How to Make Sure Your Pantry Is Crisis-Ready

Don’t panic, but stock up on these staples

Annie Saunders
Heated

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Photo: Daniel Gengel/EyeEm/Getty Images

By the time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. “inevitable” in late February, I’d already strolled through the aisles at Costco, imagining the sort of things I’d want to have on hand in the event of a quarantine.

Cards on the table: I have prepper tendencies. Even under normal circumstances, I always have dozens of pounds of dried beans in my basement pantry. But I’m also a fact-checker, so I try to stick to evidence-based panic. I’m not hoarding masks or toilet paper or canned goods, but I made sure I had enough provisions to get through a few weeks at home.

I have prepper tendencies. Even under normal circumstances, I always have dozens of pounds of dried beans in my basement pantry. But I’m also a fact-checker, so I try to stick to evidence-based panic.

There’s no shortage of advice on how to prepare for a pandemic, from news explainers to fact sheets from state and federal governments and the World Health Organization. But they all say more or less the same thing: Wash your hands (seriously, dudes, wash your hands); stay…

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Annie Saunders
Heated
Editor for

Annie Saunders is a Pittsburgh-based writer, editor, and researcher.