Make The Time

Plan and shop routinely, and you will always be able to rustle something up to eat. We like to shop weekly, and supplement a couple other days with fresh vegetables.

• Keep your spices stocked, and check them now and then for freshness. Keep at least one fresh potted herb around in season like basil, thyme, rosemary or parsley.
• Put the freezer, the most underutilized appliance in the kitchen, to good use: you’ll never run out of bread, butter and milk (yes, they can all be frozen). But don’t forget fruit for your smoothies, and a few bags of peas and corn (the poster children for frozen vegetables).
• Buy premium meats and poultry when you can. They’ll keep for a few days in the fridge or freeze them if you have to in order to have them when you need them.
• When fresh fish is available, buy it and cook it that night. Some firm fleshed fish, like mahi mahi, or striped bass will freeze just fine too. Grab fish when it’s available to you, not because you think you must. Lousy old fish in the super market is a real turn off and no way to cultivate fish-eaters.

See our pantry section (link) for more detailed pantry suggestions for all kinds of cooking