Building a Pantry from Scratch with Kris Bordessa

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May 27, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Kris Bordessa, author of Attainable Sustainable and its pantry-focused follow-up, shares her insights on building a self-reliant kitchen. She emphasizes the benefits of swapping boxed foods for homemade versions, offering tips on leveraging kitchen tools for accessibility. Learn how to easily preserve food through methods like quick pickling and dehydrating, and discover creative recipes, including transforming leftover wine into vinegar. Kris’s practical advice makes sustainable cooking both simple and enjoyable.

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ADVICE

Begin With Pantry Basics

Start small by learning one pantry skill and build from there.
Focus on staples like mixes, flours, and basics to cut grocery costs and waste.

ADVICE

Replace Boxed Mixes At Home

Replace boxed convenience mixes with homemade versions you prepare ahead.
Keep premade pancake, muffin, and bread mixes in your pantry to save time and money.

ADVICE

Use Smart Substitutions

Learn quick substitutions like making oat flour or brown sugar from pantry items.
Use stale or failed bread to make croutons instead of throwing it away.

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Description

In this episode, Deborah Niemann welcomes Kris Bordessa, author of Attainable Sustainable and the new follow-up, Attainable Sustainable Pantry. Kris shares her inspiration behind writing a book focused entirely on pantry staples and kitchen self-reliance, especially after the overwhelming response to her first book.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already comfortable in the kitchen, this conversation is packed with practical tips, money-saving ideas, and sustainability-minded advice for taking control of your food.

What You’ll Learn

Why Kris’s second book is a deep dive into pantry-focused self-reliance
How to replace boxed foods like pancake mix and instant oatmeal with homemade versions
What to do when you run out of ingredients like brown sugar or oat flour
Kitchen tools that make homemade cooking more accessible (hint: stand mixer wins!)
Tips for using up food instead of throwing it away (like turning failed bread into croutons)
Easy ways to start preserving food without a pressure canner, including:
Quick pickling
Dehydrating
Freezing in oil
Unexpected DIY recipes like crystallized ginger, red wine vinegar, and garlic powder
Kris’s favorite pantry snack: homemade cheese crackers (goodbye, Cheez-Its!)
Why this book is especially timely for anyone struggling with rising grocery costs

Resources Mentioned

📘 Attainable Sustainable Pantry by Kris Bordessa
- Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Bookshop
📘 Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living
- Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Bookshop
🧂 National Center for Home Food Preservation (used for vetting preservation recipes)

Connect with Kris Bordessa

🌐 Website: attainablesustainable.net
📱 Social: @AttainableSustainable on Facebook, Instagram, and more

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