My Pantry Essentials
Having a stocked pantry is one of the best things you can do as a home cook. There are a few things that I always have to hand, to help make my cooking process easier. With a few essentials you can always take a meal from boring to delicious. Simple things can elevate a dish, whether that be in texture or taste. It will also help you create meals from nothing. Your fridge might look bare, but if your pantry is stocked, you’re going to be able to eat. So, what are my pantry essentials? Let’s jump in.
Vinegar
I’m not talking boring malt vinegar, no, no, no. Things like apple cider and red wine vinegar are your friends. Adding a level of acidity to dishes is paramount to balance flavours. It can also help enhance them. Add vinegar to sauces, marinades, dressings or in place of citrus if you are at a loss.
Oil
Using the right oil can make a dish. Sesame oil helps enhance Asian flavours, a neutral oil is great for baking. Extra virgin olive oil is great for finishing dishes and making dressings. Both coconut and avocado oil are great for a healthy alternative. Having a good mixture of all of these will help with your cooking. Different oils also suit different ways of cooking. For high heat and deep frying you want a more refined oil, like peanut or sunflower. Unrefined oils such as olive oil tends to smoke at high heat, so is best used for sautéing, dressings or baking.
Nuts & Seeds
I never let myself run out of this seed mix, I put it on everything. From salad to porridge. I use it to top my baking, or add it to stir fry. It’s a great thing to have on hand to give a good dose of nutrition. I also have stocked jars of nuts. Nuts to add to granola, or to eat with dried fruit as a snack. I’ll add cashews to rice, walnuts to salads and cakes and peanuts to nearly everything. You can also blend them with water and nutritional yeast to make your own ‘cheese’ sauce. Or make dairy free dressings. It helps that they are full of fibre, nutrients and beneficial antioxidants. But they are amazing at creating texture in dishes.
Flour
A lot of people see flour just for baking. But it is a versatile ingredient. Flour can be used to thicken sauces, making toppings for crumbles, add in some spices and use it to coat meat for frying. Having an array of flours is great for the kitchen. I’ll always have a gluten free alternative, cornflour and the standard plain and self raising.
Beans & Lentils
I always have tinned and dried beans in my pantry. They are great for filling out a meal when you don’t have a lot to hand. You can add them to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Buying dried beans in bulk works out much cheaper in the long run. They might take longer to cook, but that’s what meal prep is for ;) I grow a lot of beans for drying, as the variety is great and it is super easy! You’ll always find me with black, kidney and haricot beans.
Like beans, lentils are an amazing staple to have in your pantry. They are cheap and hugely versatile. You can buy them dried or in tins and will help create a delicious and nutritious meal. Add them to soups, stews, curries. You can use them as a great meat alternative to make Bolognese or meatballs.
Tinned Tomatoes
Tomatoes are full of Unami and tinned tomatoes are a huge staple in my pantry. They help me create curries, soups, breakfasts and sauces. I grab them in bulk from Costco, they have a great organic brand that I adore. When shopping for tinned tomatoes, try and get 100% Italian tomatoes if you can. These have the best flavour of all. If you can’t get Italian, just try and make sure your tin contains 100% tomato without any added extras.
Pasta & Rice
You can’t have a pantry without pasta. Can you imagine? As well as the obvious, I love making a batch of pasta, letting it cool and mixing it with a good oil and some seasoning. I then add it to salads for lunches. It’s also great for bulking out soups.
Rice is great to have to hand, it bulks out soups and you can make an amazing fridge raid fried rice with veggie odds and ends you have in the fridge. I usually bulk cook a batch in my Instant pot, let it rapid cool and keep it in the fridge for in the week for a speedy lunch or dinner.
Stock
Whether homemade or store bought, stock is your friend. Soups, curries, stews, sauces; it helps add so much flavour to recipes. Veg scraps can be kept in bags in the freezer until you are ready to make a big pot of stock. Use bones from meat for added depth of flavour, these can be frozen too.