to go through something like this compared to Europeans who have smaller fridges and shop daily for fresher ingredients. Now that we’re only shopping once a month, or every two weeks, it isn’t asking too much of Americans who already practiced that habit. Yet, my business has been trying to change that philosophy. We encourage customers to come in and purchase products every day or every couple of days. Unfortunately, now we have no choice to suggest people only shop once a week or every couple of weeks.

What does your pantry look like?

Honestly, it’s awful. Because I’ve been working every single day since I opened the store in late February, I’m not following any “best eating” practices. It’s amazing I’m still standing. There was a period of time I was surviving off of Easter candy and meat sticks. I have no time to cook and if I do have the time, I’m exhausted. Instead, I take the time to support my friends who are doing curbside pickup from their restaurant.

However, we sell a lot of items to help stock a pantry for times like these. Everything from pierogi, to greens, beans, snacks, popcorn, rice, baking needs and a few household items.

What are three foundations for building a pantry?

Beans. Oh my god, there are so many beans and grains in general. They’re incredible quality and they last for a long time. They’re a protein source and keep your belly full and healthy at the same time. They’re good for everybody—eat beans for the love of god! Another good staple is coffee. People are probably drinking copious amounts of coffee and we support Acoustic Java, a local brand. I would also say fresh foods. Although it’s great that I’m selling ridiculous amounts of ice cream and cookies and chips, having access to fresh salad greens and vegetables and fruit–readily available from local farmers–is vital not only for the health of our food system but also for the health of individual consumers. Whatever emotions you’re dealing with, making sure your pantry is stocked with healthy options is important.

Alexis Kelleher and Nate Rossi, co-owners of Crust Artisan Bake Shop in Worcester

What makes a balanced, well-stocked pantry?

I am not sure we are the right people to ask about this! We tend to lean pretty hard on carbs and butter. Flour is important to us. Lots of pasta and rice. I’m Greek and Nate is Italian, so olive oil is a staple. A bag of good, dark chocolate chips (whether or not you have an immediate plan for them). Vinegar and pickles. Feta cheese, tomato sauce and butter (yes, more butter). We are also stocked up on frozen veggies. 

What are some best practices about stocking a pantry–especially in a time like this when people are loath to go to the grocery store every other day?

I think it’s important to have a good variety of spices with which you can make just about any cuisine. Especially if you have the basics on hand–frozen or fresh veggies and a grain–in larger quantities. I think it’s also really important–and kind of fun–to challenge yourself to use as much of your food as possible. You can freeze veggie scraps to make stock and bread ends can become croutons and breadcrumbs. 

What does your pantry look like?

You can see our priorities by looking at our pantry. Like I said, I am Greek and I’ve grown up with a stocked pantry–an abundance of the things we know we will need/use and therefore I don't feel like my rows of certain items in the pantry are a result of COVID stockpiling! What’s usually on-hand includes oatmeal packets for easy breakfasts, lots of canned tomatoes (I could have tomato sauce on most things for most meals and be happy), lots of pasta and another row of easy mac 'n cheese. There’s rice and canned beans too. I try to keep it organized.

What do you sell that helps to maintain that balance?

We have a lot of staples at work. Between Crust and North Main Provisions, we haven’t had to venture to the grocery store very often in the last month. In that time, we’ve adapted our offerings to reflect the things we would want to find. We are selling 5-pound bags of flour, eggs and butter. We have always carried a lot of spices (specifically from Teeny Tiny Spice Company) at North Main Provisions because we love their flavors and using them in our cooking makes us feel like we're traveling. North Main Provisions is also stocked up with pasta, cheese, beer and wine. Crust has started selling pancake and chocolate chip cookie mixes–for fun at-home baking projects–and we have a few more ideas up our sleeves! Throwing ourselves into creative endeavors is a good way to put something positive into the community. 

Michael Watkins, owner of Monti Farms and Deli in Princeton

What makes a balanced, well-stocked pantry?

Essentials in a well-stocked pantry range from flour, to air-dried pasta, to chips. Having a pantry broken into sections, almost like a mini store, is the key. You have a section with baking needs such as flour, sugar and spices, then oils, broths, sauces, along with vinegars and juices to bring excitement out of every meal. 

What are some best practices about stocking a pantry–especially in a time like this when people are loath to go to the grocery store every other day?

The key to stocking a pantry during a time like this is finding bulk size options. When we are succumbed to this style of living, most of our free time is taken up by cooking. Having the ability to purchase 25-pound bags of flour, gallon-size buckets of pasta and packs of 800 wipes is our new reality. 

What does your pantry look like?

The Monti’s pantry consists of a variety of oils, vinegars, spices, seasoning, salts from different countries, chocolate, flour varieties, honey and other miscellaneous essentials. 

What do you sell that helps to maintain that balance?

Our great vendors have been able to provide us with bulk sizes of essential items to keep our pantry stocked. Large quantities of baking needs, oils and broths are what you’ll find at Monti’s. In addition to shelf-stable items, our fresh bread selection is brought in from local bakeries every morning.