The pantry stuffs and what those items actually are, confound the non-cook. This blog was partly inspired by my cousin-in-law, an intelligent, capable, hard working and oftentimes hilarious new mother, who also happens to be mystified by the art of cooking. But, she and husband and baby are trying to make the stay-at-home mom thing work so she realized that cooking will be a necessary skill. To her, the grocery store is a giant box of madness, the thousands of products all melting together in vulgar displays and the amount of choices are far too many to process. One time she went in with a $200 budget and came out with diapers, lettuce and white vinegar. I applauded her on the vinegar, you can make a lot of pickled veggies with that stuff. They're great on sandwiches.
So for my dear cousin-in-law and all the people like her, I'm going to try to teach the art of pantry stocking. I think it's the foundation for every decent cook and a lifesaver for times when you just got back from vacation and loathe the notion of the grocery store but you still need to eat (beer can at least be picked up on the way home from th airport). Here goes...oh and this is for a family of two. Huge.
STUFF IN CANS (or boxes) Organic you can afford!
- Chicken Broth - I buy Swanson's organic in 32 oz boxes, 4 at a time, lasts me at least two weeks
- Tomatoes - Diced, pureed, sauce and paste, I buy Muir Glen organic and typically have 4 cans diced, 2 pureed, 2 sauce and 1 paste. Optional Tomatoes: Look in the "Mexican" section of your grocery store for salas and tomato sauce. I buy El Pato or whatever is cheapeast, 4-6 jars at a time, you can usually buy the cans for about a dollar.
- Chick Peas, White Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, any kind of beans you like. I buy organic because the taste tends to be less metallic for some reason. I generally have 4 cans of chick peas and 2 cans of white beans in the cupboard. I make my own black beans, but I realize that kind of madness isn't for everyone...it's a helluva lot chepaer though if you like beans.
- Chilis - diced, whole and in Adobo sauce. My husband likes 4-alarm, eye-watering, forehead-sweating spice. I like a little kick, but prefer to keep my mouth not on fire. Chilies in cans make this balance easier to maintain. The chilis in Adobo sauce come whole, I blend the whole jar in the blender, refridgerate and toss in teaspoons or tablespoons as needed. WAY easier than chopping up the individual slop. One jar will last me 6 months (I'm probably supposed to say 3 months here for FDA approval, but I still eat it at 6 months and I've never given myself food poisoning).
- Coconut Milk - if you like Asian food, keep 2-4 cans on hand
- Tuna Fish - Tuna packed in water is a load of dried out crap. Buy it packed it olive oil (a good-for-you fat) and you won't need to load it up with mayonaise (a not-so-good-for-you fat) next time you make a sandwich.
STUFF IN BOXES OR BULK
I admit, I am a bit wary of my big-box store bulk food aisle. I never see anyone in it and seriously, when was the last time they replaced the peas and peanuts? Bulk foods are the items you can feel economicaly good about when purchasing from the local co-op. The stuff that pours out of the bins seems like it was all individually polished and cleaned after it was harvested and dried last week. And it's the best bang (full tummy) for your buck you will ever encounter. I replenish my bulk aisle items about four times a year. You can handle four times a year in a hippie store. If it's any consolation I'm pretty sure patcholi is on its way out. I haven't smelled it in a long time and I live in a hippie hotspot.
- Rice - I buy Tilda Basmati rice by the bag. It's super easy to make. I don't do brown/wild rice, though I probably should.
- Pasta - I keep Spaghetti, Rotinni, Macaroni and Egg Noodles on hand
- Beans - Split Peas, Black Beans, Lentils, Red Lentils (red lentils are amazing, more on that later), French green lentils
- Grains - Barley, Bulger and Quinoa
STUFF IN JARS - Oils, Vinegars, Sauces and Condiments
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White distilled vinegar (this can be a big bottle)
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Apple Cider Vinegar - I buy the organic raw, unfiltered kind in the natural food section
- Sherry Vinegar
- Rice Vinegar
- Mirin (Sweet rice wine)
- Olive Oil for cooking (not extra virgin)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Canola/Saffola/Vegetable Oil (yes you need this kind of oil too, it can withstand higher temperatures than olive oil)
- Soy Sauce
- Tobasco Sauce (or any favorite hot sauce)
- Honey
- Sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
- Thai Chili Paste
- Hoison Sauce
- Dijon Mustard
- Yellow Mustard
- Mayonaise
- Ketchup (I hate ketchup, but no one else does, so I'm including it here
- Natural peanut butter - the no stir kind
- Tahini - Sesame paste
- Pepperoccinis
- Green Olives / Kalamata Olives
- Green and red curry paste if you want to make Asian dishes
- Real Vermont maple syrup grade B (optional of course, but I am a syrup snob)
- Yogurt - whole milk, plain with live cultures and Greek yogurt too (this is optional but Greek yogurt is as tasty as ice cream and better for you, so get into it if you're an ice cream person).
SPICES - I probably have more than anyone really needs, but I think a bit of an investment in a good spice selection goes a long way with flavor. I'll note the ones I consider optional.
Allspice, anise (both ground and seeds, can be called fennel and star anise), bay leaves, cayenne pepper, cardamom (optional), celery seed (optional), cinnamon, cloves, chili powder, cumin, dill (optional), ginger, herbs de Provence, marjoram (optional), mustard powder, nutmeg, paprika (keep in the fridge), pepper - black pepper corns and ground white pepper, thyme, tumeric (optional)
If you have a well stocked spice drawer a quick spice rub is a great way to get a lot of flavor when you don't have time to marinate anything for a few hours first. I'll post some of my favorite spice-rub recipes at some point.
FREEZER STUFF - not just for ice cubes!
I'll be the first to admit that I probably could make better work of my freezer, but I do tend to always have something in there that could contribute to a meal. Here's a basic list...
- pizza dough (I like Trader Joe's)
- peas, broccoli, corn, fava beans
- blueberries, cranberries
- salted and unsalted butter (did you know butter keeps best in the freezer?)
- a package of preservative-free, natural chicken hot dogs
- a 4-link package of hot Italien style chicken sausage
- homemade beef stock (hopefully! you might was well not even buy canned beef stock as it significantly pales in comparison. When recipes call for beef stock and you're not the kind of person to sit around making homemade stock on a Sunday then use canned chicken broth instead).
- homemade applesauce - my MIL and I make this every year together, it's fun, we both have apple trees and we make a truckload. If you're my friend you probably have some in your freezer right now too.
- mystery frozen leftover soup. I bring it to work and eat a surprise for lunch
