Like most of you, Taste of Home staffers are adjusting to what is needed right now—we’re working from home, taking care of our families and communities, and, of course, spending even more time in our kitchens.
During this challenging time, this is our promise to you: We’ll continue to share delicious recipes, making sure plenty of them use pantry staples or fewer ingredients. We’ll suggest substitution ideas, ways to stretch what you have on hand and kitchen projects to help you keep your kids busy. We’ll also offer tips about cleaning and other topics that we all have top of mind right now.
If you’re not already following us on social media, this is a great time to engage. Our editors are available to answer your questions and our community is here to support you. At Taste of Home, we know this to be true: We’re all in this together. Take care, and let’s stay connected!
—The Taste of Home team
On This Page
- Essential Recipes to Have on Hand
- Tips for Stocking Your Kitchen
- How to Freeze and Preserve Foods
- How to Make the Most of Your Time Indoors
- How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home
Essential Recipes to Have on Hand
Now more than ever, we know you’re searching for easy recipes that use simple ingredients. Our community is leaning in on comforting favorites like Homemade Tortillas, Best Lasagna and Simple Taco Soup. And our staffers are following suit! We’re finding new ways to cook at home during quarantine while our office is closed. Check out the collections below for more ideas to feed you and yours.
Taste of Home75 Easy Meals to Make When You’re Stuck at HomeTaste of Home42 Easy Breakfast Ideas with 5 Ingredients or LessTaste of Home100 Healthy Recipes That Need Just 5 IngredientsTaste of Home90 Easy Dessert Recipes with 5 Ingredients MaxTaste of HomeWhat to Make for Dinner When Your Fridge Is BareTaste of Home50 Recipes That Use Frozen VegetablesTaste of Home60 Super Simple Recipes Made with Canned FoodsTaste of Home3-Ingredient Recipes You Can Make Right Now
Tips for Stocking Your Kitchen
While practicing social distancing, you may want to limit trips to the grocery store. If it’s possible to grocery shop online for delivery or pickup, all the better. While shopping, think about purchasing just the essential items that will keep your family fed (and happy!) for the next few weeks. Be kind and considerate to others by buying only what you need.
We’ve found that picking up pantry staples like pasta, canned beans, frozen veggies—as well as basics like eggs, milk and butter—are a great starting point for countless meals. If a certain item is out of stock at your store, we’ll help you get creative. Try new ingredients from different cuisines or learn how to make common pantry staples from scratch.
NoDerog/Getty Images
Stock a Pantry Like a Kitchen Pro
vaaseenaa/Getty Images
Creative Substitutes for Kitchen Staples
Photo: Shutterstock / Steve Cukrov
Keep a Well-Stocked Pantry
How to Freeze and Preserve Foods
While certain foods will last forever, fresh ingredients usually have a shelf life of a few days. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to trade fresh fruit and vegetables for frozen TV dinners. There are easy ways to keep produce fresh longer, like placing asparagus and carrots in water or squeezing lime juice on your avocado.
What’s more, you can freeze everything from bread to chicken to deli meat and extend their shelf life for months. Just be sure not to overload your freezer. This can cause the temperature to rise, and food to spoil!
Taste of Home
Our Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food
45 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals
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45 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals
Photo: Shutterstock/Africa Studio
How Long You Can Freeze Food
How to Make the Most of Your Time Indoors
Doing our part to flatten the curve means we’re spending a lot of time inside with our nearest and dearest. We’ve gathered our favorite meal solutions for stressful times, plus delicious ways to make the most of this time with our kids.
Get Baking
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In difficult times like these, more and more people are turning to simple baking recipes for comfort. A loaf of this Basic Homemade Bread is the perfect place to start. Once you’ve mastered that, try one of our beautiful bread recipes to help you perfect your craft. And if you don’t have an ingredient on hand, that’s no issue. We have plenty of options if you’re out of yeast, eggs or butter.
Taste of HomeThe Ultimate Guide to Baking Breadpick/ShutterstockThe Most Common Baking SubstitutionsTaste of HomeCakes to Make When Your Pantry Is BareTaste of HomeFoolproof Tips for How to Proof BreadTaste of HomeAll-Day Baking Projects to Pass the Time
Want to connect with other bakers? Join our Bakeable community for baking tips, tricks and monthly challenges.
Comfort Foods for When You’re Feeling Stressed
At uncertain times like these, it’s natural to feel stressed. And when we’re stressed, we find ourselves craving easy comfort food. Take a few minutes to scroll through these feel-good recipes, then bookmark the ones you like best.
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100 Quick & Easy Comfort Food Recipes
Taste of Home
100 Recipes to Help You Relax and Destress
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55 Simple Dinners for Stressful Days
Parents, We’ve Got Your Back, Too
When everyone’s at home together, days can start feeling a little long. Why not get everybody involved in the kitchen? Start with our guide for cooking with kids. Then dig into these kid-friendly recipes and family activities for when you’re stuck inside.
ARTISTGNDPHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES100 Fun Things to Do with Kids at HomeTaste of Home20 Easy Baking Recipes for Kids to TryMelissa Franco/Taste of Home8 Fun Spring Crafts to Make with Your KidsTaste of Home40 Fun Treats to Make with Bored KidsShutterstock / wavebreakmedia16 Online Museum Tours and Concerts
Ways to Connect
Our community spirit is thriving, despite most of us being stuck at home. People are cheering on healthcare workers, grocery stores are having special shopping hours for the elderly and crafters are giving away slews of homemade face masks, among many other acts of kindness. Find more ways to connect in your community (and beyond) to help those in need and make people’s day a little better.
SDI Productions/Getty ImagesHere’s Exactly How You Can Help Your Local Food Bank Right NowSoeren Stache/picture alliance/Getty ImagesJoann Fabrics Is Sharing Free Mask Material and PatternshuePhotography/Getty Images16 Things You Can Still Do to Support Your Favorite Small Businessesmixetto/Getty ImagesThese Uplifting Stories of Neighbors Are So Inspiring
Activities for When You’re Staying Safe at Home
Want more ways to make the most of this time at home? Reader’s Digest, our sister brand, has plenty more ideas. Whether you’re sheltering solo or with your whole family, you could use a little levity about now to ease troubled times.
25 Productive Things to Do When You’re Stuck InsideTop Board Games to Play While in Self-Quarantine11 Working-from-Home Cartoons We Can All Relate To
How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home
Having a clean home is an absolute must, especially right now. Make sure you have the right cleaning products on hand, then clean your house like a professional. Everyone can pitch in thanks to these age-appropriate chores for kids. Make sure you’re all using the proper hand-washing technique, too.
Daniel Jedzura/ShutterstockThe Ultimate Room-by-Room Spring Cleaning ChecklistVGstockstudio/Shutterstock10 Cleaning Mistakes That Are Actually Making Your Home DirtierZikG/Shutterstock5 Mistakes You Keep Making When Cleaning with BleachMaxal Tamor/ShutterstockThis Is How Often You Need to Replace Your Kitchen Sponge
