Here's how - step by step to the perfect stockpile
Kira Zabe
In a previous blog post I discussed pantry storage in small spaces. This is a topic that affects many of us. I hope you were able to take away some useful tips for yourselves.
When one thinks of stockpiling, they surely imagine a cellar full of canned goods and jars of preserves. Perhaps you remember this from your grandparents. Supermarkets and gas stations with their to-go sections have made it easy for us to be supplied around the clock. But I still remember the times when there was 'long Thursday'. That was one day of the week when you could go shopping after 6:00 PM. Otherwise, stores were closed on weekdays by 6:00 PM and on Saturdays even by 1:00 PM. During those times, it was common practice to plan and stock up on meals in advance.
Is stockpiling still socially acceptable?
What has contributed to the fact that stockpiling is now frowned upon and no longer socially acceptable? At our house, we always made a meal plan for the week. This allowed me to look forward to my favorite dishes. Since I've been living alone, I continue to do this just like at home and am always well-prepared for spontaneous visitors. Fortunately, there are still households that stock up like in grandma's times. This is practiced, for example, by larger families and by people who live further away from the hustle and bustle and the constant availability of food.
With today's post, we want to raise awareness and show you how to create a supply that is up-to-date and suits your eating habits. Moreover, it won't immediately burn a hole in your wallet when you start stocking up.
Prepared for the worst-case scenario!
The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) recommends maintaining a permanent supply for 10 days in case of an emergency. It is clear that in our country, we are well taken care of and it is rare that an emergency supply is necessary. However, if we look back, there have been incidents that allow us to relax with a supply tailored to our needs in extreme cases.
When stocking up appropriately, the BBK's list can be helpful to get an initial overview. However, one should pay explicit attention to their eating habits. After all, what good is a can of corned beef if you are a vegetarian? Moreover, one should keep in mind that a supply should not only be useful in everyday life but also practical in extreme cases. For example, dry products like legumes and grains can be stored for a very long time. However, their preparation requires additional water and they have a long soaking or cooking time. In the event of a power outage, this can adversely affect meal preparation.
Your inventory digitally represented on the tablet with our app.
Good planning pays off!
If you want to start stocking up your supplies, good planning pays off. What's always on your meal plan when you go grocery shopping, and what can be easily prepared in an emergency? This consideration ensures that food that is not useful for you doesn't end up in the trash later. Once you have figured this out for yourselves, you can easily use our App to set the minimum stock level for common products, and you'll always be informed when something falls below the minimum stock level. This way, you can start by building a supply that might last for 2-3 days. If that goes well and you still have space, you can increase it to last for additional days.
What should you consider?
When thinking about long-term food storage, canned goods immediately come to mind. Sure, canned food has a long shelf life and is also relatively inexpensive. If you generally don't use canned food often, it shouldn't be the first choice for stockpiling. Moreover, they are not exactly a healthy option, and especially if cans are dented, they should no longer be used.
What should you know about canned food?
- For the sake of your health and the environment, do not use canned food and beverage cans!
- Never heat food directly in a coated can! Due to the heat, more BPA is transferred into the food!
Keep track of supplies, groceries and durable products before small price increases turn into unnecessary extra costs.
Discover Smantry- Cans that are bent or severely dented should be thrown away. Damage to the protective coating can lead to tin and BPA leaching into the food. Additionally, the metal may already be rusted. Therefore, the shelf life is no longer guaranteed.
Are canned goods in the pantry really a healthy alternative
No to canned food, then what?
An alternative to canned goods are preserved foods in jars. Nowadays, there's almost an alternative in glass for everything, and you don't have to compromise on shelf life. Plus, you can see if something has gone bad prematurely.
Bread from the Weck jar - stays fresh and lasts long
Bread in a jar - always fresh and long-lasting
Bread is one of the food items that spoil the fastest. This poses a greater challenge when it comes to food storage. However, if you bake bread in a jar, its shelf life can be extended up to 2 weeks. Moreover, it is a healthy alternative since it does not contain any preservatives that would extend its shelf life. In our next Saturday Blog we will show you how easy it is.
Are you now inspired and ready to get started? That's good. If you haven't used the app yet, download it HERE and digitize your home supplies. Set your minimum stock levels and gradually prepare for your stockpiling.
I wish you lots of fun! Yours, Alice
More blog posts
Smantry? Yes, it’s still us. Why we changed our name from Speisekammer.App to Smantry
Maybe you recently searched for “Speisekammer App” and suddenly saw a different name. Maybe that confused you, or you thought the app no longer exists. Maybe you even switched to another app because you couldn’t find us again.
We’re sorry about that. And that’s exactly why we’re writing this article today.
We’re still here. We are Smantry. And we’d be happy to explain to you what happened, why we took this step, and why this really only means good news for you as a user.
What was Speisekammer.App anyway?
Speisekammer.App was the name we started with. The idea behind it was as simple as it was important: an app that helps you keep track of your pantry, reduce food waste, and shop more smartly.
Every day, food ends up in the trash just because people forgot there was still something in the fridge. Because they bought the same thing twice. Because the best-before date was overlooked. Speisekammer.App set out to change exactly that, with a digital pantry system that simply works.
And it worked. Thousands of people have used the app, organized their fridges better, and thrown away noticeably less. That makes us proud.
But at some point we realized: the name is holding us back.
Why the name Speisekammer.App has reached its limits
A good product name grows along with the product. And that was exactly where the problem lay.
"Speisekammer" is a wonderful German word. Everyone knows it, everyone understands it immediately. But it is also a very specific word. It describes a place, a single room in the house where supplies are stored.
What we’ve built has long since grown beyond this one room. We don’t just help you manage your pantry. Together with you, we think about how your household as a whole can handle food more consciously: from the shopping list to using up leftovers, all the way to the question of what you can even cook this week based on what you already have at home.
➜ Simple tricks for using the Smantry app
On top of that, the name Speisekammer.App made it hard for us to think internationally. An app that only works in German because its name stops making sense once translated is a structural problem. Smantry, on the other hand, works in any language, sounds modern, and is easy to remember.
What is behind the name Smantry?
Smantry is a combination of smart and pantry. In other words: the clever, forward-thinking version of your food cupboard.
Smart here doesn’t just mean intelligent in the technical sense. It stands for a new way of thinking about everyday life: wasting less, consuming more consciously, planning better, without making life more complicated. Quite the opposite.
➜ Smantry: Not perfect – but made with a lot of heart
Pantry is the English word for larder and has experienced a kind of comeback in recent years. More and more people are talking about pantry organization, meal prepping, and zero-waste cooking. Smantry builds on exactly this and combines the trend with a practical, everyday-friendly tool.
The name may not feel as familiar yet as “Speisekammer”. We understand that. New names take time. But we believe that Smantry is the right name for what this app is today and what it will become tomorrow.
What has changed for you as a user? Spoiler: Very little
This is the most important section of this article, so we’ll read it through slowly together.
Your account still exists. Exactly as you left it.
Your data is still there. No losses, no gaps, no restart.
Your lists, your products, your settings: everything is preserved.
The app will continue to work on your device. You don’t need to sign in again, set anything up again, or re-enter anything.
What you see is a new logo, a new name, and a freshly designed interface that’s clearer and more intuitive than before. But the heart of the app—your data and the system behind it—has stayed the same. We’ve only renovated the house, not torn it down.
➜ All the new features in the Smantry app at a glance
Why we are writing this article now
Because trust is the most important thing we have.
In the past weeks and months, we’ve noticed that many users who used to actively work with Speisekammer.App could no longer find us. They searched for the old name and were left confused. Some left because they thought the app had been discontinued.
That wasn’t a planned transition, that was a gap. And we’re going to close that gap now.
If we had lost you: welcome back.
If you’re just finding us for the first time: we’re glad you’re here.
And if you’ve stuck with us through all the changes: thank you. You’ve driven us forward.
Smantry and the issue of food waste, a mission that has not changed
No matter what we’re called or what we’re about, that stays the same.
In Germany, millions of tons of food end up in the trash every year. Most of this doesn’t happen in restaurants or supermarkets, but at home, in private households, at your place and ours. Yogurt that has passed its expiration date. Vegetables that were forgotten. The leftovers from Monday that didn’t make it to Wednesday.
➜ Making a lot out of a little: How to whip up simple recipes from your leftovers 🥕🥖✨
Smantry is our answer to this. No wagging finger, no logic of renunciation. Instead, a tool that makes your everyday life easier and at the same time helps ensure that less is thrown away. Good for your wallet. Good for the environment. Good for your conscience.
That was the mission of Speisekammer.App. That is the mission of Smantry. No difference.
What comes next
The name change wasn’t an endpoint; it was a fresh start. In the coming months, we will continue to develop Smantry, release new features, and further grow the community around mindful shopping and smart pantry management.
You can be part of it.
➜ Go directly to the Smantry app here
If you have questions, feedback, or just want to say that you’re glad you’ve found us again, write to us. We read everything and we really do reply.
The Smantry team
Still have questions about the name change or the app? Write to us or visit our FAQ page.
Hope, the whale, and what his fate has to do with our shopping basket
From awareness to responsibility: Why each of us should think of Timmy the next time we buy fish.
Since the beginning of March 2026, a humpback whale has been keeping Germany on edge. First spotted in the port of Wismar, “Timmy,” also affectionately called “Hope,” had become entangled in a net and was rescued. Since then, volunteers, veterinarians, politicians, and the entire nation have been emotionally fighting for him. Human chains, rescue boats, sandbags, drones. Everything is being tried to save this one animal.
That’s beautiful. And it’s a good thing.
But it also confronts us with an uncomfortable question: Why are we so deeply moved by a single whale, while every day we buy products that systematically kill whales and dolphins?
What connects Timmy with our everyday life
Timmy’s story is not just a natural spectacle. It is also a mirror. According to Wikipedia, his appearance on German coasts is a sign of the partial recovery of humpback whale populations – the result of decades of international protection measures and the moratorium on commercial whaling. Protection has worked.
At the same time, Timmy may be dying from exactly what happens every day: fishing nets.
His first appearance: he had become entangled in a net.
Bycatch: The Invisible Catastrophe
Bycatch is the leading cause of death for marine mammals worldwide. What few people realize: with every fish stick, every can of tuna, every shrimp cocktail, this silent mass dying can be co-financed.
What exactly is bycatch? When fishing with large nets (trawl nets, gillnets or purse seines), it’s not only the target fish that end up in the net. Whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and seabirds are also caught. Many die in agony because they can no longer surface or are injured by the pressure of the net.
Particularly dramatic: the death of a single whale can destabilize an entire family group. Whales live in close social units. If the experienced matriarch, who knows the best feeding grounds, dies, the entire group suffers.
The MSC label: No free pass for whales
Many consumers trust the blue MSC label (Marine Stewardship Council) as a guarantee of sustainable fishing. The problem: even MSC-certified products do not guarantee adequate whale protection.
According to a study by NABU and BirdLife International, only 13% of the MSC-certified fisheries examined received a good rating on the issue of bycatch. For the overwhelming majority, the unwanted bycatch rates of whales, dolphins and other threatened species did not even decrease after certification.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation organisation (WDC) is also clear: MSC certifications do not guarantee that whales and dolphins did not suffer or die during the catch.
Which fish products are particularly problematic?
These products and fishing methods are particularly under criticism:
🚫 Avoid or question
- Tuna from purse seine nets (often canned). High dolphin bycatch; even MSC-certified fisheries in the Mexican Pacific have been criticized
- Prawns and shrimpEspecially from trawl fisheries using bottom trawls, which also destroy the seabed; in addition: North Atlantic prawn and lobster fisheries demonstrably contribute to the decline of the North Atlantic right whale
- Fish sticks, breaded fish and convenience products.Here, the origin and fishing method are often not declared.
- Krill products (dietary supplements, omega-3 from krill). Krill is the main food source for whales; fishing it literally deprives them of their means of survival
- Gillnet fishing in the North and Baltic Seas. According to WDC, very likely associated with negative impacts on harbour porpoise populations
What can we do? The good news
Consumption plays a part in the decision. And this is where smantry becomes relevant: anyone who shops consciously, wastes less, and deliberately chooses alternatives is already doing a lot.
📱 How the Smantry app helps
When you use Smantry to plan your food and avoid leftovers, you automatically reduce your footprint – including on the oceans. Anyone who plans more consciously shops more purposefully, chooses plant-based proteins more often, and takes a second look at the label when buying fish.
Tip: Use Smantry to replace fish meals more often with sustainable alternatives, e.g. legumes, mushrooms or tofu as the main protein source, and save fish for moments when you really know what’s in it.
The conclusion: Timmy as a turning point?
Millions of people have been rooting for Timmy in recent weeks. This shows how deep our connection with these fascinating animals is. Now it’s time to turn this feeling into action.
Because while Timmy’s rescue is in the spotlight, whales and dolphins are silently dying in nets every day. Without a name, without a hashtag, without a live blog.
Let’s make sure that the empathy we feel for Timmy doesn’t end with his fate, but begins with our next purchase.
Read this articles as well:
Cooking without shopping: recipes from the pantry
Quiet Saving: The new saving trend without sacrifice
How to optimize food storage – clever hacks for your pantry
Sources & further links:
Organize your cosmetics: How to stay on top of everything (and avoid unnecessary waste)
Do you know that?
You’re looking for your favorite cream and instead you find three half-used ones.
Last summer’s lipstick is buried somewhere at the very bottom.
And with the mascara you’re wondering: Can I still use this… or is it better not to?
Cosmetics can quickly become confusing. And just like with food, something happens here that many people underestimate:Products are bought twice, forgotten, and ultimately thrown away.
But it can be done differently.
Why organizing your cosmetics is so important
Cosmetics, just like food, have a limited shelf life.
The problem: it’s often less visible.
Many products bear the so-called PAO symbol (Period After Opening), for example:
- 6M → 6 months shelf life after opening
- 12M → shelf life of 12 months
- 24M → Shelf life 24 months
👉 But: Who actually remembers exactly when something was opened?
The result:
- Uncertainty in use
- Skin irritation caused by expired products
- unnecessary new purchase
- more trash
The solution: Organize your cosmetics like your pantry
With the Smantry app you can not only manage your groceries –
but also organize your cosmetics smartly.
And this is where it really gets exciting.
How to use the app for your beauty products
1. Record all products
Simply add your cosmetic products in the app:
- Face creams
- Make-up
- Hair products
- Sunscreen
- Perfume
💡 Tip: Create categories like “Skincare,” “Makeup,” or “Haircare” so you can find everything again more quickly.
2. Record opening date
This is the game changer.
As soon as you open a product:
👉 enter the opening date in the app
This way you can always keep track of:
- how long you have been using it
- whether it is still safe
💡 Especially important for:
- Mascara (very short shelf life!)
- liquid products
- Natural cosmetics
3. Keep an eye on shelf life
Even though cosmetics don’t have a classic “best before” date:
👉 You can set your own reminders
👉 or sort by usage time
This is how you immediately recognize:
- which should be used up soon
- which has been open for a long time
4. Avoid duplicate purchases
How many times have you bought something and only realized at home:
"But I’ve already done that…"
With your digital overview, that won’t happen anymore.
👉 Take a quick look in the app before buying
👉 see what you really need
This saves:
- Money
- place
- Resources
Sustainability starts in the bathroom
Cosmetics is an often underestimated area when it comes to sustainability.
Many products:
- contain microplastics
- come in elaborate packaging
- are disposed of when half full
With better organization, you can:
✔ Use up products completely
✔ Consume more consciously
✔ Reduce your waste
Bonus: Less chaos in your head
Keeping things tidy in the bathroom also means:
- less stress in the morning
- clearer routines
- more conscious decisions
You just know what you’ve got.
And that changes more than you’d think.
Conclusion: Small habit, big impact
Organizing cosmetics might sound trivial at first.
But it isn’t.
Because this is exactly where the following are hiding:
- unnecessary expenses
- unconscious consumption
- avoidable waste
👉 With the Smantry app, you create transparency
👉 and take another step towards a more mindful everyday life
Challenge for you:
Open your bathroom today, pick 5 products and enter them into the app.
Include the opening date.
You’ll be surprised how quickly the way you look at your own things changes.
🌸 Spring Recipes 2026: 5 Viral TikTok & Instagram Food Trends
Spring brings back not only sunshine and fresh ingredients – but also a new wave of food trends on TikTok and Instagram.
This year it’s less about classic “healthy bowls” and more about contrasts, textures, and surprising combinations.
Here are 5 new, unusual trend recipes that you definitely haven’t seen a thousand times before – but will soon be seeing everywhere.
🍓 1. Whipped feta with warm strawberries & chili honey
Why it’s trending:
Creamy + sweet + spicy = exactly the flavor combo that’s going viral right now.
Here’s how it works:
- Blend feta with a bit of yogurt and olive oil until creamy
- Briefly roast the strawberries in the pan
- Drizzle with chili honey
- Serve everything on the feta
Why it’s perfect for spring:
Fresh strawberries + a hint of heat → surprising and elegant
🥒 2. Crispy Rice Paper Rolls (Inside-Out Style)
Why it’s trending:
Rice paper is currently being completely reimagined – crispy instead of soft.
Preparation:
- Moisten rice paper
- Fill with leftovers (vegetables, rice, herbs, tofu or chicken)
- Fry in the pan until crispy
- Then slice it and serve it inside-out
Twist:
With peanut-lime dip or mango-chili sauce
🍋 3. Lemon pasta with caramelized butter & burrata
Why it’s going viral:
Minimalist pasta plus a “luxury finish” is huge on Instagram right now.
How it works:
- Slowly brown the butter (for a nutty flavor!)
- Add lemon juice + lemon zest
- Toss with the pasta
- Place the burrata on top and tear it open
Foodie tip:
Top with roasted pistachios → extra crunch
🥬 4. Crunchy Herb Salad with Baked Lemon Rice
Why new:
Not the salad itself – the texture is the real star.
Preparation:
- Pre-cook the rice, then bake it in the oven until crispy
- Roughly chop the fresh herbs (parsley, dill, mint)
- Cucumber & spring onions with it
- Mix with lemon dressing
- Sprinkle crunchy rice on top
Trend factor:
“Soft + Crunch” is currently one of the biggest food trends
🍰 5. Frozen yogurt bark with spring toppings
Why it’s popular on TikTok:
Snackable, pretty, looks healthy – perfect for Reels.
Here’s how it works:
- Spread yogurt onto a baking tray
- Top with berries, edible flowers, and nuts
- Freeze and break into pieces
Upgrade:
Fold in white chocolate or a matcha swirl
🌼 What these food trends have in common
The viral spring recipes of 2026 are all about:
- Contrasts (creamy vs. crunchy)
- simple ingredients with a twist
- visual aesthetics (Instagram-worthy!)
- quick preparation
The best part: you don’t need any fancy equipment or pro skills—just the desire to try something new.
🚀 Conclusion: Spring = time to experiment
The new food trends show:
It’s no longer just about “healthy” or “simple”, it’s about an experience on the plate.
If you’re in the mood to make your kitchen a bit more exciting, these recipes are the perfect way to kick off the culinary spring.
👉 Call to action
Which recipe will you try first?
Share your result on Instagram with #SmantryFrühling🌸
Download the app and check right away what you already have in your pantry. That’s how spring can begin!