Something In The Pantry for Emergencies

To my eastern seaboard and gulf coast friends, This post is for you.

I want to provide you with a list of foodstuffs you can keep in the pantry for emergencies such as a hurricane. All this stuff has a very long self life and can sit in the back of your pantry for years.

“Dave, you don’t have hurricanes in Arizona, why do you stockpile this stuff?” two reasons.  There was a time when the revenue from my consulting business was spotty.  I wanted to be prepared in case there was no money for groceries.  Second, I now live out here in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains (elevation: 4000ft) There is always the chance of a freak winter snowstorm that might prohibit getting to the grocery store.  Hence, I’ve done the research and try to keep food on hand.

In this post I’ll focus on breakfast,  This is stuff you can buy a little at a time as you can afford to do so.

Eggs

I recommend OvaEasy Egg Crystals.  When reconstituted they are identical to fresh eggs.  Use them to make scrambled eggs just the same way you would with fresh eggs.

Bacon

Yoder’s Canned Bacon has been around for a long time. Each can contains 50-60 slices of precooked bacon.  And it’s pretty good.

Hash Browns

It’s easy to find several brands and sizes of dehydrated hash browns on Amazon. I have the Golden Grill brand.  Add a little hot water, let them soak it up and them drop them into the frying pan.  These have a little bit shorter shelf life, so try to rotate through them.  In other words, make using them part of your normal routine.  Each time you open a box, order a replacement.

Canned Butter

When cooking you almost have to have some butter or oil.  Red Feather canned butter has a really long shelf life.

Milk

Face it, the powdered milk in the grocery store tastes terrible.  blech!  That’s mostly because it’s skim milk. Peak is whole milk.  When mixed with cold water it is great.

Oatmeal

I confess, now that I’ve learned to stir some Nutella into my oatmeal I love it.  Some time ago I bought a 25 pound bag and keep it in a food grade bucket with an airtight lid.

Granola

I buy this French Vanilla Almond Granola and keep it in a food-grade airtight bucket with some dessicant bags.

Mary Kitchen Corned Beef Hash

I confess.  Mary Kitchen Corned Beef Hash is my favorite breakfast protein. I keep a dozen cans in the pantry and go through a couple canes a month. Eat it by itself or combine it with some hashbrowns and/or scrambled eggs for a heart breakfast.

Krusteaz Blueberry Pancake Mix

Keep a box of this stored inside an airtight plastic container along with a bottle of maple syrup.

OK, that’s it for breakfast.  This gives you several different breakfasts so you have some variety.