{30} Pantry Staples to Make from Scratch

by Mandi on April 3, 2012

source: Unsophisticook.com

I am counting down the days to my 30th birthday, and I couldn’t be more excited! Truly! As I was brainstorming ways to celebrate here on the blog, I couldn’t help but think that 30 lists of {30} items would be just about perfect for my type-A, list-making self. Join me for the next month as I share the things I’ve learned in the past 30 years and my hopes for the future! See all 30 Days of {30} posts here.

It’s no secret that I’m not a great cook. I struggle with understanding how flavors work together, how to use certain techniques and overanalyzing the directions in a recipe. As we’ve been trying to eat more made-from-scratch food, this has obviously posed some challenges, and I’m learning to accept that in order to get better, I need to be willing to experiment and, occasionally, toss something that hasn’t turned out right.

One area where I’ve had surprising success, though, is making my own pantry staples — spice blends, barbecue sauce, applesauce, etc. I am always amazed by how truly simple it is to make most of these, especially when I would have considered them things you had to buy just a couple years ago.

30-days-of-30

Although this list is far from complete, here are 30 pantry staples you may be used to buying that can actually be made easily at home:

1. Taco seasoning.

2. Onion soup mix.

3. Italian dressing mix.

4. Ranch dressing mix.

5. Vanilla extract.

6. Salad dressing (9 recipes).

7. Chicken stock (or veggie stock)

8. Butter.

9. Whipped cream.

10. Ricotta cheese.

11. Sour cream.

12. Cream cheese.

13. Yogurt.

14. Buttermilk.

15. Peanut butter.

16. Applesauce (or flavored applesauce).

17. Salsa.

18. Spaghetti sauce.

19. Pesto (or this dairy free recipe).

20. Cream of something soup (or as a dry mix).

21. Ketchup.

22. Mustard.

23. Mayonnaise.

24. Relish.

25. Barbecue sauce.

26. Bread crumbs.

27. Pancake mix (or whole wheat pancake mix).

28. Brownie mix.

29. Cake mix.

30. Frosting.

Do you make any of these at home? What else would you add to the list?

	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Courtney

These are awesome ideas! Thank you.
Rachel

I only make 7 of those things regularly. I def need to start making my own taco seasoning and am working on getting a cheaper raw milk supply to start on the dairy items.

http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

The taco seasoning recipe I linked is the one we make, and it’s SO yummy!

Mognet3

I make homemade Bisquick baking mix. I would love recipes for good yellow, white, and chocolate cake mixes from scratch.

http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

There’s a white cake mix towards the bottom of the list ( http://iambaker.net/homemade-cake-mix), here’s a chocolate ( http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_deluxe_chocolate_cake_mix) and here’s a yellow (http://www.bakerella.com/finally-i-found-it/). Hope that helps!

Anonymous

thanks for the links. I have started making up my own baking mix to keep on hand- is very nice to just pull something out of the fridge that is ready to go. I would like to make more of these- will be checking them out.
http://www.ChellBellz.com/ Elle @ Chellbellz

I’ve made at home Taco seasoning, and chili seasoning. Much better then what you would get at the store.
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http://snailpacetransformations.com/ Victoria Huizinga

I practice 3 well, but I am horrible at number 4 and then it starts to really pile up and take over, and it takes me 30 minutes or more to sort through it all.
http://www.kdcuk.co.uk/ John Batt

Really nice tips – I’m only learning now how much disorganisation really affects my ability to function..

Interestingly I’ve found that the kitchen is one of the most important areas to keep clean/tidy..if it’s not looked after, I end up just not cooking in it/going in it and eating really unhealthily!
Jonie Anderson

Hearth thanks for sharing these tips..really a great piece of organizing tips will make my work easier..
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A stay-at-home mom, wife, and passionate cook, Amy strives to make each meal healthy and delicious. She loves to develop new recipes, which she shares at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free and The Balanced Platter. She's also the author of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free.
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Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars. She is a contributor to Babble.com's Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found one of three places: cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.

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