Stocking an emergency pantry

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A survivor's guide to blackouts

Shelf-stable pouches, juices and spice mixes add zip to food pantry

By Deborah S. Hartz

Knight Ridder Newspapers

This is a foodie's guide to stocking an emergency pantry.

Sure, you're going to purchase the usual canned and packaged goods that your

family likes. And we aren't trying to change your mind.

But we want to introduce some other ideas: products that take up less space

and taste better than some of the items you may have used in the past. Some

that are easier to prepare than before.

We offer these tips to keep you sated and safe when storms knock out your

electricity. Just don't forget the water (1 gallon per person per day; stock

a supply that lasts two weeks).

Preparation and safety

.. Be creative: Don't even think about recipes. Use common sense and what you

have on hand to prepare meals.

.. Good juice: When you use canned or preserved fruits, pour off the canning

juice or liquid to use in dressings for salads.

.. On the grill: Try Reynolds Hot Bags, foil bags to cook just about

anything. Also, Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Aluminum Foil makes cooking

sticky things over coals easier. No problem with cleanup.

.. Save cooking water: When you use a pot of water to heat boil-in-bags, you

don't have to discard the water. Save it to heat boil-in-bags at another

meal. (However, don't use it for another purpose.)

.. Bread ideas: If bread becomes a bit stale, don't throw it out. When you

make soup, break up the bread and put a few of these croutons in the bottom

of the bowl before you ladle the soup into it. The bread will soak up the

soup and make a heartier potage. Or break the bread into smaller cubes and

add to a marinated vegetable or bean salad. The vinaigrette dressing will

soak into the bread for a version of panzanella. You also might try toasting

the bread on the grill to use for bruschetta. Of course, if the bread is

moldy, you must discard it.

.. Pasta perfect: If you plan to stock pasta, purchase a thinner variety such

as angel hair that cooks in less time so it uses less fuel. And there's no

need to heat the sauce separately. Just toss room temperature jarred sauce

with the hot pasta. If you don't have Parmesan cheese, you can grate stale

bread or use dried bread crumbs as a stand in.

.. Spice it up: A variety of dried spices and spice mixes makes it easy to

add flavor to such simple things as rice, couscous, instant mashed potatoes,

pasta and other simple but filling starches.

.. Cold soup: Make gazpacho by adding tomato juice and water to thin salsa

from a jar.

.. Rinse once: When using a variety of canned beans for one meal, place them

all in a colander and rinse them all at one time instead of one kind at a

time. This saves water.

.. Sweet defrost: If you have treats in the freezer -- brownies, cookies,

pound cake -- and the power goes out, be sure to enjoy them as they defrost.

.. Food safety: Be careful how you handle food kept under minimal

refrigeration (in an ice chest, for example). Use disposable food cutting

sheets for meats and vegetables. And wear disposable gloves.

.. Cleanup: Use disposable plastic gloves to mix things by hand so you don't

dirty utensils unnecessarily. This saves water. Use self-seal plastic bags

instead of mixing bowls to mix salads. Just put the ingredients into one,

seal and toss. Storing food in plastic bags in an ice chest takes up less

space than plastic containers do.

Improved products

Albacore tuna packaged in shelf-stable pouches is excellent, and you don't

need a can opener.

Also try:

.. Premium white chicken in shelf-stable pouches.

.. Premium chunk ham with natural juices in shelf-stable pouches.

.. Fully cooked bacon that comes in a box and stores at room temperature. You

can eat it as is in a pinch or cook it on a griddle or the grill in 20

seconds per side.

.. Real bacon bits packed in shelf-stable resealable bags. Although these

must be refrigerated after opening, the bags are small enough that you can

use them up in one meal. Try making sandwiches with them, sprinkling into

bean salads or adding to eggs.

.. Jars of marinated artichoke hearts, ``bruschetta'' or chopped vegetables,

marinated mushrooms, roasted peppers, etc. They are perfect for mixing with

beans and other vegetables to make salads; the liquid can be used as

marinades or dressings.

.. Ready-to-eat soups (not condensed). You can turn just about any good soup

into a stew by adding canned vegetables and beans. Thicken it a bit with

cornstarch dissolved in water. Serve over rice.

.. Good canned potatoes that are firm and taste fresh. You can use them to

make a potato salad or add them to canned cream of potato soup to make it

even heartier. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes for a garnish.

.. Canned tomatoes, which are no longer limited to whole, crushed, pureed or

stewed. Now you can get them petite cut or diced, with or without flavors

such as roasted garlic, Italian herbs, green peppers, sweet onions and

celery; garlic and olive oil, zesty jalapeno, or mushroom and garlic.

.. Couscous, now in flavors and colors: red tomato basil, green spinach and

festive tricolor. It requires no cooking. Just add boiling water and let sit

5 minutes. Use it for salads or as a bed for grilled meats or vegetables. Or

heat a can of soup and use that as the liquid for preparing the couscous.

You'll have a one-dish meal.

.. Chili seasoning envelopes that let you make chili on the grill. Just

combine canned beans and/or meat and canned tomatoes with the seasoning

packet in a heavy saucepan and simmer 10 minutes.

.. Red wines in single-serving, screw-top bottles (no need for a corkscrew).

And red wine is better than white at room temperature.

.. Water bottled with lemon or lime flavor. You don't want these for washing

or as part of your gallon-a-day-per-person requirement, but they are nice

for a refreshing change.

.. Condiments -- mustard, ketchup, mayo -- in single-serving packets that

won't require refrigeration. If you don't have prepared mustard on hand,

make it yourself by mixing mustard powder, vinegar and water. For a real

kick, keep Asian mustard powder or wasabi on hand.

.. Single-serving snack packs of cookies, chips, pretzels and crackers with

processed cheese so they don't succumb to humidity and get soggy once

opened. For a sweet treat, stock up on mini candy bars.

.. Pop-top cans of dip to go with those chips.

.. Fruits and puddings packaged in shelf-stable plastic cups. They can be

eaten right out of the cup without dirtying another bowl, and there's no

need for a can opener.

Leftovers

When the all-clear whistle sounds, let's hope you have lots of supplies

lingering in the pantry. Here are some ideas for using them:

.. Let's party: Get a few jugs of wine and cases of beer. Buy a few loaves of

good French bread and crackers and tell all your neighbors to bring their

emergency supplies, too.

.. Soup's on: Invite friends for a simple supper. Combine similar soups in

one big pot and serve them with a selection of crackers. By combining

flavors you come up with new varieties. Add some of the canned vegetables

and beans for extra heartiness and flavor.

.. For charity's sake: Contribute your goods to a food bank or food drive. Or

organize one of your own.