Pantry 101 – Some Things Never Change!

Last night I was talking to my friend Chris Ramos. Chris owns the eco-friendly busses we use for our Taste-full Tours, and he happens to be a good cook too! (check out the fleet at www.thenightmove.com) As often happens when I’m talking to my friends around dinner time, he asked what he should do with the chicken he was making for dinner. So I rattled off a list of ingredients for a marinade I really like, and I was impressed to hear he had all of them in his pantry. It occurred to me that it had been awhile since I had revisited my old “basic pantry” list, so I pulled it up on my computer.

Interestingly, my original list which I wrote many years ago while I was in culinary school was not far off from the list I would make today. Right after I graduated, my friend Traci and I were teaching a cooking class that focused on basic ingredients you should always have on hand, and what simple but quality things you could make with them. The list got a bit of tweaking then, and then again a few years later when I re-created the class to teach elsewhere.

I was pleased to see that salt and pepper, and their variations, were tops on my list. I chuckled to see my list of specialty pantry items – a list that was clearly a product of my pretentious (I mean that in a good way) up-bringing at Schoolcraft College! J Food cost was never an issue there – only the very best ingredients found their way onto those exceptional educational pantry shelves, and we were taught never to compromise (even when shaving truffles or choosing butter; I still seek out the very best butter today, much to my husband’s chagrin!!)

So to boil it down, WAY down, you should always have these things:

1. Salt and pepper in some form

2. Fat in some form

3. Acid in some form

4. Heat in some form (like cayenne or chile flakes)

Everything else is icing on the cake. That’s not to say the rest isn’t important, but without the four things above you can’t cook, and shouldn’t cook. It’s just disrespectful to the food!

So please enjoy my updated pantry lists, and stock up your cupboards and coolers. I promise you’ll be prepared to cook anything. Of course, knowing what to do with the ingredients is another story. For that, I recommend a Taste-full Tasting!

Have a great week everyone!

Pantry Essentials:

1. basic seasoning: sea or Kosher salt, peppercorns, cayenne or red pepper flakes AND Taste-full Salt Blend! (ok, I know that’s not just 1 thing)

2. good quality olive oil (extra virgin and pure); canola or peanut oil

3. good quality vinegars – balsamic, cider, white balsamic, raspberry, red wine

4. good quality chicken broth (home-made is best, or low sodium in box)

5. garlic and shallots (should be fresh)

6. brown rice, pasta, quinoa, cous-cous (try a variety of rices, different pasta shapes, and plain cous-cous)

7. Dijon and dry mustard, plus some basic spices like nutmeg, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, and celery seeds, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds (again, I know that’s not just one thing!)

8. sweet (unsalted) butter and cream

9. canned tomatoes

10. starch thickeners: flour, arrowroot, and cornstarch

Specialty Pantry Items (not really in order):

1. aged balsamic vinegar

2. good soy sauce

3. saffron threads (not powder)

4. truffle oil, butter, or peelings

5. Parmiggiano Reggiano

6. dried wild mushrooms

7. Brie, Camembert, Boursin, and other high-end cheeses

8. pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts