The Pantry
Asian
With these things in your cupboards and fridge you can make a variety of Asian-inspired meals.
- Thai Kitchen fish sauce
- Thai Kitchen red curry paste
- Mae Ploy chili sauce
- Reduced fat coconut milk
- Soy sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Mirin
- Toasted sesame oil
- Hot chili oil
- Essential produce: fresh garlic and ginger, green onion, bell peppers and cilantro.
General
- Barilla Penne and Thin Spaghetti
- Beretta Arborio rice
- Organic Basmati Rice
- Organic Wild Rice
- Muir Glen Whole Peeled Tomatoes and Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
- Albacore tuna in spring water
- Cascadian Farm dill relish
- Hot and Spicy Beans
- Chicken Broth (free range)
- Mama Lil's Kick Butt peppers
- Noh Hawaiian BBQ sauce - tied here with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
- Organic Garbanzo beans
- Tahini
- Cholula
- Anchovies
The Baking Cabinet
Vestiges of my professional life are evident in my pantry: I buy the largest tupperware containers that will fit into my cabinets and dump several bags of flour into them (this method is also less messy as paper flour bags are no good for storage). And now I label them so everyone knows what's what.
- All-purpose flour. I buy the organic 365 label at Whole Foods and have a container that holds about 15#.
- Cake flour. Soft as Silk or Swansdown are often available in regular grocery stores. It's in a 2# box. My container holds about 6#.
- Whole wheat flour. I spend a little more here, as there's more depth of flavor in the smaller batch flours. Whole Foods has a nice selection. I'll provide an update soon on the order I've got coming in from Ireland. Mmmm...brown bread! My stainless steel canister holds 5#.
- Pure extracts: vanilla, almond and peppermint
- Sugars: white granulated, superfine, light brown, powdered. Also: Sugar in the Raw (well-priced at Target - look for the 2# bulk box); rustic but still chic La Perruche cubes; course white crystal sugar for sprinkling atop scones.
- Milwaukee Iron seasoning (from The Spice House in Chicago)
- Hometown blended seasoning (from Town & Country market on Bainbridge Island, WA. They're kind enough to ship me several jars once a year).
- Ancho Chili Powder
The Fridge
- Beef base
- Kalamata olives
- Grana Padano
- Gruyere
- Buttermilk
- Bell pepper
- Fresh ginger
- Green onions
- Jalapenos
- Leeks
- Lemons
- Limes
The Freezer
I feel a little embarrassed that I don't seek better quality fresh fish. But since everything is flash frozen anyway having a few fillets on hand in my freezer ensures that I actually consume fish each week (it's highly unlikely that I'll get to the fish market once a week, even if I did have more free time).
- Red Snapper
- Salmon
- Tilapia
- Meatballs. I buy 1# packages of lean veal and pork at Whole Foods, and the leanest ground beef (96/4)at Trader Joes and make a big batch of meatballs a few times a year. Save some for that night's dinner and freeze the rest on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a big ziploc bag. Prepare straight out of the freezer: brown the sides in olive oil, add some tomato sauce, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 min until cooked thru.
- Individually packaged chicken breasts (I get them at Trader Joes)
- A pork tenderloin
- Uncooked shrimp - deveined, tail on. At Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
The Root Cellar
- Yellow onions
- Red Onions
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Russets
- Red New Potatoes (seasonally)
Mark Bittman's Must Haves for the Pantry
Gluten-Free Girl's Pantry Essentials
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