Someone mentioned recently that I should do a quick blog about what pantry staples I like to keep on hand. This person will remain nameless, but here's a hint: She contributed 50% of my DNA. You'll never guess. Anyway, a few days ago, I talk a bit about the tools I use the most in the kitchen, so we'll take it a step further to pantry, fridge, freezer items that I ALWAYS have on hand.
Pantry:
Dry or baking items:
AP flour..although after Christmas I found myself with 5 different kinds of flours!
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Corn Meal
Cocoa Powder
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Kosher Salt
Corn Starch
Variety of chocolate chips
Craisins
Starches:
Spaghetti noodles...always (its my comfort food)
Variety of pastas (I stock up when my store has BOGO free)
Quick Brown rice
Israeli Cous Cous
Arborio rice
Jasmine rice, love the way it smells
Cornmeal
Regular breadcrumbs and Panko
Jars and Cans:
Jarred spaghetti sauce (again, stock up during BOGO's. I have 8 jars right now)
Variety of canned tomatoes, diced, stewed, whole. Tomatoes with chilis, little cans of tomato sauce...etc
Sooo many beans: Black, pinto, pink, cannalini and chickpeas are my favorites.
Green chilis
Sliced water chestnuts
Coconut milk
Canned fruits. I am NOT a fan but my family loves them. I always get the ones in juice, never syrup.
Sweetened condensed milk
Evaporated milk
Chicken, beef and veggie broth. But I use chicken the most and always the low sodium kind
Ok, i have a cabinet that holds all the daily used items like oils/vinegars/peanut butter/ nutella etc. Here's what you'll always find there:
Canola oil
Olive oil: Light and EVOO
Lard..yes lard
Crisco
Balsamic vinegar and glaze
White Vinegar
Apple Cider vinegar
Red Wine vinegar
Cooking sprays
Peanut butter
Nutella
Syrup
Agave Syrup
Honey
Spice drawer:
I'm not going to go through everything in there, but they're mostly spices because I don't really use dried herbs. Here are the most common that I use:
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Curry
Sazon (its a must)
nutmeg
Cinnamon
Bay Leaves
Crushed red pepper
Of course salt and pepper
Variety of extracts: vanilla and almond mostly
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper (but thats to sprinkle around the yard to keep the dogs from digging)
Lets move on to the freezer:
Nuts nuts nuts...it's not just an adjective in this house. You name it and I have it stashed in my freezer. I am a self proclaimed hoarder of nuts and beans.
Chopped spinach
Peas
Broccoli
Pureed butternut squash
Berries
And whatever meats have been caught, hunted or purchased :)
I also keep my grits in the freezer.
Fridge:
OK, I'm not going to go through everything i have in my fridge but I will go over what you'll always find in there:
Cheese: blocks of cheddar and mozerella, goat cheese, a wedge of parmigianno regiano, fresh mozerella packed in water
Prosciutto
Organic milk
Eggs (Davidson pasteurized eggs, because what good is a cookie dough if you can't eat it raw?)
Teriyaki sauce
Soy Sauce
Chili Sauce
Red Curry Paste
Tomato Paste
Anchovy Paste
Jams and jelly's
pickles
Condiments
Cream Cheese
Salted and unsalted butter
margarine
Sesame oil
Bacon
SWEET TEA.
Breads:
Good ole honey wheat sandwich bread
Na'an
Real bakery break for food snob mom, ciabatta or sourdough
Flour and/or corn tortillas
Yes, I have every one of these items and always do. And no, I'm not taking pictures of my pantry, fridge and freezer...y'all must think I'm nuts.
Having a list like this helps to know what you should have extras of on hand. I'm quite a few jars/ bottles deep of most of these things. Thanks to BOGO's :) I can't pass up 50% off my pantry staples
Hope this helps a bit when you're thinking of what to stock your pantry with.
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