Stocking Your Pantry

Pantry, derived from ‘paneterie’ (Old French for bread closet) is defined as being a small room or closet where food, tableware, linens and similar items are stored. For centuries, cooks of all calibers have known the importance of maintaining a well-stocked pantry. Depending on your household’s likes, dislikes, schedules and lifestyle, you will want to customize your pantry so that you will be able to not only nourish, but also excite your family’s palate.

Creativity is brought to cooking when there are ample ingredients to draw upon, so when it comes to stocking your pantry, you will want to make sure that you have what it takes to make every meal a special one. Begin with the basics first (soup stocks, seasonings, sauces, pasta, and rice) and you will have a good place to start any meal, but don’t be afraid to try something new. There are so many types of pasta and rice to explore that you could fill an entire walk-in pantry with samplings from just these items alone.

From canned goods and dried goods to jellies and juices, your cupboards should never be bare. It doesn’t matter if your home comes with an officially designated pantry (many new home kitchens feature these), or a select few cupboards plus the fridge and freezer, it’s how it’s stocked that counts. Once you’ve got your ingredients, organize them well and don’t forget to rotate your stock, and you’ll be able to whip up fantastic meals at a moments notice.

Here’s what I like to keep on hand:

• Soup stock
• Rice – brown (long and short grain), white (Basmati, arborio, sticky rice for sushi) and wild rice
• Pasta – you name it, we try to have a wide variety – rice, whole wheat, orzo, elbows, etc.
• Canned – tuna, salmon, corn, some soups, tomatoes (all types), sauces, beans, etc.
• Baking supplies – flour (wheat, rice, and potato), baking powder & soda, yeast, etc, coconut, chocolate, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries – you get the idea
• Spices – well there are too many of these to list, but we always have the usual, plus curry, cumin, summer savory, and Chinese 5 spice blend
• Grains – oats, barley, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.
• Legumes – lentils (red, brown, and green), split peas, blackeyed peas, etc.
• Bread crumbs and croutons (regular and from rice bread)
• Other items – corn starch, coconut milk, nori sheets for sushi rolls, different salts and sugars, prepared sauces, cereals, crackers, etc.

 Get stocked & get cooking!

Sandy King

www.sandyking.ca

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Copyright 2008 Sandy King