The Homemade Pantry Cookbook Review

The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila is all about reconnecting with the basics and empowering home cooks to make pantry staples from scratch. This cookbook presents a realistic path to making 101 everyday essentials at home, ranging from pasta to ketchup, without artificial preservatives. Chernila’s warm, approachable style encourages readers to take charge of what they’re putting on their shelves—and to have fun along the way. This book is amazing. If you're looking to start from-scratch cooking (or just want to pretend to be a tradwife for a couple minutes), this book is so great for that.

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Author

Alana Chernila, a food writer and farmer’s market advocate, brings a personal touch to every recipe, drawing on her own family’s journey from store-bought convenience to home-prepared abundance. Her narrative approach makes her relatable, and readers often find her enthusiasm infectious. Chernila's passion for sustainable, flavorful cooking and her background as a mother who loves to feed her family informs every page.

Audience

This cookbook is a gem for anyone interested in DIY kitchen projects, from beginners looking to replace some grocery items to seasoned home cooks wanting to reclaim control over ingredients. It’s perfect for those who value from-scratch cooking and enjoy the satisfaction of homemade foods without additives or preservatives.

Mission

The mission of The Homemade Pantry is to transform how we think about the pantry. Alana invites readers to step into a world where kitchen staples are handmade, offering a deeper connection to food and greater control over quality. Through 101 recipes, she shows that making your pantry basics from scratch can be easy, affordable, and deeply rewarding. If you're looking to get into from scratch cooking even more, I'd highly recommend this guide my friend Rachael from Our Handcrafted Home wrote!

What I liked about it

This is the only book that I know of that has recipes for made-from-scratch pantry items, which is so useful when you want to make things on your own.
The warmth in Alana’s writing makes even new kitchen tasks feel familiar.
The emphasis on sustainable ingredients and reducing food waste adds another layer of purpose to cooking from scratch.
The organization by “when you’ll use it” (breakfast items, weeknight essentials, etc.) is also practical.

What I wished was there

Honestly, this is one of the few books I'm upset that doesn't have a whole blog behind it that still updating. I want clear and easy instructions like this for everything in my pantry, and it's upsetting there's only 101 recipes.

FAQ

Is The Homemade Pantry good for weeknight cooking?

Yes, most of the recipes are good for weeknight cooking.

Does The Homemade Pantry focus on basics or more advanced techniques?

This is good for the basics. The recipes are well-explained, and Alana’s style is reassuring, helping even first-time DIY cooks feel comfortable trying new things.

How is the picture quality and quantity in The Homemade Pantry?

The book includes a good number of photographs, but not all recipes are pictured. The photos that are included are rustic and inviting.

Does The Homemade Pantry need unique tools or equipment?

Basic kitchen equipment like saucepans, mixers, and baking sheets are used. No special tools are required.

Does The Homemade Pantry need unique ingredients?

Most ingredients are commonly available in grocery stores, and Alana often provides alternatives to accommodate various diets or ingredient availability.

How much time do the recipes take in The Homemade Pantry?

Recipes vary, but many can be completed within an hour or less. Some items, like homemade cheese or pickles, require resting or fermentation time, but the active preparation is minimal.

Does The Homemade Pantry provide nutritional information?

No, nutritional information is not included.

Are the recipes family-friendly in The Homemade Pantry?

Yes, these recipes are designed to be approachable for families, and kids might enjoy some hands-on aspects like making crackers or granola. I'm sure it would also be so interesting, as a child, to make something that I thought you could only get in the store, like ketchup.

Is The Homemade Pantry part of a series?

Alana Chernila has written several other cookbooks, including The Homemade Kitchen and Eating from the Ground Up, focusing on sustainable and wholesome cooking.

Can I read The Homemade Pantry like a book?

Yes. Each recipe has a page long story behind it, and it's so interesting.

Is The Homemade Pantry a keeper for the collection or a borrower from the library?

This is a keeper. I would probably forget what I could make from scratch if I wasn't constantly flipping through this book.

Recipe Review

Recipes I’ve Tried

Vanilla Extract. Homemade Granola.

Recipes I’m Excited to Try

Homemade Ricotta
Ketchup

Best Recipes for Different Occasions

Quick Weeknight Need: Pasta dough for a simple homemade pasta night.
Special Weekend Project: Her jam recipe would be perfect to make on a slower day.
Family Fun: Granola that can be customized with each family member's favorite mix-ins.

Check out all the recipes in the book here

Final Verdict: A Permanent Addition?

Absolutely a keeper! This is a resource I’ll return to when I want to reconnect with the basics or try my hand at new pantry projects.

If You Are Interested In This Book, You Might Also Like:

If you enjoyed The Homemade Pantry, you might also like The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters for its emphasis on straightforward recipes, or Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat for a deeper dive into the science of cooking. For other books with edible DIYs, get some more ideas here!