Pasta for Hard Times
Copyright © May 17, 2022 and Updated May 24, 2022 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Update May 24, 2022
One week ago on May 17, 2022 I wrote and published the article that appears below.
Today, one week later on May 24, 2022, I was in our local Walmart and our local Walmart had increased their prices as follows:
1 pound (16 oz.) box of "Great Value" brand dry pasta noodles: Price increased from $0.78 to $0.94 per box. This was a 20.5% price increase in one week.
15 ounce can of "Chef Boyardee" brand canned pastas: Price increased from $0.94 to $1.24 per can. This was a 31.9% price increase in one week.
The average price of the above pastas increased by 26.2% in one week.
The price of a 15 ounce can of "Great Value" brand canned pastas was still $0.60 per can and this price has not changed as of May 24, 2022. But there were only a few of the "Great Value" brand cans of pasta for sell. When Walmart restocks this brand then Walmart may increase their price based on what they have to pay for this product.
The USA government has not "officially" declared that our economy is in a "recession" because we have not yet had two consecutive quarters of bad numbers. However, the average price of most foods has increased by more than 25% since January 1, 2022. And the price of gasoline has increased by more than 43% and the price of diesel has increased by more than 64%. I suggest that you not wait for the government to tell you that they think we "might" be in a "mild recession." Instead, based on the way that almost everything has increased in price, and by the absence of many products in the stores, I think it would be safe to assume that we are in the first stages of a really bad "depression" and that things are going to get a lot worse very quickly.
That concludes my update for May 24, 2022.
My original article that I wrote one week ago on May 17, 2022 is below but many of the prices that are mentioned in my article are now "ancient history."
Even though the price of pasta has increased, pasta is still a really good value right now. The reason is because the current price of pasta is probably the lowest price that you will see for the rest of your life. The price of pasta will probably be increased again, and again, and again in the very near future. And one day there may be no pasta available for sale at any price. Therefore please buy some emergency food for your family right now while it is still possible to buy some long-term storage food.
Introduction
(The Following Article was Written May 17, 2022)
The pump price of gasoline and diesel fuel is beginning to once again increase significantly each week. In the state of Georgia the current pump price of gas has completely neutralized the temporary suspension of Georgia's 29 cents per gallon state tax on gasoline. When the state of Georgia's gasoline tax goes back into effect at the end of May 2022, then the price of gasoline will increase by another 29 cents per gallon and the price of diesel will increase by another 33 cents per gallon in just one day. This will be another nail in the coffin of the citizens of the state of Georgia and there will be nothing we can do about the increase in fuel prices.
However, we can take action right now to buy some emergency food to help our families survive the hard times that are crushing down on us harder and harder with each passing day.
Discussion
As I have already mentioned in some of my other articles, most people only have a very limited amount of money they can spend on food. Therefore it is extremely important to be able to buy enough food to eat now, and to buy a little emergency food that can be put away for an uncertain future.
Any emergency food items that you purchase should meet the following criteria:
- It is something you enjoy eating.
- It could become part of a balanced and nutritious meal.
- It does not need to be refrigerated or frozen.
- It is affordable.
- It contains a lot of calories (nutrition).
- It has a long shelf life.
Pasta meets the above requirements and therefore pasta should be included in every family's emergency food supplies.
Pasta goes well as part of a main dish or as a side dish with almost any meal (including wild game and fresh fish).
Pasta can be stored at room temperature and it does not need to be refrigerated or frozen.
Pasta is relatively cheap when compared to other foods.
Pasta can be purchased at most grocery stores including Walmart.
One pound of dry pasta contains approximately 1,600 calories.
Durum wheat is used to make pasta. Pasta is a complex carbohydrate which is something the human body needs.
Pasta would be an easy way to add a wheat product into some of your meals.
Dried pasta has a much longer shelf life than bread or flour.
Dried pasta has a minimum shelf life of at least twenty-years if stored in a cool, dry area that is kept between 40 to 70 degrees year round.
Dried Pasta
Dried pasta is still available at our local Walmart for the following prices (May 17, 2022):
$0.78 = 1 pound box of "Great Value Brand" pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine, linguine, penne, rigatoni, rotini, bowties (12 oz.), shells, elbow macaroni.)
$1.16 = 1 pound box of "Great Value Brand" lasagna.
(Note: The 2 pound and the 3 pound boxes are usually less expensive on a per pound basis.)
Regular spaghetti needs to be boiled for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles.
Angel hair pasta only needs to be boiled for 4 to 5 minutes. This could be a very significant advantage during hard times (less heat and a quicker meal).
Pasta sauce is also still available at our local Walmart for the following prices (May 17, 2022):
$1.18 = 24 ounce can of "Hunt's Brand" spaghetti sauce (between 200 to 250 calories).
$0.88 = 24 ounce glass jar of "Great Value Brand" spaghetti sauce (300 calories).
$1.50 = 24 ounce glass jar of "Ragu Brand" spaghetti sauce (350 calories).
Pasta sauce is also still available at our local Ingles Grocery Store for the following prices (May 17, 2022):
$1.18 = 24 ounce can of "Del Monte Brand" spaghetti sauce (300 calories).
After the dry pasta has been cooked and it is combined with a jar of sauce then it will serve four people a simple meal and each serving will contain about 490 calories (or more calories if you add your own ground beef). The cost per serving will be between $0.42 to $0.67 per person. This is close to the cost of the "Great Value Brand" canned pasta discussed below, but most of the canned pastas also include ground beef inside the can.
Canned Pasta
Canned pasta is also still available at our local Walmart for the following prices (May 17, 2022):
$0.94 = 15 ounce can of "Chef Boyardee" pastas (average of 355 calories per can with range between 270 to 430 calories per can).
$0.60 = 15 ounce can of "Great Value Brand" pastas (average of 450 calories per can with range between 400 to 500 calories per can).
Taste is a very individual experience.
Different members of your family may prefer some types of pastas (such as spaghetti with meatballs) but they may gag on some of the other types of pastas (such as the canned Mac and Cheese which nobody in my family will eat).
One member of your family may love the taste of one "name brand" pasta but they may gag on a different "name brand" pasta of the same exact thing (such as spaghetti and meatballs). And a different member of your family may have exactly the opposite reaction.
During hard times your family will be truly looking forward to their next meal and it would be nice if they had something to eat that appealed to them.
This may require that you buy different brands of different types of canned pasta dinners to meet the preferences of your family.
Some people will reject this advice and they will say, "If they are starving they will eat it." How would you feel if someone told you that at every meal that you ate, and you had to gag down your food, and you couldn't even finish eating the trivial amount of food that had been offered to you?
To avoid the above problems and to be praised by your family members then it would probably be a good idea to buy a can of each of the different brands of canned pasta in each of the different types of canned pasta, and gradually serve them to your family to determine what your family actually enjoys. Then you can buy more of whatever your family likes and you will know that they will eat it during a hard times event.
Canned pastas have the following advantages:
- They are a complete meal for one person in one can.
- There are a reasonable variety of complete pasta meals to choose from such as: spaghetti & meatballs (regular and mini), rings with mini meatballs, ravioli (mini, regular, stuffed), beefaroni, lasagna, ABCs with mini meatballs, mac and cheese.
- They are fully cooked and they only need to be heated before eating.
- They contain tomato sauce (vegetable or fruit), pasta (durum wheat which is a complex carbohydrate), spices, calories, vitamins, and most of them contain some type of meat (protein).
- Although they have a "Best if used by date" of about two years, most canned pastas have a shelf life of at least five years if properly stored.
If canned pastas are included with other one-can meals, such as chili with beans, roast beef hash, and beef stew, then a family would have some variety in their diet and they would only need to heat the can of food to make it edible.
Appetite fatigue can be minimized if you have some dry pasta noodles and some canned pastas. The canned pastas will usually contain tomato sauce. However, there may be times when you are not in the mood for tomato sauce. Dry pastas need to be cooked but they can be combined with other ingredients to provide a "no tomato sauce" meal.
Cooked unflavored pasta noodles can be enhanced with a can of ground beef, or a can of tuna, or shrimp, or chicken, or diced spam or ham, or roast beef, or cheese, or milk, or butter, or spices, to create an interesting and pleasant alternative to a tomato sauce pasta meal. (Ground wild game meat is also an option.)
Dry Pasta Complete Meals in a Box
Boxes of dry pasta complete meals are also available at our local Walmart (May 17, 2022):
$1.24 = Average 6.0 oz. box "Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper Brand" pasta meals (average of 550 calories in box) (you must add the meat and other stuff).
$1.00 = Average 5.4 oz. box "Great Value Brand" pasta meals for ground beef and tuna (average of 550 calories in box) (you must add the meat and other stuff).
$1.00 = Average 5.1 oz. box "Rice a Roni Brand" pasta/rice meals (average of 500 calories in box) (you will need to add other stuff and you may also add an optional meat).
The above pasta meals are a reasonable option during normal times for some families. But they may be too expensive for most families for emergency food. And they also require that you add some type of meat and frequently milk and/or butter.
The noodles inside the above boxes have a shelf life of between 5 to 20 years depending on how they are stored. However, the dry mixes in the above boxes have a shelf life of about one-year or less. Therefore if you have an old box of one of the above pasta dinners then you may be able to prepare and eat the pasta. But the "dry mix powder" will probably be unacceptable for human consumption. To test the dry mix powder you can mix it with some water and then smell it. If it smells okay then you can put a very tiny amount on the tip of your tongue. If it is disgusting then do not swallow it but immediately spit it out and rinse your mouth with clean water, and then safely dispose of the sauce mix. But you could still cook and eat the dry pasta noodles.
Boxed Macaroni and Cheese
The dry elbow macaroni in these boxes will last a long time. But the cheese mix will last less than one year. Therefore look at the expiration data that is printed on the box because the cheese mix will not be any good after that date. This product is fine if you intend to use it before it expires. But it is not a good choice for inclusion in an emergency food supply that you are setting aside for hard times because you probably will not know how long it will be before you will actually begin eating that food.
Conclusion
The human body needs complex carbohydrates.
Complex carbohydrates are in wheat (including pasta), bread, cereal, grains, white rice, oats, corn, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, parsnips, and potatoes.
Potatoes also contain starch, calories, vitamins, and therefore they should be included in an emergency food supply.
(Note: Potatoes are included in canned Beef Stew and in canned Roast Beef Hash.)
Potatoes can be a nice side dish that can compliment almost any type of meat (fresh or canned) or wild game meat.
$0.54 = 15 ounce can of "Great Value Brand" canned potatoes (whole new potatoes, sliced potatoes, diced potatoes) (May 17, 2022).
All three of the above cans of potatoes have 160 calories per can and they cost the same amount of money.
The low number of calories is a disadvantage of canned potatoes but they have the advantage of adding a starch to a meal.
A can of whole new potatoes can be served whole, or they can be sliced, or diced, and this will add some visual variety to a meal.
The canned sliced potatoes can be diced.
The canned diced potatoes cannot be changed into sliced potatoes or small whole potatoes.
If you will pause for a moment and think about the above, then the cans of whole new potatoes will provide three different visual meal options and therefore they could help minimize the problem of appetite fatigue.
The visual appeal of a meal impacts the perception that the brain has about the meal and this can make a big difference in how much a person enjoys eating a meal.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com