How to stock up for a quarantine

March 5, 2020 by
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Somtimes I discover information that, while practical, is something that I hope I will never have to use. Today is a case in point, and it surrounds the growing concerns over COVID-19. While it might be too soon to think about a potential quarantine, that hasn’t stopped people from emptying store shelves of supplies like hand sanitizer and toilet paper. But what do you really need to stock up in order to successfully ride out being stuck at home for several weeks? The Washington Post posed this question to expert cooks, looking for advice on how to stock your pantry for a coronavirus quarantine.

The article offers tips and inspiration, including Padma Lakshmi’s suggestion to start now by making big batches of food that can be easily frozen, such as soups and stews. She also recommends stocking up on frozen vegetables and root vegetables that will keep for long periods without spoiling. I would add winter squash to that list – butternut squash will last for several weeks at room temperature.

There is additional advice from Canal House proprietors Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer. They always have olive oil and canned tuna on hand, as well as eggs. According to Hirsheimer, eggs are great because “omelets are fantastic and can be made with whatever you have kicking around in the fridge.” Other chefs from across the US also weigh in on items to keep on hand.

Having a well-stocked pantry is useful regardless of whether you will face an emergency situation because it provides flexibility for everyday weeknight cooking. In our house we always have canned tomatoes, a variety of tinned curry pastes, dried beans, rice, and chocolate in our pantry. What are the key items in yours?

Category: Antipasto

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11 Comments

  • FJT  on  March 6, 2020

    I’ve stocked up gradually over the last few weeks on exactly the things you’ve mentioned plus tea, coffee, long life milk and wine.

  • dmco6863  on  March 6, 2020

    I was very disheartened to see every essential and pantry staple all sold out and welfare groups pleading for people to be mindful of the less fortunate who cannot afford to buy in bulk. Only a few weeks ago everybody was teary over bushfire victims and now they’ll gladly gouge eyes out over a roll of toilet paper.

  • lgroom  on  March 6, 2020

    I buy most of my staples online so I don’t have to interact with people. I went to place an order yesterday and was astounded at the prices of things like soap, sanitizer and tp. I hate that we are being price-gouged by opportunists.

  • Jane  on  March 6, 2020

    I probably always have enough to live off for months, at all times! Not for any survivalist reasons, it’s just I like to keep a lot of things in stock. And I have 3 freezers as well. Ridiculous I know, especially as I’m usually just cooking for one. But when cooking is a major part of your life, it does tend to dominate.

  • saladdays  on  March 6, 2020

    Like Jane, I think I could manage for a few weeks on what I have in stock, although I did have a careful check before I went food shopping today. I’m glad I didn’t need pasta or rice because there wasn’t any in my usual supermarket, neither were there any dried lentils which surprised me. I’m thinking of setting up a “store-cupboard ingredients recipes” bookmark. I hope it won’t be needed.

  • Jenny  on  March 6, 2020

    I always have a full pantry and freezers – but things like medications and my Diet Pepsi – someone will get hurt if I can’t get that! But I did pick up extra eggs, Rao’s marinara sauce jarred for quick meals if I get sick, and those types of things that I normally don’t buy. Helpful article.

  • gladysbaker  on  March 6, 2020

    sardines, lentils, rice, quinoa, coffee, tea, toilet paper and towels, broths,
    soups, frozen rice cauliflower,,ground beef, tomato paste, frozen ginger, plenty of onions and garlic, sweet potatoes. squash, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, snack bars, almond milk, dry fruits.

  • eliza  on  March 6, 2020

    Like Jane, I always have a variety of ingredients around such as various flours, quinoa (2 or 3 types), different kinds of oatmeal, rice, wheat berries, barley, to name just a few. Also, having a veg garden, I take any excess and either freeze and vacuum seal or preserve as pickles or chutneys. So I’m sure I could survive for months on what I have, and therefore won’t be stocking up very much. If we show restraint, prices might remain reasonable.

  • Rinshin  on  March 7, 2020

    I told my husband about a month ago that we can eat fine at home for about 6+ months. I have lots of food items stocked at all times because some are hard to purchase here in the US as well as some more specialized ingredients including sauces, canned and dry goods. The only problem for me will be vegetables but we are already getting our garden ready to plant vegetables we use the most excluding round onions. I grow most herb we use on our deck in the back. We also have at least 20 or more fruit trees. I am a farmer and cook at heart since young.

  • manycookbooks  on  March 14, 2020

    I’ve been maintaining a pretty well-stocked pantry for years now. Just a habit I got into a long time ago. Perhaps it was the Y2K crisis that got me started or another crisis (there always seems to be one!) It’s a good thing too, because our local grocery stores are just about depleted of canned goods, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, etc. Friends of mine in the UK are in a similar situation. Panic realms, unfortunately.

  • ccav  on  March 18, 2020

    Dried beans and grains….some cans of tomatoes. My small freezer is always full of leftover soups, homemade broth.
    I haven’t been able to buy TP or Paper towels because there hasn’t been any in the stores. Need to buy more coffee!!

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