The Pantry

There is nothing more frustrating than getting half way through a recipe and realizing "Damn, I really DO need green onion!"

A friend recently expressed that one of his frustrations with cooking is that he never knows what to buy or have in his house that would help him cook a variety of things. Staples, essentials, things that everyone even remotely serious about cooking should have to make cooking easier.

Many people only go out to get certain ingredients when they are following a recipe, you see them walking through the isles in the grocery store with a list, trying to figure out if the 6oz package of walnuts will be enough for the "cup of chopped nuts" their recipe calls for. For many the staples of the house could consist of a few or most of the following: Frozen pizzas, lunch meat and bread, microwave dinners, Doritos, ranch, and boxes of easy mac. Sound familiar? If you are nodding your head then this section is for you.

These are the things in my pantry that I consider essential for everyday cooking. Most are relatively inexpensive, and do wonders for me.

Oil- Vegetable oil is all you really need for most cooking at this level. But, olive oil is more expensive and should be better right? Not necessarily, good olive oils are like fine wines, and unless you really know what to do with them, save yourself the money, because you wouldn't be able to  appreciate the difference anyway. Oil makes a huge difference in cooking, and learning how to work with it and what it can do is key. I like to buy as big of a container of vegetable oil as I can find. It doesn't go bad, so there is no such thing as too much oil.

Butter- Butter is fantastic, there is no limit to the things you can do with butter. From whipping clarified butter in with egg yolks to make a hollandaise to adding a nutty, richness of a dark roux to a cajun dish, to spreading it on toast, butter is delicious. I usually have at least a pound or two in my fridge. *tip- when buying butter, if you get the 1lb block of butter it is less expensive than getting the 1lb of butter that is divided into sticks.

Flour- Another great staple. Even if you are not making your own bread or pasta, it is still useful to have flour on hand. You can thicken a soup or sauce, or make a tasty breading for fried chicken or fish. Some are specific to higher levels of baking or with more gluten to make different pastas, but for general use, just buy all-purpose flour.

Eggs- Well, without eggs, the world of food would be sad and boring. You need eggs, or parts or eggs, for, sauces, cakes, breading, bread, mayonnaise, frostings, and some soups, as well as the standard breakfast food. Poached, fried, scrambled, or boiled, eggs are a beautiful thing. I go through over a dozen by myself in a week, so I buy them in bulk 5 1/2 dozen flats. You need eggs.

Onions- Onions might be my favorite vegetable. some people are happy when someone buys them chocolate, for me, it's onions. Onions can bring so much to a dish, from the strong and intense flavor of raw slices on a burger (as well as the crunchy texture), to the sugar-sweet caramelized onion. They can bring out subtle flavors and go well with almost everything. Onions keep for quite awhile, so don't be afraid to buy them in bulk.

Celery and Carrots- These go great when mixed with onions, as well as root vegetables, but by themselves can be used in a variety of ways. From "ants on a log" to a nice stock, having these basic vegetables in your fridge is a must.

Potatoes- A great staple that can be cooked for any meal. They can be roasted, baked, boiled, and fried, mashed and mixed with egg and flour to make pasta or dough. From breakfast hash-browns to broiled puffs. Buy potatoes.

Rice- I buy rice 50 lb bags at a time. Thai Jasmine is generally what I buy. I also really like basmati. I went through a fried rice phase last year and went through one of those in a matter of months. Rice is versatile, and can be cooked and flavored in countless ways. Don't buy rice from Wal-Mart or other big grocery stores, find your closest asian food market and check it out. You can get 3-4 times the amount of (good) rice at an asian market for what you pay elsewhere. There are a number of ways to make rice, from plain rice to a risotto with a pistachio pesto and summer squash. Rice is delicious, and you cant learn to cook with it unless you have some in your pantry.

Spices- While I have an extensive collection that grows by the day, from very specific types of paprika I brought home from Hungary, to baked and ground Baltic grey salt, to seasoning blends I put together myself. I love spices and learning what combines well with different foods and other spices is one the things I love most about cooking. If you are just starting out, here are some basics: Salt & pepper, crushed red pepper, bay leaves, and thyme. Find a good seasoning mix that you like. Some great ones are Forward- by Penzeys,  Adobo, Creole, and Mrs Dash. Buy a few, and try them with different foods.

Hot Sauces- Even if you can't eat spicy food, it is always a good idea to have a good sauce to bring a more rounded flavor to your dishes. Add a little to a soup or sauce you are making, it makes a huge difference. My favorites are Sriracha (with the green top) and Cholula. Tabasco and Franks are too vinegary and generic. If you like Tobasco, try Cholula and you will see what I am talking about.