We’ve all had that moment during the day when we ask with a pit in our stomach, “What am I going to make for dinner?” We stand in our kitchens having a conversation with ourselves (hopefully silently), “I don’t have anything to make.... What I planned doesn't sound good.... I don’t have any time to cook let alone get to the store.”
Families across the country are continually searching for a way to make the process easier. Many get discouraged into pre-packaged complacency, which doesn’t satisfy any real cravings. Bookstores contain myriad cookbooks toting catch phrases like “Quick and Simple” or “Cheap and Easy.” The recipes may be quick, but they often require readers to purchase random ingredients they'll never use again. As a result, home cooks find themselves burdened with cluttered pantries, refrigerators, and cupboards filled with hundreds of dollars of cookbooks and specialty items like “red pepper paste” and are still left without an easy to use, versatile, and effective system for getting dinner on the table. That's where Sarah Kallio, Stacey Krastins, and The Stocked Kitchen comes in!
The Stocked Kitchen™ is the first complete meal creation system with only one standard list of groceries. If your kitchen is "Stocked" with these ingredients you will always have what you need to create any of the 300 delicious recipes found in this book. These recipes have been used for all of the authors' own dining needs, including meals for drop-in guests, special occasions, and every-night family dinners. The Stocked Kitchen encompasses all parts of the meal creation process from shopping, to storing, to cooking, to serving. The results are delicious, “guest worthy” meals made from real, basic ingredients.
Sarah and Stacey have proven The Stocked Kitchen™ system works. It has reduced their grocery bills, stress levels, trips to the market, and food waste. Create more delicious meals while removing the handcuffs of pre-planning. One grocery list, endless recipes!
I really liked this cookbook due it's down to earth basic presentation of real life cooking. It would make a great gift for a new cook and would have helped me in my own kitchen when I first started out.
The theory is simple but one we don't often adhere too. Keep a basic stock of ingredients on hand, organize them and use what you have to make a variety of dishes.
I was happy to see that I had many of the supplies the author mentioned and did find some new things to make with these. Over the years I've organized my stock in much the way the authors suggest and it does make sense to keep like items together so you always know what you've got and what you need.
I picked this book up after reading a review by my GR friend Cheryl. I couldn't say it better. Scroll down a bit and you'll be certain to find her comments.
I plan to try the Chicken w/Pears and Feta soon and the Moo Shoo Shrimp sounds excellent. Cheryl mentions the marinades and they do look good.
One thing I never thought of and I don't know why is to stack my baking sheets upright rather than flat. I'm going to try this...seems like it might work better.
Well I have found the perfect shopping list from The Stocked Kitchen.
What is so great about this list? Well it goes along with The Stocked Kitchen Cookbook. From this one list you can make 300 different recipes. Here is the first one I want to try.
Ingredients 1 T balsamic vinegar 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 T olive oil 2 C fresh tomatoes, diced 1/2 C fresh basil chopped 1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained
Directions Mix together vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in oil well to emulsify. Fold in tomatoes and basil. Toss with cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese. If desired, top with cooked chicken or shrimp.
Sounds easy enough. And with those same items I could also make Tomato Artichoke Pasta or Tomato Basil Egg White Omelette. Of course we would add in an item or two. But that is still 3 different meals from the same basic items. I hate having to purchase something that I am only going to use once or twice in a year. So The Stocked Kitchen would be a great help. Using the hopping list to keep the same items up to date all the time would also make shopping much easier. Just clip it to my fridge and mark items as I run low.
I absolutely love the concept of this book. If we go to the supermarket, armed with the recommended grocery supply list, we can make just about anything and won't have to keep making multiple trips wasting time in our busy lives. And, I admit, I was skeptical at first, until I tried it. It works. I went shopping at the beginning of the month, took the list, and after that first trip, I only have to keep restocking only the items I've run out of. It cuts down on shopping to the recipe, which can become expensive versus just having supplies on hand for any meal planning you need to do. Now, admittedly I did add and/or substitute many supplies on the list to fit my own taste but once you get it all home, its a very convenient way to plan your meals even on a hectic schedule. The lists are even available online! And it's also very easy to find many of the basics, like seasonings, etc., at the dollar store, thus saving more money. I've yet to prepare many of the recommended recipes in the book because honestly, some of them are a little bland but I do use the lists to cook other recipes in other books and recipes I find online. I hope these ladies will do another couple of cookbooks, perhaps with ethnic cuisine themes.
Loved this book! The grocery list makes sense and from it one can make countless delicious meals. The only thing I did not like was the use of flank steak for most of the beef recipes (besides ground beef). As I prefer another beef cut - I will just swap out those recipes for my own -but other than that - this is a fabulous book to own (and I have purchased my own copy) and use.
Although I appreciate the idea of the book but I did not find the recipes provided to be very great. Sometimes, things were called one thing but were actually another thing. This book maybe great for you, but I did not find it useful.
Here’s my verdict on The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List . . . Endless Recipes by Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins.
To Read: Yes. You have to read this cookbook because it’s more about the plan of cooking from one grocery list than it is about the recipes. The beginning section explains the concept and how to get started. There are also sections on menu planning and detailed information about the items on the grocery list.
To Look At: No. This book does not have high-production value. There are some photos of recipes, but they are grouped together in a couple of sections (like you often find in biographies).
To Cook From: Yes. I think there are a lot of well-constructed, simple recipes that are family friendly. That being said, these are not gourmet recipes. When you are dealing with a limited pantry, there is only so much you can cook. Besides the Crab Rangoon, I have made the Pasta Carbonara, Chicken Potpie, and several other recipes.
I like this idea and think it’s probably a good way to think about cooking for a family, especially if you work outside the home too. Where I get caught up is in the exact list of ingredients and the recipes, which may or may not work for your family. If you had time to sit down and work it out, you could probably create your own grocery list based on recipes that you cook over and over. The grocery list in my cookbook (there are newer editions) did contain a fair amount of items that might not be considered healthy, and did not really leave room for vegetarian or gluten-free options.
My final recommendation is that I think this cookbook is worth checking out to see if this concept works for your family. It might take some tweaking, but if it can make your menu planning and grocery shopping a little more pleasant, it’s worth a try!
What an amazing concept!! I picked this up during Borders going-out-of-business sale for 80% and what a steal this was. As a working wife who works 50-60 hours a week as an accountant, this book is a life-saver! I am always stressed about cooking fresh and healthy meals with minimal fuss, planning or having to hunt for strange ingredients I will only use once. Add to that, I'm just not strong in the kitchen. This book is ideal for someone learning how to cook and wanting to keep it simple and for people who just don't have the time to plan meals. As long as you have the ingredients from the provided shopping list, you will be able to make over 300 different recipes. The book also covers appetizers, desserts and an array of breakfast/bruch items, which are perfect for entertaining. I only managed to find a few recipes that didn't appeal to me. I'm really looking forward to learning the recipes so that I can start making my own modifications as I get more time in my kitchen. Thank you to the wonderful women who brought this cookbook to my home!
LOVE this cookbook! For the record, it's not about Easter Island, so the description is wrong. It literally changed the way I cook and the way I THINK about cooking. It used to be a huge chore, almost always requiring trips to store for additional ingredients. The cookbook has a shopping list which contains every item used in all the recipes in the book. Shop the list and you'll have every item necessary for cooking. The items are normal, every day foods that you will use. I've tried over 30 of the recipes in the book and almost every one has been a keeper. My favorites include the Southwest Burgers (with turkey instead of beef), BBQ vinaigrette salad, Pasta Carbonara, and Ginger Pear Crisp. It includes every type of recipe you'll need. I wish I had this book 5 years ago, when I first got married and was learning to cook. Its great for new cooks and busy families.
This is such a great concept. I "stocked" my kitchen when Stacey and Sarah first came out with this concept. I've been stocked for 2-3 years. We love it! If you are "stocked" then you can make any recipe in the book on a moments notice! Gone are the days of planning for weekly meals in advance and then shopping for all of the ingredients (many of which I'd never use again). Who has time for that! This is not just a recipe book! The beauty of it is in the shopping list. We hang the list on our fridge. When we use an ingredient up, we check it off the list. Simple as that! I also love that I am no longer buying pre-packaged food for my family. We all love our "stocked" meals, even the kids (age 8 and 11). We often make double meals and freeze one meal for the next week. Love it! Your first shopping trip to get stocked will be a little costly...but SO WORTH IT!
I've had this out from the library since the beginning of October, and every single recipe we've tried has been a hit, no exceptions. I finally bought a copy today.
I haven't used the shopping list feature, but I've had most of the ingredients in my pantry anyway when I've gone through and selected recipes. The few things I've had to buy are spices that are good to have on hand anyway. I like the food in here because the recipes are simple but still healthy, and when shortcuts are used they're shortcuts I don't feel bad about, like frozen spinach instead of fresh.
The shopping list is easy and most functional kitchens will have a majority of whats needed. We decided to gather all the recommended ingredients over time as we need them and just buy a couple extra cans/bags of the things with long expiration dates.
I can see this being a PERFECT wedding gift to guide a couple starting out. I can see myself adapting some of out family favorite recipes to be more in line with this book.
I like that it doesn't block me from being able to choose organic or all natural ingredients. :) You can follow their recipes in your own way
First, it assumes that the reader is a woman, and that women are the ones who have to do all the cooking. Second, BBQ salad dressing sound awful.
Other than that I guess it was a perfectly serviceable cook book. The basic idea, creating a minimalist shopping list that you use for all of your meals, is kind of interesting. The recipes themselves weren't spectacular, but they weren't awful either (except the BBQ salad dressing).
This is a great concept for a cookbook. I want to give it to every person I know who is moving into their first apartment. The grocery list is generally what I keep stocked in my own kitchen, except I eat less meat and dairy and I'm offended that goat cheese didn't make the list (it's so versatile!). My favorite recipes were the dressings and marinades because they illustrate how many things you can do with a few key ingredients.
Tamara Ritchie says: I absolutely LOVED this premise! I actually bought everything on their master list and so far I have made seven recipes from the book. My family loves them! It also has very good "unexpected entertaining" recipes... a must have for all cooking libraries.
I have wanted a book like this since I bought my first house and had to stock my first kitchen. Now that I am about to build a new kitchen I am going to give this system a try. I will have to start from scratch, so let's see what happens.
This is a pretty good cookbook... Explains a system on how to have the same grocery list each time, save you money, hundreds of recipes. I could see how it works, but the recipes are a little boring and have much of the same flavors.
Fabulous! It's a staple on my kitchen counter. Love making my own taco seasoning, enchilada sauce--no more packaged foods for us! It was So Easy to integrate into our meal/grocery routine.