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Preparing a “pandemic pantry” to last for those two weeks is no easy feat for anyone, especially novice cooks and dieters.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends having at least a two week’s supply of food in your home. Health authorities recommend staying home, if at all possible, and putting six feet between you and another person in a practice called “social distancing.”
With more people working from home — at least those who have that luxury — nutritionists say now is the time to start cooking, if you haven’t already.
Governments around the world are in race to stem the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus SARS-CoV-2. Worldwide, there were 198,756 confirmed cases and 7,955 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
In the U.S. there have been 1,960 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths. Many restaurants have closed, forcing people to stay home in an effort to get people to stop fraternizing with each other. Americans are left with two options: order takeout or, in the event there are shortages, stock up.
With more people working from home — at least those who have that luxury — nutritionists say now is the time to start cooking, if you haven’t already, or brush up on your culinary skills and supplies. But there are ways to stock up in a healthy and effective way.
The average American spends roughly $4,400 on food at home, accounting for about 7% of his or her total spending, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — a near-8% increase over the previous year.
Meanwhile, the U.S. throws out up to 40% of its food every year, amounting to $165 billion in food waste, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The average household’s grocery bill ranges from $314 a month in Atlanta to $432 in San Francisco and $516 a month in Seattle.
Here are some tips from chefs to get your started:
Make sure you have the basics
Pandemic or not, every kitchen should have oil or fat at to cook with, said Epicurious site director David Tamarkin, who created COOK90, a month-long challenge to make three meals a day. “You can’t cook without oil or fat that’s what you use to heat food and sear animal protein,” Tamarkin said.
David Tamarkin Epicurious site director, David Tamarkin
He suggests stocking up on either grape seed, canola or olive oil — in addition to butter or a butter substitute. For more flavor: balsamic vinegar or white wine. Other staples include: eggs, milk or a non-dairy substitute, flour, onions, garlic and seasoning like chili.
Take inventory of the ingredients
Once you have the basics you should start to make a list of the ingredients in your cupboard. You should be especially on the lookout for proteins like frozen meat (or a plant-based substitute), fish, vegetables like spinach and broccoli that are high in protein, and any kind of nut-like butter.
Sarah Stegner, a two-time James Beard award winner and chef at Prairie Grass Cafe, a Chicago-based restaurant, recommends canned soup or stock. If you can’t find it in a grocery store she advises calling local restaurants, and seeing if they have extra ingredients or stock on hand.
If you can’t find what you want in a grocery store, try calling local restaurants, and seeing if they have extra ingredients or stock on hand.
”When you go to the grocery stores you need a game plan of what can bring you the most nutrition.” Good sources of nutrition, she said, are some of the proteins mentioned earlier. If you have a freezer she recommends one-pound packages of meat or fish to free up more space in your freezer.
In terms of vegetables, canned tomatoes are a must-have, especially if tomato sauce is out of stock. She also recommends purchasing carrots, onions, sweet potatoes and beets all of which can be used to make a rice bowl.
To make bell peppers more shelf-stable she recommends cutting them up and pickling them in a jar (here’s one simple recipe that extends their life by two weeks). Aged cheeses she said hold very well and can be used in a variety of dishes from salads to pasta.
Sarah Stegner Sarah Stegner picture
These ingredients can be used for a variety of different dishes. Some of Tamarkin’s go-to dishes include: plant-based tacos or meat tacos using corn tortillas, peanut butter protein shakes and egg and spinach sandwiches.
Another favorite dish: charred artichokes (here’s a recipe he uses) and kimchi which uses similar ingredients. Stegner, in addition to offering curb-side takeaway meals launched a cooking hotline. Every day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., she is available to answer cooking questions free of charge.
No need to ditch healthy eating
When it comes to building a “pandemic pantry,” you don’t necessarily have to forgo a healthy diet. The key to maintaining one is meal prepping and portion control, said Vanessa Spiller, a certified nutritionist and coach at EMP180°, a weight-loss program with six locations near Washington D.C.
“When people fall off their diets it’s because they haven’t had the time to meal prep,” Spiller said. She recommends making a weekly meal menu. “Rice and pasta aren’t inherently unhealthy,” she said, “but should be consumed in smaller serving sizes.”
Try to stay away from high processed snacks, which can be an easy option when you have a cupboard with biscuits, crackers, and chips, and especially when you are home all day feeling stressed.
Spiller likes to pair pasta or rice with a protein source like chicken or fish “so that you’re not eating just carbs.” Spiller recommends chili because it can be made in a bulk and stored in the freezer and is a good source of nutrients.
Vanessa Spiller Vanessa Spiller, nutritionist at EMP180°
In the meantime, she added, try to stay away from high processed snacks, which can be an easy option when you have a cupboard with biscuits, crackers, and chips, and especially when you are home all day, watching the latest updates on the pandemic and feeling stressed.
Instead, she has learned to stock up on oranges, lemons and bell peppers all of which are high in vitamin C which helps build a strong immune system, she said. In between meals, healthy snack options include low-fat popcorn and nuts.
(Quentin Fottrell contributed to this story.)
