Buzz
Credit: Monica Bertolazzi/Getty ImagesDo you often end up with surplus food after grocery shopping? Perhaps it’s a spice bought for a single dish or a can of beans left unused from last week’s Taco Tuesday. These items can linger for months or even years before you eventually discard the expired products, leading to food waste and unnecessary spending.
The 2024 TikTok Pantry Challenge targets those frustrated with wasting expensive groceries and encourages them to utilize these forgotten items. We break down the reasons behind this trend and how you can participate to finally organize your pantry, fridge, and freezer—all while enjoying delicious meals and cutting costs.
What Are the Guidelines for the TikTok Pantry Challenge?
The TikTok Pantry Challenge, identified by hashtags like #shopmypantry and #pantrychallenge2024, motivates households to clear out their pantries and freezers by preparing meals using existing supplies. The key rule is avoiding the purchase of new groceries or takeout for a designated period, whether it’s a week or a month.
This challenge begins much like a standard kitchen cleanup, where you catalog items in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Identify commonly wasted items, such as half-empty pasta sauce jars, unused spices, or slightly wilted lettuce. Next, find recipes that align with the ingredients you need to use up. The goal is to consume as much of your forgotten stockpile as possible during the challenge.
Tips for Utilizing Surplus Food
This challenge mirrors the creativity of Chopped, where you devise inventive ways to combine unlikely ingredients. Another TikTok trend, chaos cooking, can inspire creativity, but here are some proven methods to make the most of older ingredients.
Swap Ingredients in One-Pot Dishes
One-pot meals simplify both cooking and cleanup, easing the stress of feeding a household with existing supplies. These dishes often rely on pantry staples that are easy to swap. For instance, if a recipe requires crushed tomatoes, you can use that forgotten can of stewed tomatoes sitting in your pantry instead.
Freeze Meals Made in Large Quantities
This pantry challenge encourages using older ingredients from your pantry, fridge, and freezer, but the meals you prepare don’t have to be eaten immediately. Choose recipes that utilize pantry items, such as big-batch chili, and freeze individual servings for later use. This approach helps reduce or eliminate grocery shopping for an extended period.
Revive Ingredients That Are Past Their Best
Just because an item is old doesn’t mean it’s unusable. Repurpose slightly stale bread (free of mold) into croutons, stuffing, or French toast. Overripe bananas can be used for banana bread, smoothies, or pancakes. Older cereals can be turned into granola bars or trail mix. Slightly wilted greens can be blended into pesto or boiled into vegetable stock. (You get the idea.)
Keep It Straightforward
While some recipes involve multiple ingredients and steps, eating well during this challenge doesn’t have to be complex. Focus on simple dishes that provide essential nutrients. When planning meals, begin with a complete protein and complement it with a quick starch and fresh produce. If you have excess spices, use them generously, but even just salt and pepper can work wonders if your pantry is limited.
