Recipe Basics

There is a difference between edible and palatable. Even if you have a pantry or storeroom full of wheat, rice, beans, and other basics, you still need to have supplies for turning them into something tasty. Almost two years ago, I reviewed the book Defiance about a group of Jewish partisans/refugees in World War II. It struck me at the time that one of the skills that was highly valued by not only that particular group, but other partisan groups, was being a skillful cook.

With that background, the Family Survival Planning blog has some ideas for recipe ingredients you should remember to include in your food storage. These include: salad dressing, cooking oil, shortening, mayonnaise, peanut butter, powdered fruit drinks, brown sugar, molasses and/or corn syrup, flavored gelatin, granulated sugar, honey (get raw honey when possible for the added health and medicinal properties), nonfat dry milk, evaporated milk, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and yeast.

I would also recommend common spices and flavorings, particularly pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and any others that you cannot grow in an herb garden.

Remember that some of these items--especially the oil based products like the cooking oil, dressing, and mayonnaise--may have significantly shorter shelf lives than other stored goods, so be careful not to stock more than you can use during the normal shelf life.