Pantry essentials?

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Dardeau said:
Gouchujang makes everything good. It is vinegar that gets heated up with a pinch of sugar and salt, then has cayenne or bird chilies steeped in it.
Click to expand...

Danny and I had recently purchased some gouchujang. We found it a bit sweet? I have the same reaction to sriracha.

Is my heat meter just broken? It added reasonably good flavor, but not heat...

Sorry if this hijacks the thread - just a curiosity.
 
Your list has me thinking about my own cabinets, just took a look and here are some more of my essentials not mentioned:

Cabinet:
Szechaun Peppercorns
Whole nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks
Small jar of capers
misc cans of peeled whole plum tomatoes
Aged Balsamic for drizzling (http://www.dibruno.com/campari-15-year-aged-balsamic-vinegar/)
Very "green" olive oil for dressings on salad and veggies
Brandy, port, sherry for deglazing and adding to sauces

Fridge:
minced garlic in oil
Taste #5 Umami Bomb Paste (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UEY8T3M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)
Lazano Salsa for rice/chicken/eggs (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0065NQXA2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)

D'artagnan black truffle butter (always in stock at Wegmans or DiBruno Bros)


In the freezer:
Carvel Ice Cream cake, I'd say single serving size, but aren't all the sizes single serving, lol
Bone Marrow cubes (cook as normal, scoop out and drain liquid into ice cube trays, mix in with ground beef or top burgers)


BTW, Philly area state stores have a special edition Jose Cuervo Reposado, aged in Flying Fish Rojo Grande Ale casks (which is aged in Cuervo tequila barrels, lol). Perfect for sipping while cooking pretty much anything!
 
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I've been on a bit of a purge over the past year. I accumulated WAY too much of a lot of the things on this list and realized that some stuff was way too old and other stuff was getting way too old. I've made a conscious decision to stop buying more condiments, spices, grains, flour, noodles, oils, until I really made a good dent in the stuff I already had. While this does limit certain things, and I have bought some one-off items, I did find that I can figure out certain substitutes or omissions to still allow me to cook tasty things without buying another container of whatever.

My point is, there is a serious list of items on this thread, and after this year long purge, I'd suggest holding off on stocking too much since at least half of the list can easily be gotten at the local grocery or even corner store very quickly when needed. You still may ramp up pretty quickly, but at least you won't look back on that unopened year old bag of pine nuts and kick yourself because you didn't need them until then and now they are rancid.

I do like this thread as a general resource. If we organized it to a single master list it could be a great reference to have for someone looking to jump into a new cuisine, or even to just browse around for a new idea. Just my $0.02.
 
I keep dried cranberries on hand. Great in cereal (hot or cold), salads, rice.

For minced garlic, I prefer dried to that in oil in jars. The flavor is much better IMO--just rehydate for a few minutes and it's pretty close to the real thing in an emergency. (I've used Penzey's for years. Always happy with their spices.)

Chili oil is a must-have. I use a sesame based chili oil in sauces, stews, soups, tomato sauce, etc etc.

For veggies in the fridge, I try to always have mushrooms. Add some cheese and egg for omelet, make a sauce for steak, good in stir fry...so many uses. Another versatile one to have on hand--cabbage. Slaws, salads, sandwich toppings, good in soups and stews, and lasts a long time in the fridge.
 
O.k., here the compilation so far. I agree with Strumke - having everything may lead to throwing things away, but I think it is a great list to look and start. I added a 'dried goods' section, and some things could be listed under different categories. So, what are we still missing? :)

PANTRY

Basics

Salt (Kosher, sea, Maldon, red Hawaiian)
Black peppercorns
White peppercorns
Extra virgin olive oil (California Olive Ranch)
Vegetable oil
Apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic (Di Bruno’s 15y)
Rice vinegar (unseasoned)
Sherry vinegar (Don Bruno)
Datu Puti cane vinegar
Steen’s cane vinegar


Baking

Flour: all purpose, whole wheat, pastry, Italian
Baking soda
Baking powder
Yeast
Cream of tartar
Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Chocolate: chips or bar
Evaporated milk
Pure vanilla extract


Sweeteners

Granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar
Brown sugar
vanilla sugar
Maple syrup
Honey
Agave syrup
cane syrup
Karo syrup


Drinks

Coffee
Tea
Beer
Sake
Wine
Sherry


Rice and Grains

Rice: Long-grain white, Basmati, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, sticky, brown
Grains: bulgur, quinoa, couscous or farro
Pasta: standard, whole grain, rice noodles, egg noodles
Polenta
Grits (Hoppin’ John’s)
Breadcrumbs: plain or panko


Snacks and Cereals

Crackers
Tortillas
Cookies or biscuits
Pretzels
Marshmallows
Popcorn kernels
Dried fruit: raisins, apricots, cranberries, cherries
Seeds: sunflower, flax, chia or hemp
Peanut butter or almond butter
Applesauce
Breakfast cereal
Old-fashioned rolled oats


Canned Goods

Chicken broth
Campbell beef consomme
Beans: cannellini, navy, chickpeas or black
Vegetables: hominy, corn or green beans
Olives or capers
Chiles: chipotles in adobo or pickled jalapenos
Salsa
Tomatoes: whole, plum
Tomato paste
Roasted red peppers
Tuna
Anchovy fillets or paste
Capers (brined or salted)
Spam


Dried Herbs and Spices

Bay leaves
Cajun seasoning
Cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Crushed red pepper
Curry powder
Fennel or dill seed
Granulated garlic
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground cumin
Ground ginger
Oregano
Paprika: sweet, smoked, Spanish, Hungarian
Rosemary
Sesame seeds
Thyme
Whole nutmeg
Onion powder
garlic powder/granules
Italian seasoning
Saffron
Basque piment d’spelette
Dried corn leaves
Szechuan Pepper
Whole cinnamon



REFRIGERATOR

Dairy and Eggs

Milk
Plain yogurt: regular or Greek
Unsalted butter
Cheddar or mozzarella
Goat cheese
Parmesan (wedge)
Eggs
Crème fraiche
Cream


Fresh Produce

Avocados
Carrots
Celery
Tomatoes: grape, cherry or seasonal beefsteak
Broccoli or cauliflower
Bell peppers
Leafy greens: spinach, kale or chard
Lettuce: romaine, Boston or mixed greens
Flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
Thyme
Scallions
Gingerroot
Potatoes: sweet, white or new
Onions
Garlic
Lemons
Limes
Apples
Bananas
Cabbage
mushrooms


Condiments

Jelly, jam or preserves
Ketchup
Mayonnaise
Mustard: Dijon, whole grain, spicy German, brown, Polish
Pickles
Hot sauce: Tabasco, Sriracha or sambal
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce or tamari (Shiro shoyu)
Asian fish sauce (Red Boat)
Toasted sesame oil
Chili oil
Mirin
Miso
Maggi
Thai curry paste
Gouchujang
dried chilies, guajillo, ancho, arbol etc
Ghee
Duck fat
cranberry relish
confit lemon
confit garlic
demi glace
Aji no Moto
Ponzu
Yuzu
truffle oil/salt/butter
truffle honey
minced garlic in oil
Taste #5 Umami bomb paste
Lazano salsa



Dried goods

dried mushrooms
Beans (red, black, lima, great norther)
Lentils (red, yellow, green, black, brown)
Bonito flakes
Kombu
Wakame
cashew nuts
walnuts
pine nuts


Freezer

Ground beef, ground turkey or Italian sausage
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Bacon
Bread: baguette or sandwich bread
Vegetables: peas, chopped spinach, corn, edamame
Fruit: berries, peaches or mangos
Nuts: almonds, walnuts or pecans
Dough: pizza, pie or puff pastry
Pierogi
Kielbasa
Vanilla ice cream + other flavors
frozen banana or taro leaves
Medallions of foie gras
kaffir, curry, bay leaves
bone marrow cubes
squid ink
 
+1 to both of these comments one because I find myself there the other because toast (or not), grind and use is the only way ...

strumke said:
I've been on a bit of a purge over the past year. I accumulated WAY too much of a lot of the things on this list and realized that some stuff was way too old and other stuff was getting way too old. I've made a conscious decision to stop buying more condiments, spices, grains, flour, noodles, oils, until I really made a good dent in the stuff I already had.
Click to expand...

Mucho Bocho said:
don't buy any spice/herb ground, buy a mortar/pestle
Click to expand...
 
Need to add tamarind paste/sauce and some rice noodles and you can make pad Thai. Lemon grass for Vietnamese dishes. Also keep some lumpia wrappers in the freezer.
 
Elfen23 said:
Danny and I had recently purchased some gouchujang. We found it a bit sweet? I have the same reaction to sriracha.

Is my heat meter just broken? It added reasonably good flavor, but not heat...

Sorry if this hijacks the thread - just a curiosity.
Click to expand...
Yea you're right gochujang is not really spicy, it just looks like it is. I used to think sriracha was spicy when I was young, but now I feel that its too sweet also.
 
Another one for popcorn...or for topping butter on bread....or salads and pasta...Bragg's Nutritional Yeast

Noticed lemongrass is missing, as long as we're spending your money
 
I always try to keep a few dry goods I can make a solid meal out of when flat broke. Namely: masa harina and pintos, red lentils and atta flour, generally any legume/starch combo. Also good if you have any use of it is the boxed tofu. It actually has better flavor than the bland water packed stuff as doesn't need refrigeration + lasts forever.
 
Long day at work, thought I might as well go to the supermarket and get started on the list while it is a bit quieter. Spent about $250 and it feels like I checked off about 8 items of the list... Well, not quite, but it just adds up very quickly. Next stop: Japanese store.

Stefan
 
+1 on the Gochujang and Gochugaru. Some Doenjang too. All these are also very useful in chinese dishes (Gochujang can reasonably stand in for Doubanjang in some cases).


Note: vegetarian bias in the following lists... just some extensions for various asian cuisines.

While on the topic of chinese: Dried shiitake. Chinkiang vinegar, and also good clear rice vinegar. Dark, light and shiitake soy sauces - full salt for the first two in case you are low on fridge space. Peanuts roasted and unroasted. Light and dark rice wines. Five spice. Ground and whole sichuan pepper. Salted black beans. Dried mandarin or tangerine peel (can DIY. Do not substitute orange peels and don't ask... :). Mushroom sauce (or the actual oyster sauce it replaces. <> shiitake soy sauce!!). Chili Garlic sauce (I tend to use Srijaja Panich even if it is thai). Various bagged pickles. Sufu (not stinky sufu unless real adventurous). The edible furniture (whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, star anise...). Freezer: Wrappers. Various noodles.

South indian: Grated coconut and curry leaves both in the FREEZER. The dried variants are...censored. The whole selection of edible furniture. Tamarind en bloc. Coconut milk as described below. Good coconut oil.

General indian: Asafoetida. Deggi Mirch. WHOLE cumin/fennel/fenugreek... and DARK mustard seeds. Good GROUND coriander and cumin, optionally both roasted and unroasted each. Decent garam masala. Decent Saffron. Sambhar Powder (unlike curry powder, a mixture that is actually used readymade often).Edible furniture again. Besan. Dried Chili. Dried legumes galore. Optionally dried fenugreek leaves. Optionally a good fenugreek seed powder (shifts things in a more anglo-indian direction). Some good flour for roti (real atta is lovely!, otherwise substitute a fine wholewheat or whole spelt flour) FRESH: Green chili. Cilantro (optionally GARDEN). Yoghurt.

Look at what belongs in a 7-compartment masala dabba when confused about indian spices; that is the most essential set.

Thai: Sticky rice, Pickled radish, rice noodles of all kinds, peanuts roasted and unroasted, dried whole red chili, basic indian spices (for yellow, massaman, khao soy... pastes), soy sauces as in chinese, coconut milk as below, all the fish products if you eat fish (if not, stock up on soy sauce varieties, marmite, nooch, other fermented products). FREEZER/FRIDGE: kaffir Leaves, limes, galangal, lemongrass, fresh turmeric (divine in khao soi - careful, stains like hell and can taste nauseatingly intense!), garlic chives (allium tuberosum - optionally GARDEN ;), fresh red chilies (for salads mostly, curry pastes tend to use dried). Cilantro for some things too.


A variety of Coconut Milk and -Cream of any non-adulterated (skip the stuff that has E-anything, or casein, or any-glycer-anything in it) brand you can get. They differ hugely (texture, subtle off-tastes, splitting behaviour under heat!) and are fit for different purposes.


Peanut oil for all stir frying or stovetop deep frying - technically lower smoke point than the soy oil often sold, but far more resilient from my experience.

Re: Basmati Rice: If you are ok with the price - Stock Tilda. The stuff is clean, genuine and *consistent* unlike quite many brands.

For who loves risotto: Arborio rice. SMALL bottles of good white wine unless you drink the leftovers anyway. Whatever you think makes a good broth.

Baking/Sweets: You can never have enough ground and whole nuts, nor enough dried fruit or good liquors (Grand Marnier, DiSaronno...)
 
Life I've enjoyed your pantry suggestion. You described my pantry quite well add some harisa, long pepper, micro encapsulated levener and dehydrated malt syrup. Curious where you get "The whole selection of edible furniture."
 
Wow, lots of stuff. I am not sure I am capable - or want to be equipped - to cook meals from any regional or ethnic background on a whim, so I will certainly have to set priorities. For me, that means some basic Japanese staples, filling my masala dabba with the basics, and looking more into Thai cuisine which is the main one that I would like to learn more about. But I definitely appreciate all the ideas. Some things I have to look up... I was thinking about getting some fresh herbs, and maybe a small laurel and a kaffir lime tree, we'll see.
 
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